The opening was inspired. Lights flashed on and off, Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Two Tribes played, and La Linea festival director Andy Wood came on stage like a boxing promoter, asking, "Are we ready to rumble?" The idea of a battle between bands may be nothing new, but this lineup was certainly original. Stage left was reserved for one of the leading exponents of Mexico's Banda brass band movement; facing them were Serbian celebrities from the Balkan gypsy brass scene. The idea was that they should play head to head to see who could blow up the biggest storm.

The Mexicans went first, with the 17 members of Banda Estrellas de Sinaloa de Gérman Lizárraga coming on in matching uniforms brandishing a tuba, trumpets and trombones, their celebrated veteran leader joining the four-piece clarinet section. Lizarraga has had a remarkable 60-year career, first taking over his father's legendary Banda Del Recodo before starting this group, providing brass arrangements for a wide variety of styles. He was clearly here to party, nodding in approval as his two singers hurtled into the first song.

The Serbian band, the 10-piece Boban & Marko Markovic Orkestar, was led by a father and son who are both inspired trumpeters and sturdy vocalists. While the Mexicans concentrated on energy and songs, switching from rapid-fire ballads to the Latin pop of Mambo Tequila, the Serbs provided more stylish and varied instrumental work, veering at times towards jazz but throwing in a rousing Hava Nagila and a burst of James Brown. The formula was getting a little tired after six rounds, as the bands paraded on and off, but the energy level never flagged. There was no winner, of course. They merely shook hands and performed together for a thunderous massed brass finale.