Posted on August 30, 2009 - by Mark Zonda

Back to Diaframma

“Diaframma” was quite a thing in the middle of the ’80s in Italy. This band from Florence never reached the top of the charts indeed (possibly obscured but another great band from the area called “Litfiba”), but their debut album “Siberia” managed to emerge from our little history of niche-rock for its desperate, uncommon and sophisticated lyrics finding a not-so-unexpected comeback some years ago thanks to a massive dark-wave discovery and revival. We went even further than this, and Federico Fiumani, the only member of the original band left, became quite en vogue and popular between young girls approaching indie pop, also thanks to the singer active collaboration with new Italian bands such as “Superpartner“ and “Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti“.

Didn’t know what to expect from Fiumani’s new incarnation of “Diaframma”. I found out a guitar-drum-bass very grungy set up an quite a lot of bore, experiencing the same dull sound for more than an hour and stand-up encore being hypnotized to sleep by a polite radiophonic sift version of punk rather then real dark wave. Maybe just a keyboard or some guitar strumming changes should have done the trick. Fact it that I didn’t have found any spot of magic on the notes emerged from the ashes of those unconventional urban poems. Federico Fiumani hasn’t got a great voice, but he sure owns charisma. He had balls to stop the band from playing one of  the new ones by stopping some glamourous girls from walking away from the theatre.

“Stop right here! Hey you! Where you supposed to go? Come back and stay with us, please! I’m gonna do all the old dark wave stuff, such as Joy Division! Sex Gang Children!”

All the rest was a big flyng red pillow fight all over the theatre of Santarcangelo.

If you’re not familiar with Italian music, give this everglowing glory of the recent past a check.

Diaframma Live Pics

Diaframma Live 2009 Clip 1
Diaframma Live 2009 Clip 2
Diaframma Live 2009 Clip 3
Diaframma Live 2009 Clip 4
Diaframma Live 2009 Clip 5
Diaframma Live 2009 Clip 6
Diaframma Live 2009 Clip 7

Diaframma – “Mi piace perdere”

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