Preview: The Return of Os Mutantes [Sunday at Antones]

A scant few years ago, the prospect of an Os Mutantes reunion seemed about as far-fetched as seeing Morrissey and Marr patch things up and hit the road, even in these reunion-crazed times. If Kurt Cobain’s public pleading to the Baptista brothers to reconvene Mutantes for a gig didn’t work, what would? Nevertheless, 3/5s of the São Paulo-based Tropicalia legends found enough common ground between them to reunite for a brief international tour in 2006, 34 years after the original lineup splintered off into their various solo careers.

In the years following, they’ve slimmed down to 2/5s of the original members—singer and guitarist Sérgio Dias Baptista, and drummer Dinho Leme are all that remain—added a gaggle of new members including singer Bia Mendes, and released the first new Mutantes LP since 1974. While that new record, Haih Or Amortecedor, is a respectable addition to their catalog, the real excitement is having the opportunity to see the iconoclastic group perform live. While technically they’re touring in support of Haih, it’s safe to expect a set list full of the best-loved songs from their first several albums, delivered in the most exuberant manner possible. Opening the show, which has been moved from La Zona Rosa to Antone’s, are Brooklyn-based kindred spirits DeLeon.

Os Mutantes [MySpace] [Last.fm]
DeLeon [MySpace] [Facebook]