“Eclecticism and world music”: for its 34th edition, the Thau festival sees things on a grand scale

Tif et Keziah Jones, deux artistes à ne pas rater au festival de Thau. – Élisa Parron et Pénélope Caillet

Avec une programmation 2024 foisonnante, le festival de Thau s’affirme comme l’un des rendez-vous musicaux incontournables de l’été sur le bassin de Thau.

It is in the port of Mèze, its home port, that the Thau festival sets up from July 18 to 21. A 34th edition still placed under the sign of eclecticism and “world music”, which further affirms the event as one of the unmissable summer musical events in the Thau basin.

Western Algeria

And what better way to celebrate this Mediterranean axis, connecting our territory to so many cultural areas, than to invite the rising star of French rap: the Franco-Algerian TIF, whose rsquo;bittersweet universe plunges us into the tortured meanders of what Sayad Abdelmalek called the "double absence". In barely two years, the artist has imposed his style which compiles references to pop culture and his native Algeria, all on instrumentals which give pride of place to oud and derbouka for a result hypnotizing and ultra-addictive, to be discovered next Thursday, July 18.

On Friday July 19, it's time for soul on the port of Mèze. With Blick Bassy first, and his pop-soul with electro accents, which plunges into a dreamlike universe made of tales and fables around the world of water. The artist sings in Bassa, an endangered Central African dialect spoken by the Bantu people, and in Douala. He will be followed by the Belgian Selah Sue and her soul mixed with blues, who was discovered by the general public with her title "Raggamufin" a real summer hit in 2010.

Funky Mèze

"bluefunk", that’s how Keziah Jones decided to name his music. When an artist allows himself to title his own musical genre, it is generally because he weighs relatively heavily. And that’s saying something about the Nigerian guitarist and singer, who has been filling the world with his inimitable style for over thirty years. An anthology poster planned for Saturday July 20, to which we must also add the name of Faada Freddy, gospel prodigy, who, with his voice alone, capsizes the most refractory souls in an ocean organic music.

A festival as committed as ever

With “La fête parfaite”, the Thau festival further highlights its commitment to the ecological transition by inviting people to a participatory party in the form of a DJ set and a “chat” with the public. On Friday, July 19, the Mixeuses solidaires will be taking over the decks. A collective of around ten female DJs from the south of France who have put their music to use in the fight against violence against women. On Saturday July 20th, the artist Fakear will take over for an electro aperitif followed by a discussion about global warming.

Finally, on Sunday June 21st, the guitarist duo that needs no introduction Rodrigo y Gabriella will come to present their latest project, on the borders of folk rock, where analog keyboards, electric guitars and symphonic strings intertwine.

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