For our first gig in Nicaragua we went to see Perro Zampopo in Leon. We have been trying to translate this. Perro is easy, it means dog. Zampopo is a little trickier. A google search reveals that it is a word used in Nicaragua for a kind of ant commonly eaten in Mexico and Colombia and referred to in the latter as a big-assed ant. Therefore, we have deduced that maybe this band want to be called 'Big-assed Dog'.
The band played a two-hour set, which was a bit dull for an hour, but then got going and we really quite enjoyed it by the end, as the music became less soft rock and more Manu Chao. They were talented lads, with a bassist, two guitarists, a violinist, a drummer and a lead singer (son of a famous Nicaraguan revolution singer).
The band of one of the most popular groups in the country at the moment, with an avid set of fans. Towards the end of the show, there was a good number of over-excitable girls, screaming out the lyrics to their most popular songs. We've embedded a YouTube video of one of the band's bigger shows in case anyone wants to get a feel for a small slice of the Nicaraguan music scene.
We met up with Nick, a friend of Rachel's through work, plus another Rachel, an American working in Leon for a year and her visiting brother and father. It was a bit of a strange setting to watch the band as we were all seated at tables in a large, fashionable bar. It was all a bit much for Rachel's dad, who decided the best bet was to catch up on a bit of sleep. 
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