Ão
- Main StageThursday 18•July•2024
The name Ão might well ring a bell because the young foursome graced the posters for Gent Jazz last year too. But so much has happened since that memorable performance. The quartet released their début album 'Ao Mar’ in October, on the Belgian label Mayway Records. On the album, which is partially in Belgian and partially in Portuguese, the band delved further into their unique blend of indie, flamenco, fado and subtle electronica. The title, which translates as 'to the sea’, is a challenge but, like the sea, their music is as timeless, expansive and rugged as it is comforting, calming and healing. Female lead Brenda Corijn sings about being a woman, a longing for both distance, proximity and 'saudade’, an untranslatable word which evokes a blend of melancholy, nostalgia and desire. It is ebb and flood.
The press overwhelmed the album in stars and positive comments. According to Humo, the foursome delivers a 'punishing blend of saudade and folktronica in 12 accomplished tracks where half the time you don't know whether to sob or swing your hips’ and awarded them 4.5 stars, while Knack praised the group for their ear for detail, technical range and passion. 'Ão is sailing towards a great future,’ she wrote in her four-star review. When it comes to their recent performance at the AB, the latter wrote; 'you would have to be made of granite to be unmoved by Brenda Corijn's voice, as dreamy as it is imploring.’ And we’ve not even touched on the guitar playing of Siebe Chau, the subtle ambient music of Jolan Decaestecker or the perfect presence of percussionist Bert Peyffers. They say you have to strike while the iron is hot and, to be frank, Ão is on fire.
