At this time of year the rural areas of the island are where we either escape to, to cook and enjoy our famous souvla, or where we go for the weekend to be part of a festival.
Festivals used to be all about the food, local traditions and culture, but lately – don’t get us wrong, culture and tradition are very much still part of the package – the festivals on offer are geared more towards music, performance and workshops.
The festival coming up in the village of Kato Drys in Larnaca, has all to do with the moon and the music that a number of singers and bands will perform while under it.
The three-day Fengaros Festival will take over three stages and host more than 30 acts. According to the organisers, “this year’s line-up surpasses all previous editions since it will include even bigger names from the international music scene.”
But it is not all about the big names from abroad, the festival will also host local bands and DJ sets, who may also leave you star-struck, as they are big on the island.
Highlights from the festival are Echo Wants Her Voice Back (a group of musicians led by London-based Cypriot singer/songwriter Eleni Skarpari), the local band Rumba Attack, Pavlos Pavlidis and B-Movies, Harris Lambrakis Quartet, Boom Pam from Israel, and Joss Stone.
Echo Wants Her Voice back really never rests and if you follow them on facebook you will see why. After the launch of their first album Heart of Stone, they have really taken off, so grab Skarpari and her musical partners while you can.
The local band Rumba Attack will be giving the festival that Latin kind of feel when they perform their original instrumental material and selected covers, all in their Spanish flamenco style. But don’t be surprised if you get a kind of jazzy vibe from the three-member band, they have also been known to do some strumming and tapping in a jazzier kind of style.
Greek singer-songwriter Pavlos Pavlidis and his band will be providing a Greek festive mood, with songs by Pavlidis. Pavlidis was part of one of the most popular bands in Greece in the 90s – Xylina Spathia. After the split the singer formed the band B-Movies and together they have released four albums. This musician has truly experimented with music and is always on the look-out for new ways to evolve his sound.
Also coming all the way from Greece will be the Harris Lambrakis quartet. The quartet began playing together in 2006 in various venues in Athens. The band, that has released two studio-albums and is getting ready to bring out the third, find inspiration in jazz, Greek music, and eastern Mediterranean music. The four musicians could carry you away on their musical notes to an ancient land or a modern city – depending on the tune.
Boom Pam is a rock band from Tel Aviv, who play a mixture of Mediterranean, Balkan and Greek rock music. The quartet has released five albums and have made it big in Japan – no doubt they will also make it big in Kato Drys.
The UK will be represented at the festival by singer, songwriter and actress Joss Stone. Stone started her musical career with the release of her multi-platinum album The Soul Sessions. Since then she has become the youngest British female singer to top the UK albums charts and her third album Introducing Joss Stone became the second-ever highest debut for a British female solo artist on the Billboard 200.
The line-up of acts goes on and on, so for a full list and to know when and where each one will be performing, visit https://www.facebook.com/Fengaros/?fref=ts.
Fengaros Festival 2016
Three-day music festival. July 29-31. Kato Drys, Larnaca. All day event. €40/30/23/17. Tel: 70-007610
