By Mike Sain't Louis ·
Ay chavoro: ruffles, polka dots and a pink fan
Pink fan in hand, a fuchsia polka-dot shirt with ruffles and the quiff piled high. The cover of Ay chavoro is a pure Andalusian feria put through the PLANETA GAYFOLK filter. Behind, a second man in black with his shirt open looks at the camera with the face of someone who knows something we don't.
Chavoro is a word from Caló, the Spanish Romani language, used to talk about a lad, a young guy. And that «ay» in front changes everything: it can be a sigh, a complaint, a compliment or a warning. That very flamenco «ay» that works just as well for falling in love as for throwing your hands up in despair.
The title letters, in pink and white, look hand-painted on a street-party poster. And in the background you can make out flowers and a courtyard with an old-fashioned air. Everything in the image speaks of copla, of the tablao, of long summer nights scented with jasmine.
I really enjoy this game of mixing the most traditional aesthetic with two men looking at each other like that. Listen to it and decide for yourself what kind of «ay» this is. I have my theory.