Coming from Spain, Belgium and the United States, the musicians of Malesa made passers-by dance in front of the Polygone of Montpellier

Coming from Spain, Belgium and even the United States, they met in Valencia. This summer, Malesa is crossing the south of France to make his music heard wherever it takes them, notably in Montpellier.

There are six of them and they are well equipped. Installed in front of the entrance to the Polygone shopping center in Montpellier, they play classical and electric guitar, bass, clarinet and all kinds of percussion elements, and travel with microphones, amps and speakers needed to make everything sound as it should. Even a table completes the scene, as if we were in a small living room. Accustomed to seeing musicians in the streets, Montpellier residents were struck by such a less frequent display.

The group is called Malesa and is based in Valencia, Spain, although its members have a wide variety of backgrounds. Víctor, Miguel and Javier are from Valencia, while Alberto comes from Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands. Raoul comes from Belgium and Mike from Pennsylvania, USA. "We all have very different influences, but we managed to make everything fit together",” says Miguel.

Rumbas, good atmosphere and teleworking

They are all part of the same collective at the self-managed social center to which they belong, where they have already played several times. "This is where we grew up and where we compose", says Víctor. “The idea is to shoot the songs to see how they are received by the public before recording them.” Their rumbas to the rhythm of the palmas – flamenco handclaps – and their Spanish lyrics attract curious onlookers who stop to watch, donate a few coins or dance.

“Yesterday we played in Nîmes and everything went very well", assures Alberto, "Pato" (duck in Spanish, editor's note) for friends. “What we love most is the atmosphere we create with our music. We want to share it with as many people as possible.” That's why they decided to hit the road this summer, making their days off coincide. “I brought my computer to telework!”, laughs Víctor.

“We sing to life”

Like their roots, their professions, outside of music, are very diverse: one is a gardener, another a social worker, chemist, sound technician, accountant… What unites the six artists is their love for music. “We sing to life, Miguel explains, joy should not be trampled by anyone.” And this joy can be seen in the smile of complicity that appears on their faces when they start a new song.

For Víctor, Malesa is “the wild grass that grows everywhere”. They have decided to stay a few days in Montpellier, so keep your ears open, you might come across them. But not necessarily on their location this Monday…

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