Rain respects the first day of Altaveu Festival with the bands Obeses, Ella Speed & Slack Time

Text & Photography: Francisco Javier Rivas

The rain has finally respected the first day of the 27th Festival Altaveu of Sant Boi de Llobregat. On Thursday September 10, 2015, from 20.30 p.m., go up to the stage of the Plaça de l’Ajuntament of the city of Baix Llobregat the trio of hip hop and R&B Slack Time, a duet, Ella Speed with sonorities of New Orleans blues and Obeses led by the ineffable Arnau Tordera that closed the stage around 12 pm.

Slack Time begin its show of hip hop with mostly prerecorded basis in a almost empty and dark place. This group consists of Clara Rueda Borell, Neska and Tyle. Tyle rhyme in French while Clara uses a more R & B style to sing, providing more atmosphere to the songs. However, there comes a point where the songs are too similar to each other.

Then it was the turn of Ella Speed, a duo -Rik van den Bosch, Dutch singer and guitar, and Luis Bestard, mallorquín drummer- that moves between New Orleans blues, garage and even stoner. They put the harsh note in Santboiana night though when they were accompanied in a couple of occasions by two singers their sound became more velvet, as it was with their single 'Gone Too Long'. While blond, their music has its roots in the African American culture and has left a very good impression to all 'bluesy' and rockers who were in the square.

Finally, although the Meteocat said it would rain in Sant Boi about 10 pm it didn’t happened and the Obeses group put the festive note to the evening. With their humoristic rock'n'roll blown up much of the Plaça de l’Ajuntament. The public reacted to the songs with jumps, dance and even choreography. Their singer, Arnau Tordera, is a real showman with a powerful voice and seems that never tires of falsetto. They played songs like 'Botifarra amb seques', 'Brindem Brindem', 'Ens hem aixecat', 'Guapu', 'Em deixaré bigoti', 'Virus', 'El tocador de Senyores' - according Tordera is a San Boi character but is likely to say the same in all the places- or 'El Monstre del armari', with an included 'monster'  in the audience, ands versions of popular songs like 'Rosó (or pel teu amor)'. Funny end of the night.

Today, Day of Catalonia, if the weather continues to respect the festival, will play at the Plaça de l’Ajuntament the Sant Boi Urban Dance in collaboration with Rapsusklei or Loren among other musicians. At the Cal Ninyo Theater, Amparo Sánchez (Amparonoia) with the folk act Riu and in the gardens of the Ateneo, the folkies M. Ward & Howe Gelb and the valencians Senior i Cor Brutal. See detailed schedule here.

Obeses group photographs in the Plaça de l’Ajuntament de Sant Boi during Altaveu Festival 2015 (10/09/15)

Photographies of Ella Speed at Plaza del Ayuntamiento de Sant Boi during the 2015 Altaveu Festival (10/09/15)

Photographies of Slack Time at Plaza del Ayuntamiento de Sant Boi during the 2015 Altaveu Festival (10/09/15)