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Loulé with a cold beer… this must be Festi- val Med in Portugal.
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Set in this picturesque small town in the hills above the Algarve and now in its twelfth year, what started as a small world music event embracing local culture has become a three-day extravaganza attracting thousands of people from the locality as well as tourists and world music enthusiasts.
But Festival Med still retains its unique cultural identity, confined as it is within the narrow streets of the old town between the Castelo, the Mercado and the Igreja Matriz. There are two large and five small stages erected in the parks and squares, but much of the activity takes place in the streets lined with stalls selling handmade and eth- nic products from jams and cakes to leather goods and jewellery. This is the eighth stage – a moving performance swaying down the narrow alleyways, followed by the audience like the pied pipers of old. Circus acts, fire-
hot sultry evening: wonderful music, and ambling through the visually exotic cobbled streets and squares of the ancient historical centre of
eaters, saw players, fanfare musicians and choral singers mingle with the crowds at regular intervals throughout the festival
The emphasis of the festival this year is on Portuguese cultural traditions, finding support from UNESCO. Fado, with its inher- ent traditional structure, and the less well known Cante Alentejano. There is a dedicat- ed fado stage for local talent while on the larger Matriz and Cerco stages, Carminho and Raquel Tavares entertain large audi- ences crammed into the square, humming along to the songs they know well.
Cante Alentejano is a genre of tradi- tional two-part singing performed by ama- teur choral groups of up to 30 singers from the farmlands of the Alentejano region of southern Portugal between Lisbon and the Algarve. The songs, with beautiful harmonies performed without instrumentation, have a melancholy edge, wafting over the ancient city; a mesmerising, melodic sound.
The headline world music acts were well chosen for their diversity and energy. On Thursday, Jambinai, the South Korean trio from Seoul, threw waves of post-rock
noise, interspersed with delicate sounds on the geomungo in a classical tradition, at an enthralled audience. Following them on the Matriz stage, Babylon Circus from France mixed punk, reggae, rock, swing and jazz with exuberance and energy, and a large brass section.
On Friday the highlights were Aziza Brahim, Saharawi singer and percussionist, and Ester Rada (West Bank, Israel) who mixed Ethio jazz and R&B and would later appear at Womad. They were followed by Peru’s Cumbia All Stars, passing by on their way to performing at Glastonbury and get- ting the audience swaying to the rhythm.
On the Saturday I caught some of Alamedadosoulna (Spain), Nneka (Nigeria) and Baloji (Congo) but the most rapturous reception went Cape Verde’s Ferro Gaita. Playing funaná, with the ‘iron’ and the accordeon, their set was impressive and compulsive. Joined by singer and compatri- ot Dino D’Santiago, they continued well into the early hours to end what was anoth- er great festival.
Aziza Brahim Ester Rada
Saw player Edgar Guerreiro Babylon Circus