Måneskin.
The second Sunday in May 2023, among other Mother's Day celebrations, was a holiday for fans of the Italian foursome performing under the name Måneskin. They sold out the O2 Arena in Prague without any problems, and not only. In the last month they have visited nine countries and all their concerts were hopelessly sold out. The Prague crowd, made up of mostly very young viewers, took advantage of the absence of opening acts, and shortly after 8pm they enthusiastically welcomed the silhouettes of their generational idols shimmering behind a transparent red screen.
The Måneskin Formation has a seven-year history that has its roots in the Eternal City, Rome. Here, originally street musicians, they got together and started their careers as professional musicians. The band's name, which translates from Danish to moonlight, was given to the band by its bassist Victoria De Angelis, who is half Danish. The group shone in the Eurovision Song Contest, reaching the top spot in the 2021 edition with Zitti E Buoni (Teatro d'ira - Vol. I, 2021).
A two-minute intro gets the packed arena fired up, and everyone immediately recognizes the first of fourteen tracks from the latest album released this year, namely Don't Wanna Sleep (Rush, 2023). Two large screens on the sides of the stage help to improve visual orientation. On these, it is easy to see that the musicians are styled in black and white clothing. Singer Damiano David is in a long, dark pleated skirt and lace blouse, while guitarist Thomas Raggi, with a vintage Fender neckband, is wearing white bell-bottom trousers, a white shirt and a jacket of the same colour. It's obvious that the band cares about image. The second track in the sequence, Gossip (Rush, 2023), where most of the audience have already chorused to confirm their excellent knowledge of the lyrics, is about a fictional American town full of lies and gossip under the facade of the "American Dream". More of Måneskin's lyrics are generationally distinct with a subtext of a critical view of contemporary society that lacks tolerance and understanding. A spectacular tilting ceiling lighting technique introduces a successful Eurovision hit, after which the somewhat lacklustre pop song that forms the central motif of Own My Mind (Rush, 2023) no longer sounds. The hall is having a great time, with mobile phones aglow in appreciation of the very Italian-sounding Coraline (Teatro d´ira - Vol. I, 2021), with an opening guitar part followed by a dramatic percussion onset. On this track, it's clear that Måneskin is maturing and sounding fuller and cleaner compared to previous concerts. The least visible and most economical member of the band in media appearances, twenty-three-year-old drummer Ethan Torchio, does a wonderful job. Along with the somewhat plodding Victoria, they sound dense and intelligible while creating ample space for Thomas Raggi. In Baby Said (Rush, 2023), reminiscent of some American Maroon 5 recordings, it is Thomas who shows an ability to create novel melodic flourishes and a flair for using them at the right moment. The popular Bla Bla Bla (Rush, 2023) comes across as rather cheesy, but the following Beggin, (a cover of Four Seasons, 1.3 billion plays on Spotify), is clearly a heartfelt affair for the band and listeners alike. Before a brief break and a move to the acoustic stage located at the back of the auditorium area, the Mansonian-sounding Gasoline (Rush, 2023) is worth a mention, with its long intro, dark red lighting and lit fires on stage.
Despite a great effort by the band, excellent communication between the frontman and the audience, and a lot of energy invested, the show doesn't continue to build and is rather stagnant. David's lascivious lifting of skirts and the standing and seated audience jumping at the "jump, jump" cue helps to keep the atmosphere going, but no more imaginative things come. There's some nice pedalling from Mark Chapman (Rush, 2023) and a stumbling Mammamia (Rush, 2023) on the chorus. The departure of the dancing fans (children) from the stage after the stringend-conceived Kool Kids (Rush, 2023) is embarrassing. The concert ends, but everyone knows the band will be back.
The encore includes a veiled guitar solo by Thomas built on effects ostinations, The Loneliest (Rush, 2023), and finally another favorite, I Wanna Be Your Slave (Teatro d'ira - Vol. I, 2021). Iggy Pop and Måneskin made this track together, and it would seem that with this collaboration Iggy is sending forth a predatory youth. But we'll have to wait a little longer to confirm the success of this promotional mission. Måneskin played a very good concert, convinced the Prague audience of their concept of modern rock with strong elements of Italian pop and they can conquer the world.