Adventures in the Ribatejo, Portugal
Life in the heart of the Portuguese bull region - thirty minutes north east of Lisbon
Dia da Liberdad
Two years ago we were honoured to be invited to play a concert in Samora Correia at the 25th Abril celebrations, a hugely significant event in Portugal as it celebrates the Carnation Revolution or in Portuguese, Dia da Liberdad.
This year we enjoyed the 50th anniversary party as guests and I can tell you now, Portuguese of all ages need little excuse to drink, eat and rock out together as a community.
25th Abril was a military coup by military officers that overthrew the authoritarian Estado Novo government on 25 April 1974 in Lisbon, producing major social, economic, territorial, demographic, and political changes in Portugal and its overseas colonies through the Processo Revolucionário Em Curso. It resulted in the Portuguese transition to democracy and the end of the Portuguese Colonial War.
The Carnation Revolution got its name from the fact that almost no shots were fired and from restaurant worker Celeste Caeiro offering carnations to the soldiers when the population took to the streets to celebrate the end of the dictatorship, with other demonstrators following suit and carnations placed in the muzzles of guns and on the soldiers' uniforms.
The cook-off
Simon loves to cook and is always keen to learn new recipes and create authentic cultural dishes with a twist (usually adding a healthy dose of hot chillies when appropriate). A few months ago we featured an article where our great friend Luis Cruz showed us a few different ways to cook Bacalhau (salted cod). Legend has it there are over a thousand Portuguese recipes for this esteemed fish.
We hadn’t seen our great friend and Luis’ son Tiago for four months as he had been out of the country working in Dubai so we decided now that he was back it was time for the family Cruz cook-off.
There’s one thing about Portugal - the fish counters are brimming with delicious fresh fish at sensible prices.
Here are a few photographs from the day which ended up in a jam session - a perfect end to a great day with great friends.
Bulls
Samora Correia is known as the heart of the Ribatejo and in turn the the heart of the bull. At least twice a year there are festivals which bring the community together in a spirit of celebration.
People share food and drink and a few times a day the bulls are free to run the streets. There is no bloodshed - well not in terms of hurting the bulls with any sharp implements but that is not always the case for the people who get gored because they aren’t quick enough to get out of the way.
As you can see from the poster below, the bulls are treated like superstars. It’s a sensitive cultural tradition that we respect but do not celebrate. And some people say the bulls can either run the streets for a few extra years or end up on your plate.
Watch this short video below to get a feel of the atmosphere late at night in Samora Correia. The square had been full of tables and people eating together and they were just starting to clear everything away ready for the midnight run of the bulls through the streets.
Music
We have been really busy working on our music and as session musicians with other artists.
There was a slight hiccup when the power supply for ‘Betty’ our CADAC analogue recording console stopped working but with the help of our friend Don Larking, everything is up and running again.
We have been working on new sounds and techniques for our next album and have also celebrated the return of our monthly live streams on the first Wednesday of every month. Put this date in your diary - Wednesday 3rd July and hope you can join us for an hour of live music at 2000 BST / 1200PT.
Tickets are £5 each/per household and we are streaming via Bandcamp - the website for independent artists. Just think of Radiohead, The Black Keys and Peter Gabriel - they all release their music via the site as it respects artists by paying them properly and not taking morally corrupt levels of commission on product sales.
If you cannot make the exact time, all tickets allow you to watch the concert for 48 hours after the event. Drop us an email and we’ll give you a shout-out.
We’ve also introduced a Question Time feature during the show - if you want to ask us a question about the songs, gear or life in general, drop us an email and we’ll read it out and answer as best we can.
The last question was ‘Why isn’t your third studio album STARLITE.ONE a Blues album? which was a really good one - as artists we are always curious and exploring new sounds and stories.
10th Wedding Anniversary
On May 12th we had been married ten years. What a roller-coaster of a ride and long may it continue… we’ve only just begun.
Introducing Françoise & Edith
And last but not least, this is the month when we welcomed two new Labrador Retriever puppies into the Starlite-Campbell household - sisters Françoise and Edith aka the squeakers.
Our longtime companions Hummock (13) and Bobby (11) are advancing in years so we thought they needed some puppy-power energy to keep their spirits young and troublesome.
It has been one of the best decisions - we have never seen two hounds so connected, they are incredibly intelligent and ever so loving!! A home with four hairy beasts - sounds a bonkers idea but it’s perfect!! Pure deep unconditional love and joy!!!
