by The concert was scheduled for 5 p.m. this Thursday, July 6, the first day of NOS Alive. An hour earlier, Bombazine was already backstage, preparing for what would be the band’s third gig. The first was just over a month ago, on June 3, at Nirvana Studios, Barcarena, when they became the winners of the Oeiras Band Sessions competition.
“We were more nervous that day than today to play here at Alive,” they confessed. The explanation is simple and it is not only due to the anxiety of being the final of a competition that they wanted to win: it was the first time that they played in front of a live audience. An experience that was repeated two days later, on June 5, when they took the stage of the Festas de Oeiras, one of the prizes of the competition, with the possibility of having a rehearsal room available 24 hours a day. on 24, for six months at Studios Nirvana.
Even so, there’s no denying that third prize was perhaps the most coveted: the chance to perform at one of the country’s biggest music festivals. For the five members of the group — Vasco Granate (30) as singer and guitarist, Filipe Andrade (30) on bass, Manuel Figueiredo (28) on keyboards, Manuel Granate (29) on drums and Manuel Protasio (28) on guitar — that would be a dream come true.
“Winning the Oeiras Band Sessions was a surprise and a source of pride, even more to give us the chance to come and play on this stage”, says Manuel Granate, backstage at the concert. For his colleague Filipe Andrade, “I still haven’t understood what is going on, I think it’s only when I go on stage that everything comes out”.
In the minutes leading up to the concert, everyone felt they were experiencing something unique. We found them relaxed and excited for what was to come. “I feel like everything happened so fast, one minute we were playing in Oeiras and the next we are here on the Heineken stage. I am grateful and very happy to have this opportunity,” says Manuel Figueiredo.
Manuel Protasio guarantees that they never thought they would achieve this level of recognition in such a short time. “We didn’t expect, two months after the release of an original work, to play here at one of Portugal’s great music festivals. It’s for fun and having fun.”
The “Grã-Matina” EP was released on April 21, 2023, featuring six songs. They all had their moments of glory at the top of the Heineken stage at NOS Alive. “We thought we were only going to play 20 minutes. But after all, it’s half an hour and it allows us to present our EP in its entirety”, underlines Vasco Granate, who guarantees that it is very important to share this moment with those who helped them to build the album.
They were accompanied by two surprise guests. “Joao Sampaio is our producer, he is very involved in the album, he will do the backing vocals, percussion and acoustic guitar. And we also called another long-time friend, Fernão Biu, who also helped us record the EP, will play winds and percussion”.
Inside the box, some members took the opportunity to warm up their voices or tune their instruments. Outside, they toasted the concert and it was there that they told New in Oeiras, among photographs to remember later, that they hope this concert will bring them more visibility and “opportunities to play in other places”.
The power of friendship, on and off stage, is what the band stands for. Even before the start of the show, they came together in a collective hug, certain to live an unforgettable moment that will remain in all memories. The outfits have also been thought out down to the smallest detail: “We all wanted to bring some fun shirts”.
The five elements, even before they enter the scene.
Thus, between complicity and looks at different standards, they go on stage in front of an audience who for long minutes has been screaming “Bombazine! Bombazine! “. They explained to us that they had several friends in the audience, who didn’t want to stop supporting and watching what was going to be the band’s biggest show to date. Enthusiasm was high and the audience reacted in the best way to the show. As soon as the first chords were played, the audience could be heard vibrating.
The audience at the Heineken Stage, NOS Alive’s second-largest, was well-heeled, even though it was the first gig of the day in that space. Among the dozens of people who couldn’t sit still while listening to the band’s songs, we found some with strict accessories, like Bombazine caps.
“We are a group with Portuguese, Atlantic grooves, danceable rhythms, which can reach people with different tastes. We want people to put their foot down and enjoy,” they said before the concert. We can confirm that this is precisely what happened. In the end, the name of the group was no longer only spoken by well-known personalities, but by a wider audience, who got to know the group and who will now follow its course.
The concert lasted exactly half an hour: “A good time for us to be able to play all the tracks from the EP”. Finally, it was time to put away the instruments and breathe deeply, with the certainty that the concert marked the beginning of a new journey. And they told us, still warm, as soon as they left the stage, how the experience had gone. “Everything was surreal, the adrenaline was high. We didn’t expect there to be so many people at five o’clock in the afternoon, so many people shouting our name, we are very happy”.
“We want to thank everyone. It was epic. It was a dream come true, and now it’s time to look forward, to organize more concerts and to continue making our music, always looking for new concerts. It turns out to be a door to other opportunities that may arise, people from the environment who can see us and get to know us. It’s a high point, but we have to keep working. And, of course, having fun making music and taking every opportunity that presents itself,” they conclude.
The group is present on all music platforms, where you can listen to the full EP “Grã-Matina”. Also follow the group’s Instagram page to stay up to date with all the news.
Then, click through the gallery to see behind-the-scenes footage from the Bombazine concert at NOS Alive.
