Calcutta does his thing in Berlin 2.12: a bewitching mix of swagger and vulnerability

by | indieBerlin

When Calcutta’s debut album, “Mainstream” was released in 2015 via Bomba Dischi, the magnitude of its success took everyone by surprise.
The first singles, “Frosinone”, “Cosa mi manchi a fare” and “Gaetano” told tales of longing, love and loneliness in a small world, the Roman neigbourhood where Edoardo D’Erme, aka Calcutta, was living at the time. “Mainstream” was a massive hit: Calcutta’s infallible ear for a good tune and killer pop sensibilities, coupled with his lyrics, by turn harrowing and surreal, fully captured the mood of a generation. Suddenly, concert venues were filled with people singing their hearts out. Categories like “indie” and “pop” were rendered meaningless. Calcutta was everywhere and everything at the same time. Oroscopo, released in May 2016, made gold and was one of the biggest hits of the summer.
Orgasmo, the first single off his sophomore album, was released at the end of 2017 and was an immediate hit
The beginning of February 2018 saw the release of “Pesto”, and by the time “Evergreen” was finally out, expectation was at an all-time high. The album was preceded by “Paracetamolo”, psychedelic pop at its best, an ode to the buzz of newborn love punctuated with an infectious guitar riff and propelled into infinity by the joyful shout of the chorus.

The summer of 2018 marked a turning point in Calcutta’s live performances, with 30.000 people turning up to see him at Stadio Francioni, in his native Latina, about one hour south of Rome). That same year, he performed to a sold out Arena di Verona: the performance was turned into a concert film titled “Calcutta – Tutti in piedi”, shot and directed by Giorgio Testi, which screened in over 150 theatres all over Italy.

The stage is where Calcutta gives his best. Even when faced with an audience in the tens of thousands, he manages to convey a sense of intimacy with his fans through a bewitching mix of swagger and vulnerability, humour and heartfelt sincerity. His powerful voice and the strength of his live band, along with state-of-the-art visuals, make each performance utterly memorable. After a short winter tour, Calcutta and his musicians have embarked 2019 on the summer leg of the Evergreen tour, which is setting hearts ablaze all over Italy and later this year takes him through Europe.
2nd of December he will stop by in Berlin intially scheduled for a show at Festsaal Kreuzberg, but now relocated to the Huxley’s Neue Welt – with high probability due to tremendous request.
Calcutta on Facebook

Photo by Giuseppe Maffia

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