Great British Music hits Asunción

The last few weeks has seen the ‘Best of British’ music on display in Asunción as never before. Singers Joss Stone, James Blunt and the legendary Robert Plant performed for the first time in Paraguay; as did bands like The Kooks, Kasabian, Alt-J and Bastille. The Asunciónico music festival – a fantastic two-day extravaganza – provided the ideal venue for many of them. Congratulations to the organisers:Fénix Entertainment and G5Pro. Hopefully it can be repeated next year so more Paraguayans have the chance to enjoy Great British Music live.

Joss Stone gave a spellbinding and soulful performance at the Central Bank theatre. She soon had the audience out of their seats singing and dancing. Robert Plant arguably drew the biggest and most enthusiastic crowds at Asunciónico with a powerful medley of eclectic songs stretching across five decades. His virtuoso performance drew tears from young and older fans alike.

All the artists seemed to genuinely enjoy their brief time in Asunción. James Blunt was impressed by how green the city looked; Joss Stone and The Kooks admitted a liking for Paraguay’s national drink, Tereré; and Robert Plant took time out to wander around the lakeside town of Aregua and to pop into the British Embassy for tea, chipa and other Paraguayan bites!

The UK music industry is a world leader, generating over US$3.0 billion of exports in 2013. British artists have had the world’s top-selling album for five of the last six years. In 2012, Adele’s 21 was the global top seller for a second consecutive year. A few facts to show why British Music is Great. Let’s hope we see more of it in Paraguay.