TrocaBrahma: Sao Paulo

Brazilian beer company Brahma is organizing a cultural exchange for its TrocaBrahma music festival, inviting popular U.K. artists to Brazil to collaborate with some the latter’s indie and pop/rock groups. The sonic results are presented in a series of shows from July 26 to 29 in London, Glasgow and Liverpool. But before they go for the real thing later this summer, though, some of the artists do a few warm-up performances in Sao Paulo. Earlier this month saw Bonde do Role with Radioclit and Amanda Blank, but tonight’s gig at Studio SP features Four Tet with Brazilian indie collective Open Field Church — a band predisposed to covers. I’m really more excited about the June 3 show, when Gruff Rhys (of Super Furry Animals fame) and the eccentric Tony da Gatorra play together. Da Gatorra is best known for his namesake invention: an instrument that’s part guitar, part synth and part synth machine called the “Gatorra”, of course. Franz Ferdinand’s Nick McCarthy has one, so I’m eager to see this mythical thing in action, live.