The Third Planet + Novalia
LIVE Volxsfest / 20.-21.07.02, Prati Talvera, BZ

20.07.02: Taraf da Metropulitana, Arbe Garbe, The Third Planet; 21.07.02: Cantina Root Sound System, Moonshiners, Novalia. The turnout was excellent as always (3000 people on Saturday, 1500 on Sunday - with free entry), always faithful to this classic summer event in Bolzano: The Volxsfesta of Radio Tandem is an event meant to be a sort of bridge between different cultures and each year aims to offer folk music that is up to date with the times.

In this sense, the performance of The Third Planet was excellent, a group that understands music as a means of communication between different cultures. The members of the group come from India, the Middle East, and Europe: you expect old-style world music, yet their “ethnic” textures rely on a rhythm section that, beyond bass and drums, involves electronics, so much so that at times you might imagine spotting Alex Patterson on stage: you wouldn't expect it, yet The Third Planet are middle-aged gentlemen who know how to capture the sounds of the moment and make the audience resonate. Rating 4/5.

After a decade of “combat folk” in the style of Modena City Ramblers, just to mention one of the most renowned bands, I think the genre has exhausted its driving force. Nonetheless, the Friulians Arbe Garbe put in their best effort, offering a folk-punk that retrieves and rearranges the ballads of the Karst region. Rating 3/5.

Taraf da Metropolitana, on the other hand, is a Romanian band. Gypsies whose talent was “discovered” in the subway cars of Rome. They offered pieces of Ukrainian and Bulgarian folk tradition. Listening to them reminded me of the album of Ukrainian folk songs by the Wedding Present. Rating 3/5

The performance by Novalia, headliners on Sunday, July 21st, was excellent, as after 17 years of career, they still manage (perhaps now more than ever) to enthrall the audience. A substantial performance (rating 5/5) that retraces the long career of the group from Rieti. It should be added, however, that their show followed that of the Moonshiners from Arco (TN), who offered an Irish folk that has been heard over and over again. A show without personality for a band that, in my opinion, finds its ideal place in pubs rather than on a festival stage. Rating 1/5.

Good and lively, however, was the show by Cantina Root Sound System, one of the few reggae bands from Bolzano. Young, fun, and with good potential. Rating 3/5.