Pueblos Blancos Music Festival in Jimera de Líbar
Jimera de Líbar is a small town located 26 kilometres from Ronda. This quiet town has fewer than 500 residents, with a growing elderly population, but comes to life on weekends when visitors flock, and the Pueblos Blancos Music Festival only adds to this.
The stage at Estación de Jimera de Líbar had a DIY feel, set up by the acts ahead of the show, with wires trailing and speakers stacked high. It stood in front of train tracks, at the foot of a local bar’s terrace, with a mountainous backdrop and the fading sunset, alongside freight trains passing by as the bands played the night away.
Night one was opened by Slim Jim & The Redeemers. The duo were joined on stage by festival organiser Phil Plata on the drums; the three came together to deliver 30 minutes of smooth, country tunes. They warmed up the crowd with their foot-tapping setlist that told a story to the audience. Their sound was a mix of country and blues with hints of Johnny Cash throughout. ‘Twilight’ was their standout track, delivering a slow rhythmic beat with a southern American twist.
Second to take the stage on night one were the five-piece, all-male group from Belgium, Zinger. Frontman Pieter addressed the crowd in rehearsed Spanish before the band erupted into their high-energy pop songs. Their sound was reminiscent of old-school Owl City, and their live performance struck a likeness to early Panic! at the Disco blended with The Killers, with constant crowd interaction similar to Brendon Urie and Brandon Flowers. Their upbeat tunes had the audience clapping along throughout their set. Their performance was seamless from start to finish, featuring strong and theatrical vocals, an accompanying brass band, and a jazz-like sound. Their lively stage presence prompted the audience to get up and dance.
Joining the Pueblos Blancos line-up, from Madrid, Rober Perdut and his band were the third act on stage. The quartet brought rock and roll to the night with their sound heavily inspired by The Rolling Stones. Their energy was unmatched throughout — it was loud and proud, and Rober’s Mick Jagger-esque moves kept the audience entertained during the entirety of the set. The band delivered the heaviest performance of the night with bold beats on the drums and powerful riffs on the guitar. They performed tunes from their new album “Circunvala”, released in February of this year.
Pueblos Blancos legend Joe King Carrasco returned for the ninth edition, all the way from the States, to perform his Tex-Mex tunes. Joe opened with his hit ‘Baby Let’s Go To Mexico’ and was joined on stage by Leeann Atherton, ahead of her own performance closing the bill. His country Tex-Mex fusion is a fan favourite year in and year out at this small Spanish festival, and Joe returns year after year to entertain the crowds. The audience was bouncing around to the beat of his music, leading Joe to exit the stage and join the crowd on the ground, where he showed off tricks, spinning and balancing his guitar on top of his head. Joe had six band members join him on the stage, performing on the keys, drums, guitar and saxophone, who came from all walks of life across the globe. His sax player, Lila Poucet from Belgium, had only been asked to join Joe three days before the festival began, adding to the spontaneity of it all. Alongside his original music, the band performed classic hits, including a cover of ‘La Bamba’, which led into The Beatles’ ‘Twist and Shout’.
Closing the stage at Jimera de Líbar was vocal powerhouse Leeann Atherton, joined by her son Austin Atherton, all the way from Texas, USA. The pair took turns to perform as well as duetting on tracks. Leeann brought a performance filled with belts that hit every single note, while son Austin delivered true American country tunes on his acoustic guitar, with a likeness to Luke Combs and Zach Bryan. The pair’s voices blended country and blues, accompanied by drums, bass and the saxophone. Leeann’s strong and, at times, raspy voice was reminiscent of Tina Turner with a Shania Twain-like country twist. The mother and son duo wrote a song in Spanish, especially for the ninth edition of Pueblos Blancos Music Festival, titled ‘Lo Siento’, featuring flamenco influences, which fit perfectly in the hills of Andalucia. Despite the group having no sound check before taking to the stage, Austin’s voice was crystal clear, and their turn-taking with the guitar flowed naturally, without disrupting the performance.
The sets ran over, leaving the first night to close at around 3 am. Shows are typically due to end around 1 am, but despite the late ending, neither the crowd’s nor the acts’ energy and enthusiasm wavered.