Travo Post KEXP Live Session
Not to discount the three inclusions from Travo‘s 2023 full-length, Astromorph God (review here), that follow it, but new song “Sleeper” is for sure a draw to the Portuguese outfit’s newly unveiled session, recorded late last year at Trans Musicales in France, which has been released now through the influential Seattle-based radio station/outlet as a KEXP session. This is no minor feather in the cap for the band, and as you can read below, it’s a lesson in how putting yourself in the right place and time — having a killer album behind you helps too, of course — can make a difference and one thing can lead to the next.
In this case, the album release led to a spot at FOCUS Wales, which led to the Trans Musicales spot, which led to the four-song KEXP session posted below. Every time out, the same thing happened: somebody heard Travo‘s music and said, “Holy crap” (I’m paraphrasing), “more people need to hear this!” The energy they pour into “Sleeper” is a quick reminder why. From a solid foundation in heavy psych, the new cut takes off on a hypnotic and repetitive jam, linear in form but exciting in its cycles. From this vantage, and with the fleeting-if-you’re-me attention of the viewer duly hooked and five or six cameras moving around while they play, Travo launch the rest of their set, with “Faceless Ghoul, “Arrow of Motion” and “Turn to the Sun” backing “Sleeper” with the band’s neo-psych, deep-space vibing.
It’s a thing to see as they get down, and certainly if you’re planning on catching Travo at one of their upcoming fest appearances — I’ll consider myself lucky to be at Freak Valley, thanks — it argues in favor of putting yourself in front of a stage they’ll be playing on, which, go figure, is once again how we got here in the first place.
Enjoy the show:
Travo, Full Performance (Live on KEXP)”
TRAVO live on KEXP
Until today, Travo was Portugal’s best-kept secret. But then, what has changed? Well, a series of coincidences, more or less intentional, have led to the prestigious US radio station KEXP dropping today the spectacular live session the band recorded a few months ago. Travo is no longer just a rumor among the in-the-know; it’s a reality that, with just one click of play, will blow your mind. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
“We’re incredibly excited to share with you that our live session for KEXP is finally here. We had an amazing time and felt right at home. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.” – Travo
Hailing from the Portuguese city of Braga nearly a decade ago, the band, formed by Gonçalo Ferreira (guitar, vocals), Gonçalo Carneiro (guitar, synth), David Ferreira (bass) y Nuno Gonçalves (drum), began gaining recognition in the local indie scene with the release of their studio albums ‘Ano Luz’ in 2019 and ‘Sinking Creation’ in 2022. However, it wasn’t until the release of ‘Astromorph God’ in 2023 through gig.ROCKS! and Spinda Records that their name began to be mentioned in the editorial offices of international media publications and booking agencies of some of the most respected European festivals when it comes to psychedelia, stoner and progressive rock.
The band was selected to participate in the FOCUS Wales music fair and the Dutch festival Sonic Whip in May 2024. To make this happen, both gig.ROCKS! and La Novena Escena organized an entire European tour around these dates. This would lead them to present their music in countries such as Spain, France, Belgium, Portugal and, of course, the already mentioned Wales and the Netherlands. What was initially going to be a small concert for industry professionals at FOCUS Wales ended up giving them opportunity to perform for, among others, the organizer of the legendary French festival Trans Musicales, who quickly after the show invited them to participate in its next edition in December 2024.
And it was there, within the framework of the French festival, that Travo had the chance to record a live session for the influencial KEXP, which is now available on the Seattle station’s YouTube channel.
For this special occasion, Travo chose to perform the songs “Faceless Ghoul”, “Arrow of Motion” and “Turn to the Sun” from their recent album ‘Astromorph God’, as well as a new track titled “Sleeper”, which will presumably be part of their upcoming studio album. Just four songs are enough for the Portuguese band to make clear the intensity and fire of their live performances, which come packed with heavy psych, progressive rock and garage attitude, blurring the lines between reality and collective ecstasy.
Don’t miss it and make sure you play it extremely loud!
UPCOMING LIVE DATES
03 April | Porto (PT) @ Maus Habitos
19 April | Fafe (PT) @ Aniversário Malfeito
03 May | São João da Madeira (PT) @ Party Sleep Repeat
21 June | Netphen (DE) @ Freak Valley Festival
13 July Pleszew | (PO) @ Red Smoke Festival
23 August | Brussels (BE) @ Down The Hill Festival
+ to be announced
Travo:
Gonçalo Ferreira – Guitar, Vocals
Gonçalo Carneiro – Guitar, Synths
Nuno Gonçalves – Drums
David Ferreira – Bass
KEXP is based in Seattle not LA
Thanks.