Friday 31st of May, with the sun shining on the 40,000 passionate music enthusiasts, gathered in Monte de Gozo in Santiago de Compostela to celebrate a fantastic list of live music at O Son do Camiño 2024, the excitement was palpable.
Crowds were brimming with anticipation to see their favourite artists. The line up of the day included La oreja de Van Gogh, Judeline, Love of Lesbian, Recycled J, Natos and Waor, Marlia Monzon, Mondulious Dop, Myke Towers and the legendary Pet Shop Boys. A collection to suit the palate of all ages, from young to old. The grounds were an image of swarming colour and impatience. Two enormous stages set up at the lower end, with a Noria on the top of the hill, decorated bars serving the thirsty and a distant flow of booming beats from the Electronic Musica Tent, featuring Solardo, Ben Hemsley, Viviana Casanova, Cristina Tosio, Tony Varga and Richi Risco.
On arrival Recycled J could be heard finishing up his act to loud applause and rowdy fans cheering.
Judeline was the next performance up on the Estrella Galicia stage, with folk-urban lyrics and youthful voice from Cadiz. The mix of Flamenco, versus electronic reminded me of Rosalía. The wind was an accomplice in every act, mischievously lifting Judeline’s skirt and tampering with the technical side of production.
Energy and an air of reminiscence echoed throughout the welcoming La oreja de Van Gogh, to an enormous welcome. They played loudly but Amaya could only just be heard over everyone in the audience singing along to the words, not limited by age or genre, rocking the crowd.
A much awaited Love of Lesbian received a huge cheer and wasted no time kicking off with their known favourites. Santiago seemed like a familiar presence, delighting fans with animated repertoires, giving a surprise kiss to his lead guitarist and emitting a grand connection with his band members and the excited onlookers.
Myke Towers, all the way from Porto Rico, bounced the audience and wooed the females as his “queens” repeatedly requesting them to marry him. The mix of reggaeton and Latin rap took off with one surprise act. A young boy was invited on stage to sing along with his idol, marking an unforgettable moment in his life, without a doubt. Flame blasts, and fireworks burst out of the floor accompanying the beats.
With the sun lowering and the wind whipping up clouds of dust in a wild and chilly hurricane, shadows folded on the enclosure. Temperatures dropped in the still await of the British Pop Duo and the most potent performance of the evening, the Pet Shop Boys. The stage was transformed into an epic show off lights, panels and optical illusions as the protagonists came forward in futuristic chrome masks. Entertaining with every element of surprise, and several wardrobe changes, we were transcended into a world of dreams. Whilst performing the best of their classics: West End Girls, Rent, It’s a sin, Heart and Go West, and the revamped versions of Where the streets have no name and You are always on my mind, they also incorporated two new hits from their latest album Nonetheless, released last month. It’s easy to say that FOURTY YEARS after their first tune was released, they continue to be masters of sound, anaphors, lyrical art and showmanship, as always, reflecting the charisma of Neil Tennent and the broody shades of Chris Lowe. It is as though time stood still.
Icona Pop closed the festival’s second night, with the girls from Sweden at the DJ box, adding live vocals and dancing to keep warm against the freezing gale, up on the mountain of Gozo.
