In the midst of her European tour that kicked off in mid-May with two shows in Madrid, Argentine musician, singer and composer Fabiana Cantilo played her first ever-gig in the United Kingdom on Friday night. Cantilo, considered an 80s icon, went on stage at The Dome, located in northern London, for a show that featured a set of her greatest hits and some classic Argentine songs, including some iconic tangos.

Argentine speakers could be heard on public transportation heading to the venue and at the Boston Arms, the pub below the venue, where groups got together before the gig. Argentine football jerseys and flags could also be seen in the queue minutes before the doors opened at 7 pm. Fabiana went on stage a few minutes past 8.30 pm wearing a strapless shiny dark blue corset and a colourful ruffle skirt printed with the art cover of her albums.

The set list was a journey through her entire career. It started with Una Tregua from her 2007 album Hija del Rigor, followed by Canción de Alicia en el país, a song by Argentine rock band Serú Girán she recorded for Inconsciente Colectivo, a cover album released in 2005. 

She played the hit Cleopatra, la reina del twist, recorded with the pop band Los Twist in 1983, as well as many covers of songs by Argentine bands and performers like Mercedes Sosa, Soda Stereo and Los Rodriguez. She also delved into other genres, singing iconic tangos Balada para un loco and Cambalache, written by Astor Piazzolla and Enrique Santos Discepolo, two of the most internationally well-known tango composers.

Cantilo spoke to the excited crowd in between songs, using her natural charisma and charm to come clean about some technical issues with her control panel. Her dancing around the stage in some songs was also celebrated by the audience.

“I’m gonna do a song by my favourite band, here on their land,” she said while playing the first chords of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. The high moment of the night was followed by Fue Amor, a love song Fito Paez wrote about their relationship. She finished her initial set with Argentine-rock anthem Rezo por Vos by Charly Garcia before exiting the stage.

She saved two of her most popular songs for the encore. Mary Poppins y el deshollinador and Mi enfermedad, the latter written and recorded by Andres Calamaro with his band Los Rodriguez, but popularized by Cantilo in her 1991 album Algo Mejor.

“Thanks for your love,” Fabiana said leaving the stage. 

The audience was a big part of the night. Singing loudly along with her throughout the set, they didn’t stop even after the show had ended and Charly García song Nos siguen pegando abajo began playing over the speakers. “What a magical night, Fabiana has a unique charisma and freshness. It was a celebration of Argentina’s most popular rock heroes, more than eleven thousand kilometres away from home,” said Luciana, a fan of hers, after the show.

Story of an 80s icon

Considered one of the most important female voices in Argentine rock, Cantilo has sold 6 million records throughout her career. She started her career in the early 80s as a member of the all-women’s theatrical rock group Las Bay Biscuits, who performed as a supporting act for top-level bands like Serú Girán and Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota. 

In 1982 she joined the pop band Los Twist. A year later Argentine rock hero Charly Garcia asked her to sing on the tour of his second solo album Clics modernos. In 1985 she recorded her first solo album called Detectives, produced by García. Since then, Fabiana has released twenty solo records, including compilations and cover albums, positioning herself as one of the most important artists of the country. 

She was recently in the spotlight thanks to the Netflix series El Amor Después del Amor based on fellow musician Fito Paez’s life. Cantilo’s character -played by actress Micaela Riera- has an important role in the series, given that she was in a romantic relationship with Paéz back in the 80s while they were both in Charly Garcia’s band. 

The drama series has been a big success in Argentina since its release on April 26. Fabiana Cantilo has taken to social media to say she also had a successful solo career in the 80s and was not only García’s backup singer or Paéz’s girlfriend, as she believes the series partially portrays her.

Cantilo has been playing for her international audience for more than a month now, starting with her two shows in Café Berlin, Madrid, in mid-May. The tour continued around Spanish cities including Malaga, Bilbao, Valencia and Barcelona along with shows in the Balearic and Canary Islands, and Paris. 

After thirteen shows, Cantilo’s European tour will continue in Dublin on June 18 and finish where it started, with an extra date added in Madrid for June 20. Next month she’ll be in Chile before her two scheduled performances (one already sold out) at the legendary Gran Rex Theatre in her hometown Buenos Aires, on September 30 and October 1.