It's 9:15 pm when the concert of singer Cali, accompanied by the group The Hyènes and his drummer, the local festival, Denis Barthe (former Black Desire), begins in the theater of greenery located in the heart of the village of Luxey. A very political concert, with a charge against the ultra-safe G7 to be held from August 24 in Biarritz in neighboring Basque Country. Also with the invitation made to Philippe Poutou, former presidential candidate, to go on stage to defend the workers of the Ford factory in Blanquefort, near Bordeaux. Cali asks Philippe Poutou to throw himself with him in the audience on the title "Thousand hearts standing".
A popular festival of alterglobalists
All the spirit of Musicalarue is there: a festive and committed event in a village where the 25 or so daily concerts (not to mention the street theater shows earlier in the day) are spread out, from 6pm to 6am, in eight different places: the theater of greenery, but also two large scenes, on the church square and in a field behind the town hall, and several more intimate places, such as the Circle of the Union (associative cafe) and the church itself.
The church where we find every year the Josem, a classical orchestra composed of young amateurs of the region, which ignites an audience where can mix the old of the village and young alterglobalists accustomed to festivals. This year, the Josem also invests one of the three main stages, a dedication for a faithful formation since the beginning. Also loyal are the "bandas", regional orchestras that crisscross the streets of Luxey.
Patti Smith heads the bill
And then, there are the headliners. This year, rock legend Patti Smith, singer Patrick Bruel and, for the first evening, Orelsan. The rapper, originally from Caen, gave Luxey the penultimate concert of his tour, twice repeating his flagship title, "Basique". With his relaxation, far from the clichés of rap, he melted into the atmosphere of a festival where, beyond the musical genres, the festive spirit is a common denominator.
The party, the mixtures, and finally the discoveries. Among the 62 groups and artists invited this year, the electro singer Suzanne, the most programmed artist of French festivals in 2019. Alone on stage, she opened the 30th anniversary edition. And it extends the list of those who fell in love with the village of Luxey, Manu Dibango Stromae, through Bernard Lavilliers, Jacques Higelin, Calypso Rose, Juliette Greco, Louise Attack, Joe Cocker or Johnny Clegg.