Festival Gigante has held a new edition in Guadalajara, with a striking 53% of women on its lineup. If Ángela González, Estrogenuinas or Tere could be seen on Thursday! and on Friday to Repion (although the leaders were La MODA and Ultraligera), Saturday was something to highlight and celebrate. Surely there was a bigger turnout on Friday, but what about the artistic diversity and variety?
Yesterday’s day was dominated by female artists to the point of presenting 4 consecutive concerts starring entirely female artists on the main stages. And which one is more different, which one is more complete as a proposal. Queralt Lahoz She benefited from performing while the sun was setting, the typical concert that goes from less to more as night falls, also encouraged by the artist’s versatility. She started rapping more, as a successor to Mala Rodríguez, she soon introduced more R&B songs, in fact at times she incorporated samples of classics like ‘Gypsy Woman’, ‘Say My Name’ and twerked with Rihanna’s ‘Work’. But he also did not avoid other influences such as flamenco, bolero or even EDM. Which is the same as saying that it monopolized any genre before the attentive gaze of the public.
Very competent in voice and assisted by three musicians, Queralt Lahoz was all sympathy, charging against the narcissists, asking who was from the neighborhood because “if you come from the neighborhood, you know how it moves” or encouraging those who were “from the collective” to raise their hands, because she wanted to dedicate ‘In another place’ to them.
Although the best thing was that, upon seeing a group of people dressed as chickens, Queralt identified that they were having a bachelor party, when in reality it was a promotion for Dagu eggs. The Dagu egg hostesses encouraged the attendees and they ended up super dedicated to the pogo as the artist was requesting. Let’s hope they were paid in tune with the delirious moment they inspired.
Then the new show Belen Aguilerain which he combines the lyrical part of ‘Anela’ with his new EP ‘mediterrania’ and also old hits. Perhaps the latter are the most affected of his new repertoire, some even sounding hastily in the form of a “medley.” The focus is on a new theatrical conception according to which Belén concentrates on singing and dancing, two pieces of music accompany the classical instruments, and a group of dancers appears and disappears depending on what the song asks for. ‘Eclipse’ leaves one of the most impressive photographs with the entire corps de ballet around the singer, while ‘Lady in Distress’ is required to defend her alone.
Aguilera’s concert starts with her particular adaptation of ‘Hijo de la luna’ by Mecano, and in fact the nods to other popular classics are recurring. ‘Licántropo’ contains elements of ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson and ‘Loba’ by Shakira’; ‘Galgo’ from ‘Porcelain’ by Moby, and another of the songs that appears is ‘Moi… Lolita’ by Alizée. Belén is especially moved when she remembers that her song ‘Soledad’ is dedicated to her grandmother, not just to loneliness itself, and she appreciates the dedication of an audience perhaps more accustomed to indie sounds. Many Viva Sweden or Siloé t-shirts were seen, although neither of them played.
That emotion for those who are no longer especially permeated the concert of Gins. The group on Saturday’s poster, closest in style to Friday’s editorial line, and to Gigante’s line in general, did not hesitate to display their collection of greatest hits. Always with an overwhelming sound that filled everything, ‘Alex Turner’ in the first moments of the show, then such colorful songs as ‘Desastre de persona’, ‘Ansiedad’ or ‘Paco y Carmela’ and finally ‘La tipica canto’ made up an entertaining and festive concert. One didn’t know if Sandra’s tits were really coming out as she claimed or if that was just an excuse to attack the hell out of ‘Purple Things’ because that was the color of her top.
But if the group stated that they would never forget yesterday’s concert, it was because of the moment when Magüi dedicated the song precisely titled ‘Gigantes’ to his mother, who has just passed away. Visibly moved, she had a few words for her father, her aunts were there, she thanked her partner Sandra for the unconditional support, and a few songs later she continued sending messages about how to move forward and leave behind the “backpacks” that we were dragging. It was impossible not to empathize with her in such a difficult moment, or to underestimate the power that music has to make us feel united. It is well needed.
During the techno part of ‘With the girls in Berlin’, the Gines themselves advanced the rave they were preparing Zaharaand it was one of the most exultant that we have seen, perhaps because the artist has moved to the province of Guadalajara. The concert begins with the new remix of ‘Our Love’ and Samantha Hudson’s “Liturgy” that celebrates the people who supposedly have a “glitch”; and then alternates his own greatest hits adapted to electronic format (‘Merichane’, ‘Hoy la bestia cena en casa’) with samples from Lorde, Prodigy and covers.
The big surprise of this era is the adaptation of Jeanette’s ‘I’m a Rebel’ as a ballad, which looks great after the new grotesque exhibition of how a woman gets along with a polyclinic. And the show ends as always with an extended and crazy version of ‘Berlin U5’ and ‘This is not a political song’. Both so high on drugs that they look like ‘Swastika Eyes’ by Primal Scream. Zahara with her dancers mixes among the public, bounces around and manipulates the crowd as she pleases. It is a true triumph that it is the audience of an independent festival that adapts to the artist’s risky show – which goes from total debauchery to the delicacy of a Marta Movidas harp – instead of the other way around.
Someone thought of replacing the rave with a session of Chimo Bayo at 1:30 in the morning, and the truth is that it worked. Without rest, from the moment Z ended up on the Vibra Mahou Stage, Chimo was already speaking on the Giant Stage so that the smallest amount of audience possible would desert, and hits like ‘La aunt Enriqueta’ and ‘This is how I like it’ didn’t take long to appear.
Some other topic did as well, for example from Underworld, although the big winner of his was that image of the producer of the projected Route, robotically, destroying the Schweppes Building on Madrid’s Gran Vía… while wearing a t-shirt that said “HU-HA.”
