The twenty-seventh edition of Sonorama Ribera has come to an end. Unlike last year, when there were few and strong headliners (Wilco, Vetusta Morla, Amaral on its 25th anniversary…), this time the large number of artists per day tried to compensate for a line-up that at first glance could seem insufficient. Thus, Sonorama Ribera 2024 has been held with an extra day compared to the 2023 edition, in which Wednesday concerts were limited to half the venue.
The number of attendees has been increasing every day, as has the length of the queue for the bus to the venue, while last year it remained at a constant average of 35,000 people per day. Some decisions, such as scheduling Niños Mutantes or La Habitaciones Roja on the largest stage, did not help this, and caused part of the audience to seek their way, either on the small stages and with the DJs, or in the food area.
Although the first two days were weaker than we would have liked, with Luz Casal saving face at the last minute, Sonorama always has something planned. A surprise or a magical moment at the most unexpected moment, and that is why it continues to be the best festival we have in our country. The third day, with the appearance of Supersubmarina at the Trigo and Jaime playing on the main stage, was proof of this.
The fourth and final day began with Alvaro de Luna and Sidecars gathering large masses of people, although somewhat subdued. It had to come Rozalen to raise the first ovations from the public. The concert is her, the band and her particular sign language interpreter on a stage decorated with structures that look like fallen petals. “When I say that this is imposing, I really mean it,” said the girl from La Mancha, despite not being noticeable at all. She has songs capable of getting everyone up and dancing, like the rumba of ‘En Una Noche Muchos’ or ‘Este Tren’, while she also has others made to soften hearts. ‘La Cara Amable del Mundo’ and ‘Asítano’ fulfilled this purpose.
“I know it’s not appropriate for me to sing one with guitar and voice, but I would like us to have a moment of travelling back to childhood,” she said before introducing the latter. Although, indeed, there was no total party, it was one of the best moments of the concert. When her voice, already beautiful in itself, breaks out in passion, it is wonderful. In ‘Mis Infiernos’, on the other hand, the opposite occurs. Being a collaboration with Kase.O and R de Rumba, it is normal for her voice to take a backseat. ‘Todo Sigue Igual’ was the culmination of a show full of art. With fireworks included, which this year are given away, although Rozalén did deserve them.
The concert of the night was clearly that of Men Gin terms of attendance, anticipation and result. ‘Voy a pasármelo bien’ was the best possible introduction song, which started with hardly any preparation. I must say that at the end of it all I had a more than good time. The concert is a total karaoke, with a string of overwhelming hits that are also perfectly defended by the band. ‘El Ataque de las Chicas Cocodrilo’, ‘Un Par de Palabras’, ‘Te Quiero’ (presented as “one of the most beautiful songs we have written in these 41 years” and improved with some beautiful winds), ‘No te escaparás’, ‘Suéltate el pelo’… The list goes on.
In their first appearance at the Aranda de Duero festival, David Summers’ original band was received with great love from the public, even though many in their time disowned them. I’m sure that many of their generation found them more aggressive than they remembered. Summers’ characteristic voice is noticeably aged, but at times it is practically the same as before. In ‘Temblando’, for example, it has suffered a little. The band, with some of the most curious names in rock (such as Jason Paradise or Juanito Piscinas), is in top form and sounds much better than in their heyday.
The encore was the best part of the show. It was yesterday when I discovered that Javier Molina, the drummer, is the voice of the legendary intro of ‘Venezia’ and I can attest that today it sounds exactly the same as in the studio version. At this moment, everyone hugged whoever was next to them. Surprisingly, when the drums came in and the party started, some moshing started, although they were closer to skirmishes than anything else. ‘Devuélveme a mi chica’ is the definitive song by Los Hombres G because it unites all generations, and that’s how Sonorama Ribera experienced it. There are many more from the repertoire that have survived in the minds of the new generations, such as ‘Marta tiene un marcapasos’, instantly recognizable in its initial drum roll, but none like the ‘pica-pica’. Once again, fireworks.
The Blue House is the festival concert par excellence. It is always a feast for the eyes as well as the ears and you can dance to the slow songs. ‘The Sexual Revolution’ always fills the atmosphere with love and congas. It was a perfect moment for fireworks, but they remained only confetti. Macaque It’s not that common to find him at a festival. When it was the Catalan’s turn, a lot of people decided that it was the perfect time to have dinner. They missed a really interesting concert. The younger ones got their dose of reggae dopamine with ‘Moving’ at the beginning of the set, this being the second song. With the many years of career that Dani Carbonell has behind him, active since 1995, it is normal that he has made some friends.
The most astonishing of these was Miquel Serviole, nicknamed ‘Muchacho’ and introduced as “the best rumba guitarist in the world.” Before getting down to the strings, he devoted himself to making all kinds of rhythms with the body of the guitar. “For the gypsies of the world,” Macaco said before talking about “that blessed mix that only brings good things.” Immediately after, Serviole began ‘Con la mano levantá’. Guess what the audience did.
Of YSY AI knew a song and its musical style: Argentine trap. It was surprising to arrive on stage and see an accordion and a Spanish guitar next to a keyboard. At a trap concert? Curious. From the beginning, the Argentine caught my curiosity. When he came on stage, I discovered what was happening. I was watching one of the most original shows of the festival. “I have the honor of coming accompanied by this orchestra” and “the living voice of my country’s tango,” said the Argentine, who takes over the stage with his presence.
YSY A’s mix of tango and trap shined in tracks like ‘CUÁL?’ and ‘PA ESTA SOLEDAD’. The only thing pre-recorded is the trap base itself, but absolutely everything else is done live. At first it didn’t attract many people, but the audience soon came closer purely out of curiosity about the music. There was even room for a tango as is, without 808s or hi-hats. ‘Por una Cabeza’ by Gardel, specifically. At this point, a section of the audience has no idea who the person on stage is, but they are enjoying themselves. On the other hand, others know perfectly well who it is and it seems like they are at another crazy concert. There were people who flew through the air.
“It’s a very cultural place, there’s great music and we wanted to be bold,” says YSY. You have to be very passionate to represent your country at a festival you’ve never been to and give a show that’s totally out of the ordinary, even for you. The second part of the concert becomes a typical trap show, with the band leaving the stage, but the quality doesn’t drop. YSY A raps absolutely everything. Plus, it’s still interesting. ‘EL AFTER DEL AFTER’, his latest album, has jersey beat, pop, electronics, all within the trap framework. ‘GANAS’ and ‘Tamo Loco’ were the clear highlights of the show. The Argentinean won me over completely as the set progressed and I’m convinced that I can’t be the only one. Programming artists like YSY A makes Sonorama much bigger and we hope they continue to do so in the years to come.
