‘“It landed in a field in Idaho; where it came from, I don’t know”, the Ramones sang. The Ufovisión festival, appropriating the theme of science fiction, has held this weekend, at the Los Escullos campsite in Almería, its first edition of punk and garage concerts to welcome an almost imminent summer because what better than the desert of Almeria to think about the impossible. Here the chronicle.
‘The planets, essential concert’ will put the finishing touch to the 25th Malaga Festival
Know more
The weather forecast for the festival was uncertain. At first, Saturday, the most promising day, predicted an afternoon not without complications: possible rains and an air of up to 60 kilometers per hour threatened to enjoy the concerts, the punctures and the organization of the planned market in the open air. However, the desire for it to go ahead made it possible to install the entire team abroad.
Shortly after five in the afternoon, an event organized by the singer of Marrajos, Basilio Sáez, began, and although the wind continued to cause doubts and interfered with the quality of the sound on occasion, it was not a major problem during the rest of the day.
Costumes, punkpop, funk and rock
Toni Montana’s puncture was just the beginning. The audience was starting to get comfortable, but it wasn’t until Anastasia Spencer’s concert when the music definitely incited the audience to dance. With melodic lyrics somewhere between garage and punkpop, this duo from Almeria who play standing up and with a wireless microphone, left no one indifferent. She, who sings and keeps the rhythm with the electronic drums, dressed in space red and he, who accompanies her with a guitar free of cables, offered the show moving chaotically around the camping stage. With themes like I only dress in Rods and Rolls o Bad Boymade it clear that the garage would remain its own original brand.
By the time they finished, the beers were already flying over the heads of the public. The first costumes did not take long to appear and girls began to be seen dressed in bright colors, blues, pinks and greens, as if taken from an 80s science fiction movie.
Between one and the other it was the turn of a DJ: in this case it was Bombora Twist who, completely painted purple and with hair in the purest Wilma Flintstone style, served as a transition for a music that went through funk and rock with themes like Step by Me de ‘Al Supersonic & the Teenagers’.
Very soon International Werewolf appeared. They say that if you ask Paul Chaney about International Werewolf, he tells you that it is not him who is behind that werewolf mask and that gold sequined jacket; but he is the manager of it. With blues and psychoabilly as his leitmotif, this bizarre character encourages the public, always speaking in English. The fluidity with which he combines sounds, laughter, silences and appeals to the public along with his music left those who had never seen him play live speechless. This one-man band is precisely that: a man for whom playing the guitar, singing and playing the drums at the same time is not an inconvenience.
The makos, main course
Around six o’clock, Toni Montana played again, this time with international and national punk songs like Buddy Holly of Weezer the body snatchers Air bag; preparing the occasion and warming up for the concerts that would come later. At that point, the campsite was looking more and more like an alien planet. As if blown by the wind, we saw what we assume were alien jellyfish, conspiracy theorists, Ricks (alluding to the character from the famous adult animation series Rick y Morty) and even a human being carried by a tall, bright green Martian.
Even so, the main course was about to be served: at nine it was Mako’s turn. With the phrase “Wake up Marrajo, your servant calls you, gabba, gabba, gabba”, the group’s vocalist gave the signal for the first song, The mako is the keya version of the well-known Surfin’ Bird of The Trashmen, with which the pogo would begin his walks to stay for the rest of the night.
Series Lizards Dresses V: Alien Invasion, Marrajos spoke through punkpop or punkrock, depending on how you look at it, about the beach, family, love or science fiction. Halfway through the concert, a saxophonist, Chris, came on stage to play with them, delighting the audience by participating in two songs: Mako Alertthe intro of the only LP of the group from Almería, and David Copperfield. But the surprises kept coming and Ten years in Sing Sing, version of the song by the Nikis, Anastasia Spencer’s guitarist, Manuel Arny, came on stage to sing it; and not only him, many other people also got up to sing it as if there were no tomorrow. When they finished, without some prepared encores, Marrajos had to repeat some songs from the repertoire to satisfy an audience that asked for “another one”.
zombie resurrection
When the concert ended, people left. It seemed that hardly any public would be left willing to dance to the zombie and vampire punk of Malaga’s No Picky. They were slow to start and that didn’t help either; but as soon as they got on stage to play, the attendees rose from out of nowhere to return to the party.
After more than 25 years in the world of music, No Picky made it impossible not to dance and sing their songs, both in English and Spanish, which almost always talk about vampires, werewolves and, of course, love. Great example of this are Surfer Zombie o Sick Happy, which made even the most clueless dance. Before finishing, they played The KKK took my baby away by Ramones, and this time yes, Manuel Arny came up unexpectedly again to sing in his place a version of this song by the Madrid group Waldorf Histeria, Opus Dei took my wife. People climbed up from below to join in and the chaos of the two songs achieved an unbeatable concert finale.
After No Picky, the winners of the costume contest were announced. Bombora Swift, the DJ, won the first prize. Suddenly, shouts began to be heard from the public: “tongo”, they said, among other things, because for the last two concerts a girl appeared with a quite successful Bender costume. The jury argued in her defense that she had arrived late, so the audience lifted the girl up, who climbed on stage imitating the famous character from Futurama. She was proclaimed without choice she winner of the prize (without prize) of the public.
After this, and with the excitement of the post-concert, people gradually left.
A less bright Sunday
On Sunday, after the party the night before, many attendees began to leave the campsite, so few stayed to enjoy the punctures and the market on a windless day; It already smelled of summer need for the first dips in the pool. The market was tiny: there were several stalls selling clothes and handmade jewelry, but by the afternoon there was only one left with original illustrations and designs.
The DJs, in this case, livened up the evening with songs that ranged from rock and roll, to powerpop, garage, rockabilly and, of course, punk. By mid-afternoon, there were no more than 10 people left there; But the desire to continue with the music was so great that they helped move the DJ table and other sound material to a corner where the security of the campsite allowed them to continue.
Finally, at eight in the afternoon, the first edition of Ufovisión came to an end.
However, and despite the misfortunes of the weather and a hangover Sunday, the suitability of the Almería desert and the success of the festival, which was attended by just over 175 people, augur the promise of more than one edition. Meanwhile, we can only look at the sky waiting for a signal.
–
