Mojácar Council, the Provincial Council and Crash Music successfully staged an event that brought together more than 1,500 spectators to enjoy the experience
If Mojácar already had more than proven merits in being a quality tourist destination, now it is even more so in the autumn season thanks to the launch of ‘Mojácar 5 Estrellas’. A multidisciplinary event that combines a varied and top-level musical selection with live cooking by some of the best chefs in all Spain.
With preliminary activities on Friday and with most of the programme taking place on Saturday evening at Macenas Mediterranean Resort, ‘Mojácar 5 Estrellas’ was launched in style thanks to this initiative led by Mojácar Council together with the Provincial Council and the Almeria-based production company Crash Music, with the sponsorship of Estrella de Levante, Restaurante Arcilla/Grupo Kontiki and Playa Macenas Resort and the collaboration of Luxeapers and Stellantis and You.
The combination of the best chefs’ cuisine with a carefully chosen musical proposal to enhance the multi-sensory experience of both disciplines is the secret of the recipe for this event that was created with the aim of becoming a cultural and gastronomic benchmark for autumn and which attracted more than 1,500 people for its first edition.
On Saturday, on the gastronomic side, there was Javier Torres, from Cocina Hermanos Torres, an establishment distinguished with three Michelin Stars, Damián González from Restaurante Arcilla, Kontiki group and Euro-Toques España, Dani Muñoz from Restaurante Travieso in Almería, holder of a Michelin Star mention and Taberna Volapié, with Dani García and all his Andalucian gastronomy of dishes with flavour, tradition and feeling.
Javier Torres and his team delighted those who went along with four proposals: Grandma Catalina Canelloni; Chicken and aromatic herbs ssam; Tuna croquette; and Bao with honeyed veal and “pico de gallo” sauce. In the case of Damián González, the dishes were: Friesian cow meatballs stewed in “pepitoria” ragout; Nem of mussels with pickled young cockerel and herbs from our kitchen garden; Bikini of Galician cow pastrami, Comté cheese and sweet bite pepper from Almería roasted over a wood fire; and, finally, crispy country squid with Buddha’s hand citrus cream and kaffir lime.
In the case of Dani Muñoz from Travieso, you could try: Brioche bite of toasted pork jowl with pickled cucumber and lime emulsion; Sea urchin salad with miso mayonnaise foam; Tomato tartar with smoked pancetta, coconut white gazpacho and Almería shrimp; and Cockerel tempura with vegetable mint and black olive tabbouleh.
Finally, Volapié offered a fine selection of cheeses, ham, oxtail burger with payoyo cheese and, for dessert, cheesecake and chocolate explosion with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup.
Music in a state of grace
On the musical side, Vinila Von Bismark DJ’s set started at five in the afternoon. Vinila is a multifaceted artist, known for her work as a singer, actress, DJ and burlesque performer. She stands out for her unique style, which fuses influences from cabaret, rock, roots music and the vintage aesthetic. Her elegant style and musical selection at events as diverse as international fashion catwalks, music festivals or clubs throughout Spain were enjoyed in the first hours of the event.
The singer and composer María Yfeu took up the baton with her broad style, covering references ranging from pop to jazz, passing through Brazilian music and her own song. Showing off an eclecticism without constraints or restrictions, María did not miss out her well-known “Grudges”, nor any of her singles released throughout this year such as “Nunca Pierdas Nada”, “Dhetln” or “C/Viejos” or the intense “Me Vio Llorar” and “Nada Es Para Siempre”. Her influences and recognised references such as Billie Holiday and Amy Winehouse were in the air, as well as, on the more intimate side, Aute or Caetano Veloso, closing with “Suerte” and “Dime Que No”.
In a progressive ascent through distortion and intensity of sound, Funambulista demonstrated why he is one of the most prestigious and sought-after national pop songwriters. His songs, brilliant and overflowing with emotions, have the small things as the main themes, which now, in these times, are once again the focus. With that modest attitude that suits his songs so well, Funambulista won over the audience with his smile and the strength of songs like “Bienvenido”, “Viento a Favor” and “Bendita Mi Suerte”, which opened a performance that included “La Vida De Antes”, “Hasta Que Amaneciera” and “Superpoderes”, leaving “Me Gusta La Vida” or “Quiero Que Vuelvas” for the end of the party. A dynamic and energising concert.
With a nearly two-decade-long career, Sidecars are one of the best champions of accessible rock in Spanish. Their trajectory is marked by talent, effort and sweat in equal parts, having gone from playing in small clubs to filling large halls, dominating theatres and being seen at packed festivals. All this based on a rock and roll which easily brings to mind Los Ronaldos and Los Rodríguez or Tom Petty or the inevitable Rolling Stones, whom they pay respect to in that “Caballos Salvajes”, paraphrasing the “Wild Horses”.
Sidecars presented some of those most recent songs from their latest LP (“Trece”), such as “El Pasaje Del Terror” and “180 Grados”, which now beat normally, on the same level, with the hymns that have forged an indisputable charisma that attracts increasingly more followers, which are the ones which had the evening’s lead role. Among them, the always early “La Tormenta”, with which they opened together with “De Película”, “Tu Mejor Pesadilla” and “Los Amantes”, or the last “Contra Las Cuerdas”, “Fan De Ti”, “Mundo Imperfecto” and “Amasijo De Huesos”, which left the joy in full swing for a close which lived up to expectations.
It should be remembered that both Mojácar Council and the organisation activated an extension of Mojácar urban bus lines 1 and 3 that was operational until the end of the festival for the comfort of those going along and to reduce the impact of the use of private cars.
