The legendary musician Manu Chao is back in India for a legendary tour across multiple cities in March 2023. Celebrated as a forefather of Latin alternative rock, French-Spanish singer-songwriter Manu Chao’s rhythmic and often political music reflects a variety of global influences. Manu Chao will be playing a live acoustic set + will be joined by two musicians. Stay tuned for more!

About Manu Chao:

Manu Chao is a French musician of Spanish descent. He

sings in Spanish, French, English, Italian,

Galician, Portuguese and occasionally in other

languages.

Chao began his musical career in Paris, busking and

playing with groups such as Hot Pants and Los Carayos,

which combined a variety of languages and musical

styles. 

With friends, his cousin Santi and his brother

Antoine Chao, he founded the band Mano Negra in

1987, achieving considerable success, particularly in

Europe and in South America.

Mano Negra's sound is mostly characterized by

energetic, lively rhythms, symbolized by the title of

their first album, Patchanka, derived from the

word pachanga (which is a colloquial term for "party"),

and a distinct informality which allows the audience to

get involved and feel close to their sound.

Mano Negra split in 1994 and Manu Chao spent several

years traveling throughout South and Central America,

recording new music.

The songs were released as Clandestino in 1998, under

Manu Chao's own name. Though not an instant success,

the album gained a steady following in France with hits

such as "Bongo Bong" and "Clandestino", and the album

eventually earned the Best World Music Album award in

1999's Victoires de la Musique, awards. It sold in excess

of 5 million copies.

Released at the cross-fade of the millennium, Manu

Chao’s first solo album is a celebration and defence of

the displaced and immigrants, that mixed a European

and South American perspective in an era of more

globalised pop music.

Chao's second, Próxima Estación: Esperanza, was

released in 2001. This album (awarded as best french

album of the MTV Europe Music Awards), translated as

"next station: Hope"), features similar sounds

to Clandestino but with heavier Caribbean influences

than the previous album. The album and specially the

song "Me gustas tu", was an instant hit, leading to a

successful tour that resulted in the 2002 live

album Radio Bemba Sound System.

Two years later, Chao returned to his French roots with

the French-only album Sibérie m'était contée, which

included a large book featuring lyrics to the album and

illustrations by Jacek Woźniak.

In 2003 he approached Amadou & Mariam and later

p r o d u c e d t h e i r 2 0 0 4 a l b u m "Dimanche à

Bamako ("Sunday in Bamako").

Manu Chao’s last album La Radiolina (literally "little

radio" in Italian, but also "pocket radio") was released

on September 17, 2007."Rainin in Paradize" was the

first single from the album.

His song from that record "Me llaman Calle", written

for the 2005 Spanish film Princesas, was awarded with

a Goya for Best Original Song and a Latin Grammy

Awards for best alternative song.

Time magazine named "Me Llaman Calle" one of The 10

Best Songs of 2007

His song "La Vida Tómbola" was featured in the

documentary film Maradona by Serbian filmmaker Emir

Kusturica.

The songs "Bongo Bong" and "Je ne t'aime plus", which

appear back-to-back on Clandestino, were covered by

British singers Robbie Williams and Lily Allen, who

recorded them as a single track, 

Actually Manu Chao remains one the most elusive of

stars, to be seen busking in a local bar or playing a

squat as often any high profile gigs.

There have been no album releases since La

Radiolina in 2007, despite flying under the radar, there

have been hundreds of gigs, sometimes in new

countries for Manu like India or Bangladesh, and scores of songs

written, a few released like Seeds of Freedom, Words

of Truth, A la par del amor (with Chalart58) or like the

home-made tracks from Ti.po.ta, a duo consisting of

him and Greek singer-actress Klelia Renesi.

As the line had it on one of the most important,

autobiographical songs on Clandestino, Desaparecido –

"the disappearing one ... hurry[ing] down the lost

highway ... When they look for me I'm not there,

When they find me, I'm elsewhere”.

Now comes from Brasil and will arrive to India, Nepal and Singapore … 

Next station… 

more infos at:

• manuchao.net

Thursday, 16th March, 9 PM

antiSOCIAL Pune