Its only rock n roll.
Mando Diao had the honour of being the first non-Spanish band to play at FIB 07 and the Swedish rockers wasted no time in cranking the music up to the max. All dressed in black, not the best colour to wear in the summer sun, the band started explosively and in their own words, "Started the fucking party."
Throughout the gig, lead vocal duties alternated between the two guitarists which when considered with the style of vocal delivery, brought to mind The Libertines. There was a classic rock influence on them, ranging from Iggy-like "Cmons" to The Beatles guitar strap sported by one of the guitarists.
As the night started to fall, the smoke machine was in full effect, as was the organ, which was beginning to dominate some songs with its overlying fills.
A song that was introduced with a sharp bassline garnered the first crowd interaction of handclaps in time to the marauding beat, which was reminiscent of the theme to Rawhide. There hadn't been too much of a connection between band and crowd until this point but it was strong for the rest of the show.
At one point, some of the band took a smoke break whilst two of the band dusted down a slower, more country type song. Sometimes at festivals this can be the kiss of death for as set but by the time the whole band reconvened to give the track a spirited finale, the crowd loved it.
A pounding drum intro to the final song of the set ensured the tempo was high but what proved to be the main focus was the interaction of the two guitarists. Having already mentioned the similarities to the Libs, watching them jostle and wrestle whilst sharing a microphone only re-enforced this image. If you've been missing this sort of interaction from a band, then Mando Diao could be the boys to check out.
The last track focused lyrically on rock n roll and these guys know their stuff. Mando Diao produced a set that would have been excellent at any time but to kick off a festival with was nothing short of astounding.