Los Bitchos – Double Whammy, 17 January 2025: Review & Photo Gallery

Los Bitchos bring a rave-up Latino style dance energy to summer holiday season New Zealand. It’s Surf, Psychedelia and World Music Funk.

They are a female World Music group. Serra Petale, guitar is West Australian, Agustina Ruiz, keyboards and synth from Uruguay, Josefine Jonsson, bass is Swedish, Nic Crawshaw, drums is a Londoner.

They have a plus one male second guitarist helping tonight, a black hat and a moustache  

They play in Cumbia style, which is new to me. A musical style evolving from Colombian folk music in the early Seventies and metastasing into sub-genres like all popular music styles do.

Latin style with the off-beat accented. Post-Surf instro music which carries some of the legacy from Dick Dale. Middle Eastern tone and the girls themselves say they try and blend Van Halen and Turkish music.

Kick off with Hi! and Tripping at a Party. Scratch rhythm guitar riffs and popping Afrobeats like Talking Heads Remain in Light vintage. Also, a nod to the Bush of Ghosts.

Must just be a matter of time before Brian Eno comes calling.

The debut single Pista was produced by Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Capranos. Tonight, it swings hard with Latin rhythms and heavy Rock phrasing.

Kiki, You Complete Me brings thundering Rock’n’roll as they tear things up with the spirit of Sixties Garage.

Their most potent weapon is the drummer, who lays down the law in true Hal Blaine (of LA Wrecking Crew fame) fashion. Crawshaw has had experience playing in Punk bands.

Which mean a formidable engine driving the music. 1K! has a bass lead with Morricone style guitar twang coming in over the top.

Las Panteras. They don’t do the blistering double-pick of Miserlou Dick Dale. Theirs is more the single note melodic style of the Challengers. But then they change gears up two notches. Guitarist Petale closes the outro with a drum solo of her own.

There are bongos. On Link the beans in the crowd are jumping, as Rock’n’roll ringing guitars meld into South American swing.

Lindsay captures their post-Punk legacy, as the drums’n’bass lead this one. Quirky angular tones of New Wave akin to PiL’s innovative bass.

Joe Ghatt is a perfect match as warm-up support slot.

Comes from sunny vitamin D centre of Nelson and currently resides in Auckland. Has a background playing with local Psych Rockers.

He also has a sound rooted in melodic Sixties jangle and psychedelic Funk. Notorious Byrd Brothers is an accurate starting point, as he has described himself.

Orange October shifts from Surf to Latin rhythms, and he has a good falsetto. Ghatt plays lead guitar, with bass guitarist, drums and a percussionist.

You hear the Byrd all over Humble, especially as the guitar starts bending spacey sounds with some scat jazzy vocals.

Nice to hear a Velvet’s drone Always Remember. Punk elements arise as the band build the intensity.

Seven Chakra’s is a highlight. Guitar starts with wailing special effects. Drifts off with eastern tones and Latin percussion. Echoes of Devo and B52’s nervous energy white boy Funk.

Farewell their set with Farewell, and the carnival trashy keyboard sound conjures up (Question Mark) ? and the Mysterians. Is it coming from the guitars FX pedals?

Los Bitchos are having a blast with their debut New Zealand concert. The blonde bass player looks uncannily like Tina Weymouth in her Talking Heads days.

Try the Circle gets to boiling point with three playing drums. Tribal and the drone becomes a breakdown.

They are a hot band and are turning up the hard-edged Surf to wrap it up. Los Bitchos close with Tequila, speeding up and surfing out on Punk.

Rev. Orange Peel

Photography by Marc Peretic

Los Bitchos 

Joe Ghatt