Bomba Estéreo was perhaps the band that I was most disappointed about missing at SXSW. Let's be clear - I knew nothing about the band and nothing about their music. I just knew they had a dope Spanish name and evoked enthusiastic praise from those who had seen them live.
I was not expecting what I got - a feisty Colombian female rapper laying down Spanish rhymes on top of sick guitar, bass, and drum. Bomba Estéreo soundchecked without frontwoman Liliana Saumet, and their music could easily hold its own without her; with her, though, it's hype to the next degree. A Spanish Lady Sovereign, Saumet spits fly verses that had the bilingual crowd in the Latino Alternativo tent bumping. Toward the end of the set, she called members of the crowd up on to the stage to dance with her. Whether you were on stage or not, however, one thing was clear - Bomba Estéreo made dancing in the heat non-optional.
