The Southern Pyrenees is something else

Anyone who has climbed to this small corner of the Aragonese Pyrenees knows that the Southern Pyrenees Festival It is an event with such a deep-rooted personality that it differentiates it from any other concert series. And I am not only referring to the emblematic floating stage on the waters of the Lanuza reservoir, but also to the uninhibited and festive atmosphere of the beautiful town of Sallent, with its craft fair, its food stalls and the free musical activities that take place outside the billboard.

Furthermore, the thermal gift of going from the more than thirty degrees of the rest of the peninsula, to having it raw as you leave your sweatshirt at home, is another of the great incentives to climb up here. Being somewhat cold in the middle of July is an unexpected present that is worth highlighting. And, especially, when one comes from experiencing concerts with torrid temperatures that do not exactly invite dancing, much less debauchery.

Southern Pyrenees It is for these, and many other things, a cycle with enough baggage and charisma behind it, to have a hopeful future within the fierce summer competition. And it has it, despite the different cycles it goes through by entering into a public tender every four years, and cyclically incorporating a new company that takes charge of the event programming. Different ways of doing things that generate different stages, but whose challenge must be to maintain the proposal of diversity and quality that has characterized the festival. Without forgetting either that it is a cycle that, due to history and character, has been linked to world music and miscegenation since its beginnings. An event that, with the passage of time, has opened its sights towards other music, without losing all its idiosyncrasy. And at the end of the day that’s what it’s all about: maintaining the spirit, adapting to the times and the diverse tastes of the fans.

And if we talk about diversity, the last weekend of the festival is a magnificent example of this. If on Thursday the powerful power-folk of Carlos Ares and the delicate song of Valeria Castro were the protagonists, on Friday things got even more varied when they brought together in the same night the geek-folk of Lorena Alvarezwith the melodic maturity of Jorge Drexler and the post-flamenco plea that marked the thirtieth anniversary of “Omega”. However, Saturday was for the women with the inclusion of three powerful artists with a very different proposal that, even so, ended up working like a charm. I opened the always unclassifiable Jimena Yellow to give way to the flamenco, vital and sweet pop of Chambaoto end with the tough urban-rap of Lia Kali. And now that we have reached Sunday, what better than to close with two proposals that remind us and vindicate our rich cultural and linguistic diversity with the festive proposal of the Basques In Tol Sarmiento and the black bomb orgy of the Valencians The Fumiga. What has been said, variety, diversity, stylistic richness, concessions for all audiences and a mix of underground and mainstream that not everyone is able to accept, but that in Southern Pyrenees It is possible to demonstrate that, in certain circumstances, merging works.

And so with an open mind, and a great desire to enjoy, Mondo Sonoro dropped by this last weekend of the Pyrenean event and recorded what happened. And not only that, also to show that, sometimes, music is not everything and that the location, idiosyncrasy and personality of an event is, at least, equally important.

Friday, July 24

Friday night was a little complicated from the beginning, due to an unexpected hail storm – it’s the Pyrenees baby! – which, despite lasting a few minutes, soaked all the equipment and ended up causing a burden on the schedule that accumulated throughout the day. Despite this, Lorena Alvarez She came out to weather the storm with a contagious smile, knowing that her peculiar proposal is capable of generating enough good vibes to make the wait forgotten and involve the respectable in her game. And all thanks to songs with simple tunes like “The Thoughts” or “The Power Over Oneself.” In that way he made us all dance, or at least all those who forgot for a moment that anchor of seriousness that sometimes grips us. And, like Daniel Johnston or Jonatahn Richman, Lorena’s naive universe is not for all audiences.

After the performance of the Asturian, it was the turn of a Jorge Drexlerwho was delighted to start the Spanish tour to present his new album “Taracá” within the framework of Southern Pyrenees. And he did it by displaying that very Uruguayan charisma that practices the milonga and a captivating yet dense lyric that is already a trademark of the house. Very well supported by a fantastic band, he was kind enough to tell us, before singing “When Morente sang”, one of those invisible threads that chance draws, when sharing the stage with the show for the thirtieth anniversary of ‘Omega’. An anecdote that took us back three decades, just when Jorge landed with his “Sway” in Spain to share a tour with Joaquín Sabina. It was in one of the first concerts of the tour in Granada, when both shared a unique evening in the caves of Sacromonte with Enrique Morente, in one of those legendary flamenco plays that begin, but you never know when they end. Furthermore, as fate would have it, a few days later, already in Madrid, Sabina himself gave him the album that was going to change the future of flamenco. A brand new “Omega” who was going to be, despite the Uruguayan’s more than solid performance, the great protagonist of the evening. Nice coincidences that gave more meaning to a poster that seemed disparate, but turned out not to be disparate at all. Besides, Drexler He demonstrated, despite not needing it, why his knowing how to be and sing has earned him ineffable respect even among those who prefer less melodic and sugary proposals. Songs that are already classics like “Tocarte” or “Everything is Transformed” combined wonderfully with new songs with an important future like “How do you love?” or “When in doubt, dance.”

It was already very late at night, almost at the stroke of one in the morning, that hour when the stars converge and the witches display their magic, when that spell called “Omega”. And, if the challenge of bringing an anniversary like this to a successful conclusion was huge, it must be said that the arrangement in different blocks, very well balanced and measured, of a dream set-list, caused the challenge to be exited through the front door. Everything worked in its proper gear. But if something had to be highlighted, beyond the expertise of the Nick Lizard to achieve that solid packaging in an enveloping and monumental sound, is the figure of Kiki Morente. The singer seems to enter an evocative and exciting trance in which he processes all the weight that comes with facing a challenge as massive as this. And I would say that he does it with his own personality, without trying to emulate the inimitable. With respect, but also with enough self-confidence to remove all burdens. Furthermore, and despite the age difference, a complicity was glimpsed that was reflected in another of those anecdotes that can only be told from the stage of the Southern Pyrenees. And it was Kiki himself who remembered that, when he was just a tadpole of six or seven years old, he was running around that same stage the day his father and Lizard Nick presented that same album. Performance that… “ended with that drummer behind me jumping into the water.” It should be said that Eric’s dip was not repeated on this occasion. The cold night did not invite us to do so either. But the best that can be stated is that, with classics of the caliber of “Manhattan”, “The Dawn of New York” or “Hallelujah”, no one was dissatisfied.

Saturday, July 25

Saturday was definitely women’s night. Of three powerful women who defend their femininity and their music in a different, but totally complementary way. opened Jimena Yellow with a subtle, but casual concert in which songs such as “Cafeliko”, “When you no longer want me” or “Flow deskiciada” stood out. However, it was noticeable that the majority of those gathered there were waiting for the celebration of the 25 years of his career. Chambao. And the truth is that La Mari’s performance closed another of those circles of life, since it was the first time she performed at the festival, despite having wanted to do so for many years. It was fate that came together to give that anniversary gift to an artist who has known how to capture the essence of southern pop like no one else. And he has also done it with lyrics of a vital, universal and human nature, developing one of those formulas that, despite reaching the general public thanks to songs like “Playas de Barbate” or the ineffable “There you are”, have enough personality to stand out beyond the formula. Twenty-five years support it. And, of course, such was the enthusiasm of the artist that she was the only brave one who dared to jump into the icy waters of the swamp. Hey you!

Lia Kali – Photo by Pilar Villuendas

Lia Kali I was supposed to start babbling just when Chambao They started their career in music. That is why it is normal that a whole stylistic world forged through urban pop, R’N’B and the most street rap separates them. And, although I personally agree much more with the Catalan style, I have to say that she didn’t have her night despite celebrating her birthday. And it was quite difficult for Júlia to modulate her voice to lower the tone and not scream in each song. In fact, it wasn’t until well into his performance that it didn’t start to sound the way it deserved. Furthermore, his show has a handicap that is difficult to solve. And so much pre-recorded collaboration throughout the set ends up causing a feeling of unreality that does not help its cause. Despite everything, he tried hard and little by little he ended up getting on track to finish high thanks to songs like “Volvernos a amar” or that “Cantaré” that is already a classic.

Sunday, July 26

Total change of stage and audience at the Huesca festival. If on the first day the average age was over thirty-five and over, on the second day it mobilized an audience that was mainly female and of very different ages. The third day began as a very family-oriented proposal, ending in a “rave” aimed at the youngest and most enthusiastic audience. And I’m not going to reveal the garlic soup if I say that a large number of fathers and mothers with dedicated ‘kids’ from Euskal Herria had traveled to the Lanuza stage to see their idols.

In Tol Sarmiento They have become a social phenomenon that can only be fully understood when you attend one of their performances. The degree of dedication and knowledge of his proposal among his followers is such that we laymen are portrayed with that face of here’s something that escapes me, beyond the festive invitation of his music. But for holidays The Fumiga. And those from Alzira are an orgy of the black bomb cubed exponentially. And they do it in a kind of concert non-stop which grants very little quarter. Furthermore, it is most relevant that, just now that they are leaving, they offer a farewell tour with a spectacular staging. You only had to see its eleven members deployed in the different pyramidal boxes of their stage, ready to give themselves completely to offer a show as inflamed as it was dynamic. Granted that their proposal develops all the time in a unique and crushing register, but that does not detract from their merits when it comes to delighting those present in a dance without interruption.

And so he said goodbye to another year Southern Pyrenees through which important international proposals have passed, such as Rubén Blades, Suede, Bomba Estéreo either Rufus Wainwrightcombined with other weight stable ones such as FASHION, Nacho Vegas, Leeches of Guadiana either The Planetsalong with proposals that are somewhat out of tune with what the festival represents as Dani Fernandez either Judeline. A everything like in a pharmacy that has worked better the closer it has been to the philosophies and the background of what it is and, above all, it has been Southern Pyrenees. Let’s see what the future holds for it, because things would have to be done very badly so that it would not be as we stated at the beginning: hopeful.