primavera sound

Two days after the 15^th edition of Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona closed its doors with a record 200,000 attendants, half of them international fans, Catalonia is getting ready for a vibrant summer of music festivals, attracting all types of music lovers. In Barcelona and the Costa Brava, both mass and boutique festivals are held. Mass festivals are the big, open air, hipster festivals, such as Sónar Festival, the largest electronic music festival in Europe, and Cruïlla, to name a few. Boutique festivals, on the other hand, focus not only on the music, but also on offering high-quality gastronomy and a classier atmosphere that targets a public with a higher income. In these cases, the venue is sometimes as important as the artists, which may be a castle on the Costa Brava or a cosy stage near the sea. Here is a list of some of most important events from both worlds

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.

Madonna, U2, Bjork and Kate Perry are just some of the international artists that chose Barcelona as their only stop in Spain on their international tours in 2015. During the first half of 2016, Adele and Coldplay's only tour dates in Spain will also be in Barcelona. The Catalan capital is also famous for its festivals, such as Primavera Sound, Sonar, Festival del Mil·leni and the International Jazz Festival, which attract hundreds of thousands of  people from all over the world. This Thursday, a less mass-oriented festival, Guitar BCN, announced its programme and it will also be able to count on international names. Former Oasis leader Noel Gallagher and his band High Flying Birds will be amongst them, as well as the emotional pop-rock of James Bay and the Cuban music ambassadors, Buena Vista Social Club, whom added Barcelona to the list of cities that will be part of their farewell tour. 

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.

On Thursday, Europe’s biggest gay and lesbian event started and will receive an incredible 70,000 attendees from 50 countries around the world. The internationally renowned ‘Circuit Festival’, which is in its 6^th year, lasts between the 8^th and 18^th of August, and presents a wide reaching program of cultural, artistic, sporting and party activities. According to the event organisers, 70% of visitors come from abroad and during the 10 -day event they will spend a total of €100 million in Barcelona. Those attending the festival will stay in the Catalan capital for an average of seven days, and it is estimated that each visitor will spend €250 per day.

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.

The XX performed last week at the Poble Espanyol in Barcelona. The band from London played songs from their hit albums ‘xx’ and ‘Coexist’. Besides their great performance, Barcelona-based producer John Talabot also put on a great show with his first album ‘ƒIN’. Talabot’s music can be labeled as melodious techno, with a dark and creepy atmosphere. The Catalan producer played for less than an hour after which the stage was rebuilt for The XX.

‘Primavera als Bars’ is a pre-festival date of the city with one of its main music events, the Primavera Sound. This free show will bring 22 international and local music bands to fifteen bars, restaurants and hotels around the city of Barcelona. These concerts kicked off on the 24th of April and will finalize on the 18th of May. All these concerts are free and offer the chance to get to know young local artists like Núria Graham or to international bands such as the Americans Purling Hiss.

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.

The 5th edition of the Catalan capital’s music festival ‘Cruïlla Barcelona’ kicked off with Iggy & the Stooges, Nneka, Gogol Bordello, Julieta Venegas, La Pegatina, M.I.A, The Specials, Cypress Hills, 2manydjs, Sharon Jones, Amadou & Mariam, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Gustavo Gordera being some of the 35 artists who will play their music from Friday to Saturday night.

Band such as The Cure, Franz Ferdinand, Wilco, Beirut, Saint Étienne or The XX play in a consolidated music festival with the Mediterranean as a backdrop. The most international music festival in Catalonia came to an end this weekend after three days and nights at the Parc del Fòrum, in front of the Mediterranean sea, as well as in other spots in Barcelona. The Primavera Sound Festival has in fact been active since May 8th with the culmination taking place this weekend when a solid roster of successful bands came to perform in Barcelona.