On the same day as the failed opening of the Olympic Games in Paris, another edition of Low Festival started with a great taste in the mouth. The total sold out has already been reached. If the rest of the days are like the first, it is likely that many will regret not having been there on time. 23,000 people have enjoyed this first day at the Benidorm festival.
In the early afternoon, as VIP POOL pass holders tried to get their beer out of the privileged area without success, Gins They complained about the “fucking heat.” “It’s really hard to see so many people at this time,” says a surprised Magüi. Although they haven’t been on stage for two months, the quartet hasn’t lost the ability to transmit the good vibes that characterize them so much. For example, with the entertaining “Bailando Mal” with ELYELLA. It’s the energy boost needed to stand up for the entire festival. The other essential ingredient is some emotion, and the expert is an expert in this. Amaral.
The Zaragoza group was playing the Vibra Mahou stage for the first time, set apart from the rest and with stands for press and VIPs. A mini stadium within a festival. However, I think that part of the fun of Amaral’s concerts is sharing the songs with as many people as possible, so the dance floor was the right place. ‘Marta, Sebas, Guille and the others’ makes no sense outside of the crowd and hugs. The band, wonderful as always, gathered one of the largest audiences of the day as early as 9pm. Normally, Amaral’s programming is closer to midnight, but it is true that this collection of classics could work at any time. Repionwho enjoyed an audience on the Radio 3 stage that was just as good as Maxïmo Park’s, were invited to sing ‘El universo sobre mí’. A great moment. We all know the lyrics from start to finish. Even so, I like to think that the Iñesta sisters took a look at it before going out to make sure. That’s what I would have done.
“Ferreiro is singing there,” I hear behind me in the queue at a food stand, one of 19 available in the entire venue. “It’s his son,” I reply, without being asked. Next, the most heard interaction when talking about Darlingthe group by Andrés Ferreiro, son of Iván, which has almost become a marketing claim: “Well, they sound the same!”. Apart from looking at the poster, the other way to realise that Iván Ferreiro wasn’t singing is precisely what was playing. A version of ‘Solo quiero bailar’ by Zenttric, that radio classic from 2009 that Andrés surely grew up listening to.
For classics, Pixies. The Boston band gave what is already one of the key concerts of this edition of Low. The sharp, raspy and lively voice of Black Francis shone from the first moment with ‘Gouge Away’, which they followed with the sonic torrent of ‘Wave Of Mutilation’. Pixies are masters at achieving the perfect balance between the noisy and the melodic, and last night’s show exhibited this perfectly, constantly changing rhythm from song to song. Between the vocal and instrumental part of the concert, it is difficult to choose one. What is easy is to be enthralled by the thousand registers of the vocalist and his improvised screams or by the magical voice of the latest addition to the group, Emma Richardson. In ‘In Heaven’, she shone. On the other hand, the moments in which guitarist Joey Santiago took center stage were also worthy of ecstasy. The instrumental bridge of ‘Hey’ was capable of cutting the heat in the air and the cover of Neil Young’s ‘Winterlong’ was full of experimentation and melody in equal parts. Santiago plucks, bangs and shakes his guitar with astonishing affection.
By the middle of the show, it was very clear that they weren’t going to say a word outside of the music. In fact, that was the case until the end of the concert. They didn’t even say thank you. To make up for the moments of calm that communication with the audience provides, Francis entertained himself with his acoustic guitar between songs, playing a series of flamenco-style chords without any apparent purpose. In one of these moments, as if by surprise, the first chord of ‘Here Comes Your Man’ sounds and the whole Vibra Mahou starts dancing. Surely, the most pop-friendly moment of the recital. In the absence of ‘Monkey Gone To Heaven’ and despite Francis’ apparent rush to finish ‘Where Is My Mind?’, the Pixies concert was everything: noise, silence, chaos and peace. ‘Debaser’ was the final hit, leaving the audience’s energy at its highest point.
After those from Boston, the next to occupy the big stage were Maximo Parkand it was too big for them. The dance floor had too many empty spaces and, while Pixies were able to sing ‘I feel like a chicken’ without any context, vocalist Paul Smith seemed to feel the need to explain each song in detail before it was played. Where were the people? Maite, from Shegowas just as surprised: “Holy crap, the whole Low came, right?”
Charlotte, Maite and Raquel announced that they were in the middle of a transition in their live performance, saying that many of the songs they had played live up until now were going to stop being part of their setlist. It’s a question of renewal. “Just like there are songs that go away, there are songs that come back,” Maite said, splitting hairs. They have new material and they want to present it. One of these new releases is an absolute hit about giving in to the dark side of partying: “It doesn’t matter where the party is / We’re all there together in the shit / Do you want to come?” they sing in a super catchy way.
I don’t know which songs they’re going to remove from their repertoire, but there are two that I’d be very sorry not to see again. ‘Qué voy a hacer’ and ‘Vicente Amor’ are the best examples of the Madrid group’s charisma, presence and raw, even disinterested style. ‘Shut up, close your mouth / Be careful with me / I’m going crazy,’ they sing in the latter. I say sing, because they usually sing together. I’d say they need some experience in blending their voices to make it sound round, but that’s clearly part of why they’re so cool. As I said. Shego, main stage.
