Amigo The Devil - Murder At The Bingo Hall

Danny Kiranos is the man behind the alter ego that is Amigo The Devil. With a family background based in both Spain and Greece, Amigo was introduced to a wide variety of musical influences from an early age, ranging from Eastern European folk sounds, Australian bush ballads through to Spanish and Cuban Bolero traditions. So expectations are always high for a heady cocktail of influences to shine through his music.

Amigo The Devil’s debut album in 2018, Everything Is Fine, cemented his growing reputation for pushing hard against the boundaries of traditional folk, Americana and country music. This reputation had been built through a body of earlier songs which were put together in a collection, also released in 2018, entitled Volume 1. Many of these songs had already achieved significant streaming figures on various platforms supported by an ever-growing worldwide audience.

There is little doubt that Amigo’s work draws much inspiration from the sounds and styles of the likes of Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash and Father John Misty. This is clearly evident in his new album, Born Against, which again displays Amigo’s penchant for dark and macabre storytelling, the deep emotional turmoil and philosophical thoughts that he explores through his lyrics, and a great deal of humour which he likes to throw into the mix. What struck me in particular was the intensity he derives through immersing himself in the characters within each song, drawing you right into the heart of the narrative.

Today I am sharing Murder At The Bingo Hall, which is channelled through the organ and piano of his producer and main musical accompanist Beau Bedford, really displays Amigo’s sense of humour as he explores the intense atmosphere at a Wednesday night bingo hall gathering by aligning it to what sounds like a scene from a wild west movie. It’s the ultimate analogy for a fiercely competitive spirit and another lyrical masterpiece.