Zoufris Maracas

On April 24, 2026, Zoufris Maracas sets down their suitcases at l’Atabal in Biarritz. Born from a desire for French chanson that looks beyond its borders, the band has carved out a free path since its beginnings: richly colored guitars, Latin percussion, rumba and cumbia tunes, wandering melodies. The substance is never far from travel: everyday poetry, social chronicles, ecology, wanderings and reunions. Alter-globalization activists without a flag, committed yet resistant to labels, they retain a simple language that snaps and sticks in the ear.

Often likened to Mano Negra or Les Négresses Vertes, Zoufris Maracas have built, across four albums and more than 700 concerts, a place on the French alternative scene. Word of mouth has carried their refrains, blending danceable rhythms with serious themes, celebrations and disillusions, choirs and rolling guitars. Live, the material opens up: brass, backing vocals and improvisation link the dancefloor to the stories told by the lyrics. In Biarritz, that clear line between the urge to dance and the urge to listen is present again, as is their taste for crossing — from the port to the bar, from the square to the sidewalk — without folklore or posturing.