Review: FÊTE DE LA MUSIQUE at Luxembourg City

This Friday, 15 June, Luxembourg saw its capital host the festival known as Fête de la Musique, a national event that lasts six days and which welcomes to the streets countless musicians and bands. Most of the performances took place in the centre of Luxembourg City, yet four other neighbourhoods had their own points of interest, bringing the total number of stages up to twenty-six. The Grand Duchy might be small but, for what it lacks in size, it makes up in a vibrant and outgoing international community.

The streets were packed with people from all over the nation, as well as from Belgium, Germany and France. The remarkable proximity of these three countries makes it easy for folks who live across the border to pay a quick visit to our beloved (and self-proclaimed) "capital of music". Only one thing seemed to stand in the way of the festival - the World Cup. It is safe to say that over 25% of the residents of Luxembourg have either Spanish or Portuguese ancestry. This means that by the time Portugal started its match against Spain in the early evening, a very substantial number of football fans chose to grab a beer and cheer for their favourite team in the closest café.

The most famous square in the city, Place d'Armes, was one of the hot spots of the night. Performances started around noon, earlier than in any other stage, and would continue non-stop until 11 PM. As per tradition, this was the meeting point for many people, but those who joined the event looking for pop, rock or jazz did not linger around for too long. Many of the performances that took place in Place d'Armes were organized by the Conservatoire of Luxembourg, which was delightful for classical musical enthusiasts, but not necessarily for the majority of the audience.

Just a couple of streets away, however, Place Guillarme II managed to offer a greater variety of styles. While for most of the afternoon the stage presented wonderful renditions by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Luxembourg, the early evening saw the square gain a whole new Latin vibe. Eric y sus Cómplices and Juan de Marcos Afro Cuban All Stars were masterful in their interaction with the public and managed to attract a very considerable crowd for over three hours. Knowing that French is one of the most spoken languages of the Grand Duchy, they delighted the audience by risking to sing in a language that was foreign to most of them. The result surprised everyone, when the warm Latin rhythms of the band mixed quite well with an unexpected near-fluency of the singers in French.

Venturing to the smaller streets of the centre, one could hardly miss the vibrant mood of Rue du Saint-Esprit, where the Holy Ghost Stage entertained the crowd until well after 1.30 AM. The street was full of food trucks from various countries and cultures and, being close to an area with a great view over the valley, it turned out to be one of the best places to grab a bite. It was also around the Holy Ghost stage that the cigarette company Maya decided to offer matches and condoms to the younger audience. While we could have dispensed the matches, we thank Maya for the initiative and for giving a whole new meaning to the phrase "come on baby light my fire" with this unexpected combo of gifts.

During the break of the football match, the historical area of Grund had dozens of people sitting and standing around two of its most famous pubs - Updown bar and Scott's Pub. The streets were not as empty as during the game itself, since the tension of the match reached a peak after Cristiano Ronaldo's second goal, and several fans needed to walk the emotion out of their system. The neighbourhood had performances scheduled on two stages, one at the Abbey of Neumünster, where the Grand Duchy's Military Band was playing its usual martial songs, and the other at the August Engel Square, where the band 5K HD entertained the public for over one hour and a half.

Originally from Vienna, the group and its unique style has been gaining more and more visibility in Central Europe. The masters of Cinematic Downtempo Pop seem quite busy with their ongoing tour around the continent but managed to stop in Luxembourg for a brilliant rendition that mesmerized the audience. Their slow-paced rhythm offered a perfect fusion of the lead singer's voice with every single instrument in the band, in an original vibe that clearly stood out from other bands of the event.

In the late evening the best place to be was no doubt the Clairefontaine square. After a great and versatile performance by the Marly Marques Quintet, which gave us some very interesting upbeat jazz covers of pop classics like Britney's Toxic, the Luxembourg Jazz Combo got on stage to end the day with great renditions of old school classics made famous by singers like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Ella Fitzgerald. The Lady is a Tramp was one of their best songs, but it was the jazzy cover of Lionel Richie's Hello that truly made our night.

Overall this was a very entertaining festival, where mostly unknown bands managed to prove that one can find great talent and musical diversity even in small countries like Luxembourg. The fact that the majority of stages were set in the historical centre made the experience quite picturesque and the football match, which absorbed the attention of a good deal of people, ended up making the smaller streets far less crowded. Congratulations are in order and we hope to see some of these artists back for next month's Blues and Jazz Rallye.

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