Violet Contours from York are about to bring their latest single into the world, on 27th September to be precise. I have been lucky enough to see them live a couple of times and in this new track, I reckon they have captured a large part of the essence of what makes them such an exciting live act. The song is called “Pablo’s Hippos” and it is about a small part of Pablo Escobar’s self-centered extravagances. Escobar, perhaps one of the most powerful drug lords that ever lived, illegally smuggled four Hippos into Colombia for his private zoo, he also had giraffes and other exotic animals. Wild hippos are only native to Africa, and their escape after Escobar’s death left Colombia with an unexpected problem. Some of the 40 or 50 Hippos now living wild in Colombia have relocated more than 100 miles from Escobar’s estate. This is having a massive impact on Colombia’s biodiversity. I hear that there is even a bounty on Hippos in Colombia now, whereby you get paid if you can get a Hippo ear. I don’t know how successful that has been as I also understand that there is a big black market trade in fake Hippo ears. the world certainly is very strange, isn’t it? I knew absolutely nothing about this until I heard “Pablo’s Hippos”, so a big thank you to Violet Contours for educating me.
It is an incredible story and a truly great song with a pop trance vibe with African style guitars used as effectively as Vampire Weekend did in their early days. It is three minutes of perfectly crafted pop heaven with an 80s dance feel, like a Duran Duran club remix from the latter part of the 80s, around the time of “Skin Trade”. This is one of those tunes that most people would find it impossible not to dance to, especially in the live environment. Violet Contours have released some excellent songs since they formed in 2016; “Airstrike” and “Pixar” are my favourites, but without a doubt “Pablo’s Hippos” take the boys to another level. This song deserves loads of airplay and success. Jericho Keys made it his record of the week on BBC Radio York. I can’t wait to hear it live again and I hope to catch them at the Crescent in York next month. Ben, Sam, Niall, and Daniel have knocked it out of the park with such a banging tune!
Pictures were all “borrowed” from the band’s faceBook page. Videos were sourced from YouTube. If the video is yours and you would like me to credit you or to take it down, then please let me know.
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Spot-on review, it’s a superb tune. They’ve only really been on my radar a year and already I’ve seen them 4 times (with at least 2 more dates committed to before the year’s out!). Really hope they get the success they richly deserve.
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