As a final support band for Napalm Death, the Mexican drug-lords of Brujeria were going to spread their witchcraft over Amager Bio and the Danish crowd. For the first time ever in Denmark, as far as I know.
This was quite unexpected. I had never guessed I would see this band on Danish shores, yet here they were! I don’t mind admitting, Brujeria was my main reason for attending the show tonight.

“We hear you have good weed here in Copenhagen, in Christiania! Si?”
- El Sangron (vocals)

It soon became apparent just how this came to be though. You see, the band before us, Shane Embury (a.k.a. Hongo), Nicholas Barker (a.k.a. Hongo Jr.), and Anton Reisenegger was exactly the same as Lock Up. The only thing that had changed, was the vocals. Before us now stood the main machete himself, Juan Brujo, and a facemask that was new to me, El Sangron.
As you can see, there were a few changes in the line-up since our last visit with the band, nearly six years ago. At that time, Hongo had been the one handling the guitar, while El Cynico (Jeff Walker) handled the bass, and El Podrido (Adrian Erlandsson) was behind the drums. Fantasma, who was second vocalist at the time, had now changed into El Sangron.
A lot can happen in six years’ time. The United States of America has gotten a new president, a president full of hatred for our Mexican friends, and it has once again become time for Brujeria to work their magic. They have made a new album, Pocho Aztlan, and from it pulled a single with the ironic title Viva Presidente Trump! This was of course played, along with a wide array of songs from their new and earlier albums. No one was going to complain about the picked songs, but I was a little bit saddened to see that they had had to strike three songs from the setlist. No explanation given (not in a language I understand anyway), but my guess would be time restrictions.

Whatever the reason, the band wasn’t about to let it affect their performance, that much I could tell, even without a translation. The musicians furiously punished their instruments while going through the songs. Juan Brujo and El Sangron complimented each other well in the vocal department, and they both looked like they were having a blast performing here. As the trend goes, almost all talking was done in Spanish, which I still don’t understand, but El Sangron delivered a few lines in English as well, thankfully.
Apart from that, there was a lot, and I do mean a lot of dancing to be done! For far the greater part of the set, Juan Brujo and El Sangron had worked out little dance routines, different ones for every song. Great entertainment, and yet another reason to love this band!
How big a fanbase Brujeria has around these parts is impossible to say – I figured close to none, but I heard a few song requests shouted, so someone here was in the know. And afterwards, I heard even more saying that this was the gig of the night, even from people who had either never seen Brujeria before or never even heard about them!

All this I can wholeheartedly agree upon. This was my third time seeing this band live, and they keep getting better with each view!
Brujeria truly was the headliner of the evening, even though Napalm Death delivered a formidable afterparty. Next stop Copenhell, perhaps? Let’s hope so!

Setlist:

Brujerizmo
Colas De Rata
La Migra (Cruza La Frontera II)
Hechando Chingasos (Greñudo Locos II)
Viva Presidente Trump!
Seis Seis Seis
Ángel De La Frontera
Satongo
Desperado
Anti-Castro
Marcha De Odio
Revolución
Consejos Narcos
No Aceptan Imitaciones
Matando Güeros
Marijuana