Around 1,800 people filled the Recinte Firal in Es Mercadal on Saturday evening for a concert by the town’s municipal band paying tribute to the musical tradition of Menorca, combining classic songs with the island’s newer artists.
Joana Pons opens
The evening began with Joana Pons, the singer from Alaior, who has been one of the voices of Menorcan popular music since the late 1980s, when she formed a trio with Toni Sintes and Xavi Camps. Accompanied by the band under the direction of Litus Arguimbau, she sang two much-loved songs, “Xoroi” and “Na nena”.
Leonmanso and Cris Juanico
Singer-songwriter Leonmanso followed with two of his reflective songs, before Cris Juanico, frontman of the 1990s band Ja T’ho Diré — one of the leading names of the Catalan-language rock scene of that decade — brought back some of the band’s best-known songs, including “Com un infant”.
The new generation
The band then shared the stage with several newer Menorcan groups:
- Juice and Soups;
- Xafogor, whose set included the lively “Fornells”;
- Ses Bísties de Mongofra.
Rooster Hair
One of the highlights came from Rooster Hair, a band whose popularity has grown beyond Menorca to the rest of the Balearics and Catalonia. Their set drew enthusiastic applause from a crowd with many young people.
A shared finale
To close the night, all the artists came together on stage for a joint performance of one of the emblematic songs of Menorcan popular music, sending the audience home on a high.
Young musicians first
Two hours before the main concert, groups from local music schools — Ashes from Ciutadella and The Frisseres from Es Mercadal — warmed up the stage, giving young musicians the chance to perform in front of a large audience.
Bridging generations
Concerts like this one show the role that municipal bands play in Menorca’s cultural life: not just as a link with tradition, but as a meeting point between generations. By sharing the stage with established figures and newcomers alike, the Banda des Mercadal offered a portrait of an island music scene that respects its past while continuing to evolve — and much of it sung in Menorquí.
