25 February 2020 (gig)
26 February 2020
Morgan, a five-piece Spanish band, came to Colours at the tail-end of a tour supporting their 2018 album ‘Air’.
The stage set each of them equally, which worked favourably, and clearly highlighted the individual skills they brought to Morgan’s anthemic sound which fused classic rock with Americana and funk.
Morgan’s vibe is aimed for arenas, but they’re not there yet despite a spirited performance showing potential. Whilst there were intimate touches, they impressed most when they embraced their epic nature, whether with David Schulthess’s prog-style touch on the keys, their three-part harmonies, or engaging the audience to clap along with the intro to ‘Blue Eyes’.
Nina de Juan sings lead and plays piano for most of the set. She steps into her own when she leaves the Korg behind to unleash her moves alongside the performance. This was most noticeable as she danced her way through ‘Flying Peacefully’, miming – naturally – a plane during the title lyric.
Whilst virtually all of their songs are in English, they’ve not quite found the audience over here yet. The best reception of the night came when Nina spoke to the audience in Spanish, leading into ‘Sargento de Hierro’. A rare home language track from the group, it started with Nina’s solo performance before bursting into a full-band romp.
‘Another Road’, the single they’re pushing in the UK, was extended for the live show. The song already feels like a funky anthem, and the Chic flourishes were clear even before they segued into ‘Lose Yourself To Dance’, a Daft Punk and Nile Rodgers collaboration. With Paco López taking up the vocals for the cover, it allowed Nina to free herself from the microphone to – well – dance.
They can’t really leave the intimate and compact stage, so they move straight into the final song, ‘Marry You’. Nina sang to the crowd with no amplification, accompanied by Paco’s guitar, before crashing into the full band sound. She thanked the crew, then introduced the band in Spanish, before our visiting friends rounded off the song in style.
Morgan are taking a break to record album three. They proved their potential, whatever language they use. It looks like a lot of fun to be a bandmember, based on the obvious glee on their faces, and I hope it remains so whatever happens next. Based on this showcase, they should build the momentum into a rocket and reach for the estrellas.
