La MariLast year: Rod Stewart in Zaragoza, April: Mark Knopfler in Madrid, last night: Chambao in Beniel. Who in where? It all started with the Andalucian Tourist Agency advertisements on Spanish television - Andalucia te quiere (wants you). The ads really do entice you to visit Andalucia with aerial shots of fantastic beaches and luscious green golf courses but what made them for me was the backing music.

This haunting powerful singer with fantastic percussion made me watch TV just to see or rather hear the ad. Check it out below and you’ll see what I mean:

I was intrigueEl Corte Inglésd about the music and my curiosity was resolved in El Corte Inglés (a Spanish version of Harrods) in their new Elche store - which by the way is worth visiting just for the architecture. I was strolling through the music department when the smart assistant asked me if I needed any help. So I thought I would put him to the test and quiz him about the famous TV ad. “Yes” he replied immediately, “the music is by Chambao”. Then he promptly sold me a double CD with a DVD in a set for 27€. I cut the shopping trip short just so as to get back to the car and play the CDs at full blast.

Chambao, Caminando 2001 - 2006Then last Thursday I received an email from Tick Tack Ticket (who sell tickets for all sorts of events) and I spotted a Chambao gig in Beniel, Murcia. Having never heard of the place I checked the map and was delighted to see it was only a few kilometres from Orihuela, which is just up the road from us.

Knowing we were having more family (see last week’s blog) arriving, I phoned them and they Chambao Live in Concertobtained the tickets in Madrid for amazing 10 euros each. Now when you consider a friend of mine paid 120 pounds to see a Chambao performance at the Albert Hall London you will understand that at 10 euros we had a bargain.

So last night we found Beniel and the gig was great - it was outdoors in the grounds of a college. As is the tradition here it started at 11pm, and for 2+ hours we were mesmerised by the band - 3 guitars, keyboards, percussion, wind instruments and special effects. And of course `La Mari´- the lead vocal and heart of Chambao. The music is a mixture of powerful vocals, incredible guitar playing plus solos on percussions and wind - notably the sax.

So now you know Chambao - for more just see www.chambao.es

Rob Innis

Rob Innis is a freelance writer and partner in the property consultancy Best Choice Villas. He moved to Spain in 2000 looking for a different life in the new millennium and found it on the Costa Blanca. For more about him visit his own website.