- Saturday 5 July
An explosive mix of powerful brass riffs, Afro-jazz motifs, cumbia rhythms, samba culture and antifascist activism await when the phenomenon A Espetacular Charanga do França (often shortened to Charanga do França) brings their energy from the streets of São Paulo to Roskilde Festival.
The large ensemble is led by saxophonist Thiago França, one of Brazil's most exciting progressive musicians who has played with the likes of Elza Soares, Céu and Lucas Santtana. He is best known for his band Metá Metá, which has previously visited Roskilde Festival with its electrifying blend of jazz, psych, samba and Afrobeat.
The eclectic signature of Metá Metá is also present in Charanga do França, which delves even deeper into São Paulo's samba culture, whose ecstatic collective dance and music becomes a source of resistance and political protest for the band. In 2020, they participated in São Paulo's Carnival in a bloco—a massive street party—that they declared an anti-fascist zone, with over 60 brass players and 30 percussionists.
The ensemble will be a little smaller at Roskilde Festival - nevertheless, they are ready to take over the festival with their vital energy, uplifting spirit of resistance and a solid shot of samba power with lots of horns and percussion. Look forward to experiencing this special phenomenon—both with a regular festival concert and a pop-up bloco on the festival site, where the ensemble brings the true samba atmosphere right out to the audience.
