On August 5 and 6, the Paseo del Cisne de Alhama de Granada hosted the celebration of the 56th Alhama Music Festival, the oldest festival in Andalusia, which in this edition brought together almost 2,000 people.
One of the characteristics of this festival has always been to bet on new bands and with this objective, every year the contest of new talents is organized, in which three finalists compete with their music on stage to win the prize. On this occasion, the selected groups that performed on stage on the night of August 5 were Granada’s Abril, with their catchy pop-rock, Seville’s Maraña, and their mix between rock and ska, and Granada’s Varekai with a repertoire of rock music with clear Andalusian roots.
The festival was once again hosted by radio host Noni Toro, who introduced the various groups and performances scheduled for that night.
After the performances of the contest finalists, the Mojinos Escozios, led by Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, ‘El Sevilla’, set foot on the festival stage again, having done so for the first time in the forty-first edition in 2006. With their show and fun and well-known songs, such as ‘Jerónima’, ‘Qué güeno que está’ or ‘La invasion de las ladillas enfurenidas’, sprinkled with anecdotes and witty jokes, obtained the complicity of the large public who hummed them.
The Jerez native La Pompa Jonda was the second highlight of this first evening of the festival, taking over from the Sevillian band, with their style, which they call “Electro-Jondo”, and a vibrant and contagious live which, gushing with a dose of originality and adrenaline, put the public on their feet.
After the guest performances, Noni Toro, accompanied by the Councilor for the Festivities, Álvaro Molina and the members of the jury of the competition for new talents, announced the winner: the Sevillians Maraña who enthusiastically collected the precious trophy.
The evening of Friday 5 ended with a performance by local DJ Melisa VelascO.
Alba la Merced and Maki and María Artés closed the festival
If the first day of the festival was characterized by the sound of electric guitars, the night of Saturday August 6 was marked by the consolidated musical style, which oscillates between pop, soul and jazz proposed by Alba La Merced, artist name of Alba Triguero, after leaving the old formation Flavia with which she was proclaimed winner of the latest edition of the festival’s new talent competition. Among her repertoire, Alba wanted to have a detail with the festival that awarded her the prize last year, singing a song addressed to Alhama de Granada.
After the performance of the artist from Malaga, it was the flamenco rhythms fused with the pop of the artist Maki that flooded the stage. The singer from Huelva, who revolutionized the way of listening to flamenco, was accompanied by the young Sevillian María Artés, his current sentimental and artistic partner with whom they are touring all over Spain with their latest ‘Imperfectos’ tour.
This last night of the festival was again closed by the music of a DJ from Alhama: Dj Gsus Lpz, who moved the young audience present.
Aware of the environment
This year, the organization of the festival has decided to use reusable plastic cups within the room, in order to reduce waste and also to eliminate the use of glasses, cans or bottles which are not authorized in the halls. gigs. This glass, used during the two days of the festival, was sold at the entrance to the hall.