Not even the rain kept Portuguese rock fans away. The North Festival has already opened

North Festival inaugurated the 5th edition with national music. There were comebacks, surprises and guitars with Jafumega, Workers of the Trade and The Legendary Tigerman. Check out the first impressions here.

A health setback meant that The Legendary Tigerman’s drummer had to be replaced at the last minute. problem solved: the bassist jumped to the drums and Ed Gonçalves, from Best Youth, came to the rescue. But none of that was relevant during the intense hour that the band led by Paulo Furtado was on top of the North Festival stage on Friday night. No one would say that the line-up presented was unprecedented and almost without rehearsals. They didn’t miss a note. And, above all, they haven’t failed at the atmosphere.

It was the most vigorous concert until the entry on stage of the Colombian band Bomba Estéro, which would be followed by the headliners Chemical Brothers.

A Hungry Tigerman

Tigerman promised surprises and news, with “a new format”, as he told JN. That was notorious. And who won was Portuguese rock. With inexhaustible energy, Paulo Furtado’s quartet gave all the rock magnitude to their new and old repertoire. The guitars, these weren’t lacking – and they came sharp.

And, towards the end, the secret kept for this concert was revealed: Catarina Salinas, also from Best Youth, joined Tigerman in a version of Nancy Sinatra’s classic “This boots are made for walking”.

Also on the rise is Tigerman’s new single, released a few weeks ago, “Good girl”, still unknown to most of the public, which at that time was already filling the lively venue, but not even that stopped the excitement.

snorthern accent

The first part of the first night of the North Festival was not just made of premieres, which, despite the rain that came and went, did not keep the fans away. The first few hours were devoted to nostalgia for the rock heyday of the 1970s.

The North Festival opened with a local accent and in the songs there was no lack of references to the city bathed by the Douro river – which borders the festival grounds, next to Alfândega do Porto.

It was Jafumega who gave the Porto public what they promised: a concert full of energy.

It wasn’t the decade of interregnum in Porto that stopped the group from “leaving everything”, as they had promised. “Ribeira”, dedicated to the place where they performed, and “Rústica”, a tribute to colleague Eugénio Barreiros, who died recently, were the highlights.

Jafumega weren’t the only band from the 1970s and 1980s, from Porto, that had a moment of comeback on the North Festival stage. Workers of Commerce also delivered a set full of hits.

In an energetic start, which also included softer themes, the party reached a fever pitch when Workers gave wings to the famous theme “Call the police”, with the public denoting a contagious receptiveness. There was still room for the debut of the new single, “Objeto”, which, although not “on the tip of the tongue” of the spectators, captivated by its lively and glittering beat.

Saturday shines Ivete Sangalo

The big star of this Saturday’s poster is Ivete Sangalo, who has not played in Porto for 12 years. But there is more Brazilian culture: Gustavo Mioto and Ana Castela, country idols, will also “raise dust”. The day opens with Nininho Vaz Maia. On Sunday, it is already known, there is a planetary star: Robbie Williams. Before the British crooner are Tiago Nacarato, The Black Mamba and Pedro Abrunhosa.

After the headliners, the party will continue on the indoor clubbing stage, in the sheltered area of ​​Alfândega do Porto, dedicated to electronics, and which will take the music to stretch into the early morning.