Cronuts, croissants shaped like donuts (with a hole in the middle and icing), are currently making the news in the United States. This cultural crossbreeding of a French pastry may not be available in Manila yet, but for now, we can get a fusion of French and Manila music. Best of all, it’s free.
Saturday night is when the annual Fête de la Musique will happen. Organized by Alliance Française de Manille, the French Embassy and B-Side Productions, the performances will be spread over one main stage and eight pocket stages with over 10 hours of live music featuring over 100 acts.
From 4 p.m. onwards at the parking lot of A.Venue Mall, the main stage will feature Razorback, Up Dharma Down, SinoSikat, Noli Aurillo, Bayang Barrios, Lady-I, Yolanda Moon and Hidden Nikki, among many others.
French electro-pop sensation The Naïve New Beaters will also perform. Composed of David Boring, Martin Luther BB King, and Eurobelix, the group members’ various backgrounds and influences result in a “savage kind of exotic music with touches of rock, electronica and hip hop.”
The group recently released its second album “La Onda,” featuring an electro-pop-rock-cheerful sound. Manila kicks off its six-city Southeast Asia tour.
Diversity
Fête de la Musique aims to showcase the richness, diversity and broad spectrum of the Filipino music scene.
Independently organized pocket stages, all free admission as well, will be located in nearby establishments for people to freely jump from one venue to another.
Jazz music will be at BayLeaf Lounge in St. Giles Hotel, while blues/soul/ska acts will perform at H&J (formerly Heckle & Jeckle).
Reggae and world acts will be at Café Curieux while indie music will be featured at B-Side.
Rock/pop-rock music will be performed at Saguijo bar; hip-hop music at Society Lounge; Electronica at Buddha Bar; and Latin at Chihuahua.
Fourth year
Fête is part of FrancoPhil, a series of cultural events organized by Alliance Française and the French Embassy, now on its fourth year. “FrancoPhil is a play on the word Francophile, meaning a lover of French culture, and is a celebration of the ties that bind French and Filipino cultures,” says Astrid Renoux, French Embassy cultural attaché.
The music festival comes on the heels of the recently concluded 18th French Film Festival where Filipino filmmaker Adolfo Alix Jr. graced the opening night. Alix’s “Death March” was screened in the Un Certain Regard category of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Other Filipino films featured in this year’s Cannes Film Festival included Lav Diaz’s “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan,” Erik Matti’s “On The Job” in the Director’s Fortnight, and National Artist for Film Lino Brocka’s digitally restored “Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag.”
Filipino actress Angeli Bayani was in two movies screened at Cannes: in “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan” (which received a five-minute standing ovation) and Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen’s “Iloilo,” which won the Camera D’Or for best first feature film.
Fête de la Musique is also part of “Viva Europa,” the European Union delegation to the Philippines’ cultural showcase in the Philippines featuring European art, music, dance, film, languages, food and poetry.
Contact 8957585 or 8576935. Visit alliance.ph or ambafrance-ph.org. Find on Facebook Af-de-Manille or FrenchEmbassyManila.
