This Summer the 49th Montreux Jazz Festival, which takes place from the 3rd to the 18th of July,  is sunny and really hot, and not under pouring rain like last year, but I hope I haven’t talked too soon… Montreux Jazz Festival is an eclectic and renowned festival which takes place every year by the lake in Montreux. With three paying venues, Auditorium Stravinsky, Montreux Jazz Lab and Montreux Jazz Club the choice of concert to attend is pretty high. Lots of international stars are invited and this years’ programme is simply fantastic with artists of the like of Paolo Nutini, Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett, The Chemical Brothers,… But of course since it’s a jazz festival there is also space for jazz! And last but not least there are many cool free concerts every night!

8:30pm-9:15pm

Ibeyi

The two Franco-Cuban twins of Ibeyi (which means “twins” in Yoruba), Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Naomi Diaz do not look completely alike but their talent is definitely comparable! Their black voices are magnificent and enchant the audience throughout the entire concert. Lisa is on the keyboards and Naomi is on the traditional Peruvian/Cuban percussion instruments which give to their music a multi-ethnic and exotic touch. In some of their songs they simultaneously sing in Yoruba (Nigerian language) creating beautiful harmonies! They also play a cover by one of their favourite rappers. A really cool song with deep lyrics, where the refrain says: “Yesterday it’s gone tomorrow is on the way”.

The lead singer Lisa introduces the song “Mama Says” saying it changed their life, this because it is the song which launched them and it is the most well known. It is shaped by beautiful soul sounds and the soft voice caresses the soul.

They are very good with the public making the audience sing and clap along. They also sing some songs in French. Beautiful melodies with many different influences and truly enchanting voices make of this twin duo an unmissable act!

9:50pm-10:35 pm

Oscar and The Wolf

 

The Belgian band Oscar and The Wolf makes the Montreux Jazz Lab dance and jump to its electro pop sound. Topped with the beautiful voice of singer Max Colombie which gives to it a soft turn. With the synths and other electronic sounds the mix is explosive. The audience jumps with the hands in the air following the frontman’s moves.

11:05pm-00:20am

Lilly Wood and The Prick

Lilly Wood and The Prick are a French duo formed by singer Nili Hadida and guitarist Benjamin Cotto, but on tour they are accompanied by four other musicians.

Lilly Wood and The Prick kick off the gig with some cool guitar riffs and drums which unfold towards a slower and more quiet ending. They take the audience through their alternative pop-folk sound with a touch of electro at times. They play newer songs like the great “Long Way Back”, which despite its melancholic refrain creates nice vibes. They have great singalong songs and colourful vibes which are very much appreciated by the audience. Being six on stage allows them to play multiple instruments as well as jungle with backing-vocals. At times their sound is too slow compared to the previous act which was really more electro! However, towards the second half of the concert their rhythm gets livelier.

With their songs they take you in a great journey through their alternative pop. Maracas and synths are mixed creating an interesting combination. Their songs are mostly in English although they sing a few songs in French. When the first notes of “Prayer in C” fill the Montreux Jazz Lab you can hear the audience scream.  Its remixed version by Robin Schulz has been all over the radio and such for quite a while now.

They come back for an encore delighting the public with some more songs from their repertoire, among which some new ones!

This was their first appearance at Montreux Jazz Festival and, as every other artist, they were very excited to be playing at such a renowned festival 🙂

Simona @TakeMe2aConcert