indie

'Per la bona gent' is the Barcelona band's fifth album, featuring new incursions into electronic and urban music

The 15^th edition of Barcelona’s music festival giant, Primavera Sound, has opened its doors, a long-awaited moment for indie and pop fans in the Catalan capital. Since its opening, Primavera Sound has established itself as a global point of reference in Southern Europe, with 200 artists to perform at this year’s festival on eight different stages. Some of the names performing at the festival this time out are Radiohead, PJ Harvey and the recently reformed American rock band LCD Soundsystem, along with Suede, Tame Impala, Sigur Rós and former Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson. The festival opens on Thursday but gave fans a preview on Wednesday, with its signature free night, which attendees enjoyed at Barcelona’s seaside venue Forum Park. The organisers of the festival predict some 190,000 attendees this year and half of them will come from outside Spain. 

The full line up for Primavera Sound’s 2016 edition was announced this Thursday through an animated film on YouTube, which was followed online by thousands of fans worldwide. Besides Radiohead, PJ Harvey, and the recently reformed American rock band LCD Soundsystem, Suede, Animal Collective, Sigur Rós, Beirut and former beach boy Brian Wilson will also perform at the festival, which is considered one of the most important in the independent music industry. Last year, more than 190,000 people attended the festival, which takes place over 8 different stages inside Barcelona’s Forum Park, right along the seafront. Primavera Sound 2016 will be held from the 2^nd to the 4^th of June and tickets for all three days will range from 175 to 195 euros.

In 15 years, Primavera Sound has established itself as the most international musical festival in Southern Europe and a global point of reference in the realm of urban music events, particularly among indie and pop fans. With more than 190,000 festival-goers expected this year, the core of the show takes place in Barcelona's Fòrum Park - an enormous setup by the sea - from Thursday the 28^th to Saturday the 30^th of May. During this 3-day-session, a total of 193 concerts will be held, with international artists performing non-stop from the afternoon (around 5 p.m.) until the next morning. The 2015 line-up looks once again to be pretty spectacular: The Black Keys, Interpol, The Replacements, alt-J, Underworld, Damien Rice, Belle & Sebastian, The Strokes, Patti Smith, Tori Amos, Antony and the Johnsons, Ride, Caribou and many (many) others will be playing on the 8 main stages of the festival. 49 concerts can be followed in high definition streaming on both the web and via the festival’s official app.

The 2014 Primavera Sound Festival, taking place from the 28^th to the 31^st May in the Catalan capital, is offering more concerts in its largest-ever space with a capacity for 60,000 people per day. Most of the 348 concerts will be on stages distributed throughout the Forum Park, next to the sea and Sant Adrià del Besos' marina. Other artists are programmed in concert halls such as the Sala Apolo or Barts. Headliners this year include Arcade Fire, Queens of the Stone Age, Mogway and Caetano Veloso, among many other international artists. Furthermore, top Catalan bands such as Mishima will also be playing.

The National, Queens of the Stone Age, Mogway, Television, Nine Inch Nails, Kendrick Lamar, Caetano Veloso, Saint Vincent, and Laurent Garnier are amongst the most outstanding artists to have joined the line-up of the 2014 Primavera Sound Festival. Until now, the Pixies, Arcade Fire, and Neutral Milk Hotel had been the only major announcements for the festival’s next edition, which will be held from the 29^th to the 31^st of May in Barcelona’s Forum. A few Catalan musicians will join these famous international bands, for instance Mishima, Standstill, Joana Serrat, Sílvia Pérez Cruz and Raúl Fernández.

The Catalan band Delafé y Las Flores Azules is one of the most unclassifiable groups in Spain. Their style is a mix of hip-hop, pop, indie and rock, and their concerts are an exhibition of movement, music and colour. After ten years on the stage Delafé y las Flores Azules release their fourth album, “De Ti Sin Mí/De Mí sin Ti” (You Without Me/Me Without You). The disc has two CD’s in which the band performs the same songs in two different melodies. Compared to their latest albums, this record is a more melancholic, nostalgic and less electronic product.

The British band met all expectations as headliner of the festival with a macro-concert crammed full of well-known hits. The younger sister of Beyoncé, Solange, the post-dubstep king James Blake and the eclectic quartet Django Django were also the main acts of a very intense night.

The independent music event held in Barcelona occupies 20,000 square metres, has a budget increase of 7% (reaching 7.5 million euros) and an estimated public of 150,000 only on its main stage, the Parc del Fòrum. Nick Cave, Animal Collective, Blur or My Bloody Valentine are just some of the leading indie figures to play in the Catalan capital between the 22nd and the 26th of May.

Pau Debon, the singer of the band, tells CNA the evolution of the group and how they got here. From Majorca to Catalonia, and later to Galicia and the Basque Country, Catalan-speaking Antònia Font has broken its two-year silence with a new album ‘Vostè és aquí’ (Here you are) and a tour throughout Spain. With a new distinguished style escaping from the stereotyped three minutes and ten-song album, they have experimented with new formats and sounds. Debon assures that after sixteen years together and nine albums, now he would like to play in festivals throughout Europe.

The music festival will celebrate its 13th anniversary with an impressive lineup and the participation of a long-list of prestigious artists. The Primavera Sound Music Festival, which takes place every year in late May in the city of Barcelona, is considered to be one of the best international music events in Southern Europe. It is also one of Barcelona’s musical highlights, along with the Sonar festival in June. This year’s Primavera Sound edition presented what is said to be the best list of participating artists since the beginning of the festival. Indie, rock and electronic music will be the mainstays of the festival.

Vinicio Capossela, Johny Winter, La Casa Azul, Quique González and Ron Sexsmith are some of the artists that are playing in the festival. The Catalan-speaking indie pop band Antònia Font will kick off the 24th edition of the Guitar Festival BCN on the 20th of February.

Skye Edwards, the lead singer from the British band Morcheeba will be performing tracks from her new solo album at the Figueres Acústica Festival in northern Catalonia. The festival, as part of an initiative to internationalise the event, is also organising a week long holiday for the singer and her family. Edwards will perform her new material at the festival this Saturday and will also talk about her experiences in Catalonia on social media websites.