The band was formed in June 2010 and have since acted in the Euskal Herria scenarios on 18 occasions. That year it was held in Alegia Musikaz Blai! On the occasion of the festival, in the 1990s, the party leaders invited the group Ziklx Garaialde, who stirred up the village, to meet again and act live. The group yes, but they would like to do the concert with more people. In the town there were guitarists, bassists and drums, three young musicians gave them the yes and that was when the innovative idea emerged.

They wanted to do something special and encourage the participation of the citizens, so each person who wanted to sing a song occurred to them in the concert with Ziklx Garaialde. There were eight people who volunteered as singers, and they've been slowly cheering people in the village, and today there are more than 30 singers who travel on weekends in buses and vans. The coralists are the only ones who are based on all the performances.

“I was at the 25th anniversary concert of the town’s Gaztetxe and I was surprised. I thought, what a envy! I will also cheer, listen!” says Zuhaitz Iglesias, a member of the group since the anniversary. The Julen Goikoetxea battery has made sure that's what surprised you the most, that people get so easily animated. They say it's packed in two days after you put the list in the bar. “After all, encouraging one encourages another, and so many neighbors have come together, the ball has swelled right away.” It is also surprising that the age range of age groups between 18 and 48 years old has strengthened the relationship between citizens. “As a result, the age group of people attending concerts as a public is also very wide. Our children also get closer, and soon the grandchildren,” explains Txarli Gesteira.

Promoting public participation

They approach the people they're going to play in the afternoon, so they create a kind of link between the people and the group members, and knowing how the concert is going to be, they care about the people. “I think we wouldn’t do this just to go to the villages, to sing and to come back. Above all, we do so because of the relationship that emerges before and after,” explains Amaia Goikoetxea, one of the singers.

Normally when they go to the villages people respond very well, on the street they find out that 30 people go from Alegia and go to see it, even if it's out of curiosity. They and the public do so in order to have a good time, “so quality is not usually impressive, but we all have the opportunity to have a good time, for us it is the most important thing,” says Julen Goikoetxea. In addition, they encourage people in the public to participate and the answer is good. “It’s usually a party, it’s a concert and it’s music, yes, but above all it’s a party,” added Gesteira. In the last concerts, on stage, they put a list of songs that look at people to tell them in advance what songs they're going to play and encourage them to stay in the songs they like.

They have also jumped onto the Internet to strengthen ties, creating the blog wwww.manillar.es. They also have a Twitter account www.twitter.com/Manillares, that has led them to focus on the importance of social networks in recent years.

Essays are also an excuse for the party

The participants of Manillares have very special tests. Until December each has to learn their own song, so they do long sessions, spend about six hours a week to determine the basic things. From there, as each singer will sing the same song all year round, they stay the week before the concert to give the final touches to the songs. In the essays they also have a public; they meet at the Casa de Cultura de Alegia and the neighbours get closer at once when they hear the sound. The members of the group have highlighted that they are greatly encouraged by people’s applause.

They do believe that they need to encourage young people, as all of them are over 18 years old, and they would like to see some 16 years old come together. “If this continues like this, everything can happen,” says the battery. To explain it, it is inspired by the development that the band has had, the 18 that have come after that one concert they expected, and that the eight that signed up to the beginning now add up to 30.