By Megan Foulk, Co-Deputy Music Editor
Approaching SWX on Saturday evening, it was obvious The Marias arrival had been well awaited. With a queue that snaked all the way up Fairfax Street, fans of the new album Submarine were easily distinguished with delicate sweeps of cornflower blue eyeshadow and sparkling aqua nail lacquer. Well worth queuing in the cold for, the evening invited everyone into a hazy dreamscape of pop, rock, jazz and psychedelic soul.
Supported by Madrid/London based artist PabloPablo, a graduate of Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the evening's twinkly aura was established from the outset.
Owner of two Latin Grammy awards, the singer and producer's gently paced Spanish electro-pop blends emotive lyrics with high reverb piano and guitar, creating dense, wadeable melodies. A perfect warm-up for The Marias equally heady sound.
Teased by punctuating dashes of turquoise light moving in time to an elongated introduction of 'Hamptons' (the second track from Submarine), front woman Maria Zardoya appeared amongst the rippling waves of blue.
Prompting squeals at the barrier, the six years of built anticipation since the band's last visit to Bristol bubbled over all at once.
The inspiration behind the band's name, Zardoya was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. After meeting drummer Josh Conway at The Kibitz Room in L.A. in 2016, the pair began writing together and started dating shortly after.
Switching between the crimson colour palette of debut album Cinema, to the soapy blues of Submarine, the evening was soaked in duality. Prefacing the first Spanish number in the set 'Un Millon', as an anthem for 'everyone with family far away', warm, fuzzy, comfort pinched at everybody's cheeks.
Turning to her friends with a beaming smile, a girl to my left said quietly, 'I love this song but I don't know any of the words'.
Floating in the past momentarily, 'Ruthless', headline track from 2018 EP Superclean Vol II welcomed trumpet player Gabe Steiner to centre stage, backed theatrically by orange and yellow haloes. Easing through his runs with effortless style, infectious cheers rippled around the room.
Gifting a couple of surprises within the set, covers of The Cardigans 'Lovefool' and Radiohead's 'Exit Music (For A Film)' incited an intimacy amongst fans, giddy at the opportunity of experiencing the band's chosen cover tracks live.
Chance too for Zardoya to showcase her range, 'Exist Music (For A Film)', a chilling lament of escaping dystopia, offered a moment for wallowing not often found in The Marias own discography.
A beautiful demonstration of the universality of music, as the evening ended with encore tracks 'All I Really Want Is You' and 'Carino', Zardoya's gratitude radiated from her face. The first of just three UK shows, I have no doubt demand will see them returning again soon.
Featured Image: Megan FoulkHave you listened to Submarine?
