Live Report: Mallorca Live Festival 2022

Emerging Spanish festival leaves a deep impression...

Sun, sand and cracking tunes – that’s what Mallorca Live Festival promises to provide. 

While people are at Glasto, tightening the draw-strings of their rain-mac hood, the Mallorca crowds are slapping on suncream. Celebrating its fifth anniversary, the festival promises to provide a diverse slew of exhilarating talent – and it most certainly delivers.

The true highlight of Mallorca Live is undeniably its celebration of Spain’s diverse, thriving music scene. When approaching a stage, there’s no telling what sound you’re going to get; from Go Cactus’ easy-breezy garage surf charm, to Repion’s punky grunge-pop, to Queralt Lahoz’ intoxicating, hip-hop infused flamenco beats, the line-up is a smorgasbord of distinctive sounds. And, regardless of genre, crowds are in their element – whirling round to jangly, shimmering indie bangers before eagerly stomping along to intense bolero.

A penchant for fusing together different sounds seems to dominate the scene – there’s a sense of combining something old with something new, catapulting nostalgia into the here and now. Stand-out act Rigoberta Bandini perfectly embody this mindset; bubbling with serotonin, Rigoberta Bandini deliver a star-studded set of high-energy chaos. Flamenco shakes hands with synth-pop, before throwing rap and even acoustic singalongs into the mix. The sound is infectious, while the onstage performance only amps up the energy, every member of the band engaging in the upbeat choreography – all-the-while still able to maintain their ABBA-like harmonies, never faltering for a moment.

While Rigoberta Bandini are a tough act to follow, headliner C Tangana takes the challenge in his stride. Taking to the stage to a trumpet fanfare, C Tangana’s set once again embraces that Spanish love of genre-fusion; rap-heavy tracks feed into tunes embracing new flamenco, crowds howling along to the impassioned bars before clapping along to the nostalgic beats. At times the set feels more like a music video – choreographed to have C Tangana interacting with the camera throughout – but the stripped back tracks balance things out. And those moments, focusing entirely on the thrum of acoustic and rhythming clapping, are the most organic – the rich flamenco rousing the crowd into movement, a communal effort of feet hammering down and hands twirling in the air.

Day two yet again delivers a fabulous undercard. Mallorcan trio SWEET POO SMELL parade a sound as fragrant and enjoyable as their name suggests, their jangly, punk-tinged country-folk a total delight. And diversity continues to reign supreme, with acts like The Southnormales crack out a fabulous dj set, Cecilia Zango bewitching crowds with her enchantress vocals, while Rufus T. Firefly’s are able to wow with their multi-synth set up and hypnotic tracks. One of the most unexciting performances comes in the form of TRASHI – the group truly fit the Travis-Barker-core bill, with a pop-punk energy that has the crowd vibrating with movement.

The rock selection on offer on day two is also commendable; Temples’ mainstage set is effortlessly cool, their psychedelic, hazy rock flare shimmers in the Mallorcan sunshine, while Supergrass’ set of Britpop bangers sounds sharp and go down a treat. Franz Ferdinand’s performance is a total rush of giddiness, crowds throwing themselves into the flow of classic indie bangers.

Decked out in blindingly glittery boots and a glistening bodysuit, headliner Christina Aguilera takes to the stage like a true pop icon. Opening on the glorious ‘Dirrty’, the tone of the evening is cemented – and we’re set for an evening of crowd singalongs and unreal vocal prowess. Following the release of her first Spanish album in over 20 years, Aguilera is also hyperfocused on honouring her Ecuadorian roots; ‘Santo’, ‘Pa’ mis muchachas’ and ‘Sueltame’ emphasise Aguilera’s flare for Spanish performance, her vocals rich and full-bodied. 

A truly special moment comes in the form of ‘Beautiful’, however; the performance is spellbinding, stripping away the excess, cutting out the choreography and the extravagant lightshow, simply showcasing Aguilera in her rawest form. All before bursting into the hyper-pop LGBTQ+ celebration that is ‘Let There Be Love’ – closing off her set with a cry for freedom of choice, and a blast of techicolour celebration. 

The indie folk charm of GUITARRICADELAFUENTE easily leaves the Sunday crowds swooning. The 24 year old multi-instrumentalist switches mood at a moments notice, moving to his piano for a sombre, dreamy dose of reflection before parading the Spanish acoustic for a crowd-rousing rumba singalong. Whatever the sound, there is an embracing of all things organic – dragging members of the band to clap into microphones instead of opting for a mechanical drum beat or clap-track.

On the flip-side, Mujeres are truly Spain’s answer to The Vaccines. Their indie rock swagger is electric, sharp riffs and bouncy choruses not unlike ones you’d hear in a grotty indie bar, feet sticking to the VK-covered floor. And everybody absolutely loves it. 

Metronomy’s set is an ethereal delight. Their dreamy indietronica energy has the crowd transfixed, otherworldly harmonies feeding into jagged synth-y breakdowns. It’s as if the band has two modes – one riff-ready, the other dead set on morphing and twisting every sound possible. The result is mesmerising; crowds bounce along to their quirky, eclectic soundscaping before air-guitaring along to a beefy breakdown.

Metronomy’s performance perfectly prepares the crowds for Muse. Well known for their experimental space-rock, the rock legends’ set is a ferocious typhoon of breakdowns and whirring distortion. The set is fuelled by a healthy scattering of new songs, tracks like ‘Will Of The People’ and ‘Compliance’ met with a wave of giddy enthusiasm, fans desperate to involve themselves in the band’s newest era. Matt Bellamy commands the crowds with ease, churning out masterful guitar solos that have the masses eating out of the palm of his hand. It’s impossible to resist Bellamy’s control, arms waving and conducting the crowd to scream even harder for juggernaut tracks like ‘Plug In Baby’. Closing track ‘Knights Of Cydonia’ is the perfect way to let that final burst of energy out – fans howling along to that iconic, iconic riff.

As the night draws to a close, one thing is blindingly clear – when it comes to a music festival, maybe we can have it all. By refusing to restrict to one realm of sound, Mallorca Live is pioneering a new wave of exciting, unpredictable festival line-ups. A mainstage can have garage surf, it can have rumba, it can have rap, it can have rock. With Mallorca Live, variety is key – a mosh pit can sit happily alongside a whirling flamenco circle. It’s a festival with so much life, and, considering it’s in its relative infancy, there’s a bright, bright future ahead for it.

Words: Emily Swingle
Photography: Javier Bragado, Xavi Torrent

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