With a scorpion neck tattoo, an all-black outfit adorned with a single gold chain, a shaggy mop of hair and iconic black frames, Omar Banos, better known as Cuco, entered the stage at the WOW Hall on Wednesday night, July 17.
“What’s up Eugene?” called a familiar voice from side stage as fans cheered, pink and purple lights illuminating the room.
Cuco is an L.A.-based Latinx artist who makes calm, indie bedroom pop with lyrics in both Spanish and English. Since the start of his career in 2016, the 21-year-old has racked up almost 3 million Spotify monthly listeners.
The first song of the night was a new unreleased track, a slow groovy beat with melancholy lyrics. Cuco stood on the stage clutching just a microphone as his band played behind him, a dark stage and colorful visuals on screens filling the background.
The signature layered reverb on his voice was present throughout the set. Two guitarists, a bass player and a drummer backed the singer the whole night. Each of them wore a shirt that read, “I pay taxes so cops can arrest my friends.” Cuco eventually hopped on the keys and later surprised the audience by bringing out a trumpet for a couple songs.
Though Cuco held up his somewhat apathetic indie boy demeanor throughout most of his set, midway through he asked fans to “go crazy for this one,” before playing the introduction to “Bossa No Sé.” he audience did indeed go crazy when the trap-style beat came in.
Cuco doesn’t take himself too seriously. On his Spotify “About” section, it just says, “AHHH, THE PIZZA IS TOO HOT FOR MY MOUTH, LIFE ALERT WON’T HELP ME, AHHH.” . This describes the goofy attitude of the musician, like his Twitter handle, @icryduringsex.
Originally from Hawthorne, California in West Los Angeles, Cuco is midway through touring North America. The final date will be on July 27th, the day after the release of his new album. He has sights set on another tour for the record, “Para Mi,” starting in mid September.
At the end of the show, the audience stuck around as the band members threw out crumpled set lists, shaking hands with fans and taking photos with them. One concertgoer even threw two large signs toward the front, the first one reading, “Let’s go 2 Taylor’s,” and the second: “We’ll buy drinks.”
Capping in at around one hour exactly, the show was short and sweet; a perfect concert for a Wednesday night at the WOW Hall.
“Para Mi” comes out Friday, July 26. For more information on Cuco, go to loverisaday.com or listen on any streaming service.
