Sonorama 2016. The Report: The Best Of... Part Two

The Prologue
The Part One

What about my Assorted Selection? 

Copiloto (Thursday 11th, 19:50, Burgos). For me it was the consistent show, but for the better effect I would like to see some elder songs (such as "Moleskine" or "Marta Y Los Escaparates" from "Un Segundo Luminoso").

The Trunks (Friday 12th, 12:00, Plaza del Trigo). This was amazing, really one of the best shows of this Sonorama! Very loud, very melodic. Rodrigo Valiente is the great showman, and this show was the perfect confirmation of his abilities. Add to that the appearance of 1/2 of Igloo (Beni & JuanMa) onstage for one song, while Berto and Julian were backstage, depicting what was happening there with their mobile phones. One thing about The Trunks I should point out especially - the band sounded live MUCH better than on album. The album ("Bipolar" (p)2015) seemed to me quite overproduced, smoothed down to some kind of the averaged 'rich' alternative rock sound - but live the same songs were the delight to my ears. The songs became really alive.

Papaya (Friday 12th, 15:45, Charco). Yanara Espinoza and her small band were set to perform in the lovely place by the river. We were running as hell from Plaza del Trigo trying to catch her show and quickly found ourselves accompanied by other people that trod the same way. The audience was rather limited but it looked totally devoted. The music was apparently groovier than on the album, it got that vibe that would make you dance to it even if you had no such intention. 

Detergente Liquido (Friday 12th, 18:00, Carson Camping). This cool band didn't manage to gather much people as well, but it's not their fault at all. They were all what I expected from them in the best possible way. 

Amatria (Saturday 13th, 12:00, Plaza del Trigo). Joni started his concert from one of the best tracks of 2015: "Me Falta Algo". In seconds it made all the people on the square go dancing. It was pure fun with all these tracks like "Buhardilla", "El Golpe", "Chinches"... Closer to the final of the latter the members of popular dj duo ElyElla Djs appeared backstage with the pneumocrackers in their hands to make things brighter - and they surely made it as evidenced by the photo below. 

Paciente Cero (Saturday 13th, 19:00, Burgos). This band is hard to market. They play the alternative rock for sure - but their alt-rock has got this twist (some kind of Dredg's quasi-prog twist, I think) that makes them separated from most of the peers. So the passionate music of Paciente Cero hardly can be categorized as commercially viable - but it's ready for the cult following. The songs like "Mentiras", "Llevame" or "Solsticio" could be the hits on the 90's college radio stations - and live they sounded great.

Under the bottomline, I'd like to say the following. The post that I wrote on these bands (the link is above in the header of the section) quickly became the most frequently read post of this blog - this means that it's an interesting topic. To see such bands live is always the most interesting part indeed. Moreover, incidentally finding out the new cool bands is stunning process. It's star-crossed, it's godsend. Please never neglect the opportunity to see something new, and please remember that Sonorama is not about Miss Caffeina and Love Of Lesbian only. The most part of the line up is the bands you might have never been learned about. There's a lot of great stuff amongst them. 

Big Names:

Miss Caffeina (Thursday 11th, 15:00, Plaza del Trigo - concierto secreto). The big names are also important. The first of them appeared before our eyes on the Plaza del Trigo stage. The band played 9 songs including 3 main hits from their 3 longplays: "Capitan" from "Imposibilidad Del Fenomeno", "Hielo T" from "De Polvo Y Flores" and "Mira Como Vuelo" from "Detroit". "Detroit", the last album of Miss Caffeina, more than flirts with electronica - but live the songs sounded more guitar-oriented. For me it was OK.

Love Of Lesbian (Friday 12th, 15:00, Plaza del Trigo - concierto secreto/ Friday 12th, 00:25, Ribera del Duero). The most important thing you should know about Love Of Lesbian - this band got imagination. Their current status allows them to do everything they want. For their concierto secreto appearance they decided to turn themselves into The Cure cover band. It was funny and looked natural for LOL because they're always up to arrange something funny (apart from the cases when they choose more sad and bitter-sweet program to perform). 

For the main stage performance I expected them to be concentrated on songs from their latest LP "El Poeta Halley" but it was rather like '50% Halley/ 50% 1999 & La Noche Eterna...'. There was the huge crowd all around, and for the next 24 hours I thought I knew what band is The Most Important Band Of The Moment. 

After that performance I came to one important understanding: nothing could ever make me to dislike them. Even themselves.

Mucho (Saturday 13th, 19:40, Ribera del Duero). The band recently fronted by Marti Perarnau has oficially turned into 'Marti Perarnau and his friends' band. Does it make them worse? I doubt that, because there's no band in this world can be worsened by addition of Victor Cabezuelo. From my point of view, that show confirmed Mucho's ability to fulfill the later timeslots on the main stage.

Delorean (Saturday 13th, 02:50, Ribera del Duero). It was impossible for us to omit the show of the band most well-known outside Spain. Their sunshine electronica generated the happiness and warmth in our hearts, and what I remember the most is that I was smilling all this hour through standing there on the first line before the Ribera stage. Music's got a hold on me, it's shaking the ground where I am...

The pure bliss.

Cult Favourites:

Nino de Elche (Thursday 11th, 19:40, Ribera del Duero). We missed his performance. We tried to catch at least one last song running from Carson Camping after Clara Plath's set - but we didn't manage to do so. This is my only disappointment from this Sonorama.

Nudozurdo (Friday 12th, 19:00, Castilla Y Leon). After the secret concert of Love Of Lesbian we accidentally run into Clara and Roberto from Clara Plath. They were standing by the wall and drinking whisky with cola. "Are you going to see Nudozurdo this evening?" they asked us (Roberto already was in Nudozurdo's t-shirt), and we replied 'Sure!' 

I still consider "Tara Motor Hembra" one of the best albums Spain ever produced. Frankly speaking, I can't tell the same about their latest effort "Rojo Es Peligro" but I was pretty sure that live they would be louder and edgier than on "Rojo...". And it was exactly so. The plaintive vocals of Leo were supported by his intricate guitar work and the groundbreaking rhythm section of Meta (bass) and Ricky (drums).

Maga (Saturday 13th, 20:25, Castilla Y Leon). Newly reformed band celebrates now the fifteenth anniversary of "Maga (blanco)" and got this album re-recorded with participation of some of the most renowned musicians of local indie community (Ivan Ferreiro, Julio de la Rosa, etc.) These 15 years didn't make the songs like "Diecinueve" and "Agosto Esquimal" worse, and I believe in the next 15 years they will still sound fresh and cool.

La Banda Especial:

Shinova (Wednesday 10th, 0:00, Carson Camping/ Saturday 13th, 14:00, Plaza del Trigo). When Javier Ajenjo announced Shinova's appearance on Plaza del Trigo stage, he named them 'the future of Spanish music'. But before they had their scheduled gig on Plaza, Shinova performed in the General Guttierrez park on the opening night. Both times the Basque band did it very professionally, very emotionally and positively driving. Their kind of melodic alternative rock has got the potential, but what is more important - it has got soul.

Just to remind you: three years ago Izal walked exactly the same way, and look at them - who are they now? The indie superstars. So why not to repeat this?

Sonorama 2016. The Report: The Best Of... Part One

I'd like to change the pattern I've been following for three years telling you about Sonorama. So this time I'm not going to do my usual day-by-day reports in this boring 'been there, saw that' manner.
And now let's strat from...

...The Band That Made Me Cry:

Modelo De Respuesta Polar (Saturday 13th, 13:00, Plaza del Trigo). Their current music (as evidenced by albums "Cariño" and "Dos Amigos") may tend to quietness and emotions hidden under the surface, but live they are tight and powerful as ever. Borja Mompo and his mates created their three-guitar soundscapes to such soul-wrenching effect that in a certain moment I've found myself crying. Nobody noticed it as I was wearing my usual sunglasses.

The Most Emotionally Impressive Show:

Carmen Boza (Sunday 14th, 12:00, Plaza del Trigo). If on Modelo De Respuesta Polar I just shed a tear or two, then the next day I've cried all the show of Carmen Boza through. I'm quite sentimental in everything that concerns music. I'm pretty easily getting goosebumps when I'm listening to a great song. And when I'm listening to the songs SUCH great sung by the voice THAT strong it's... I couldn't help but started to cry no matter how foolish I might look at the moment. This girl is so talented that when she only starts to sing it's already overwhelming.

The Best Show Overall:

Leon Benavente (Friday 12th, 23:35, Castilla Y Leon). It's beyond me how they do it. No visual effects, no stage scenery. Only three [almost] motionless persons and the velvet baritone and the over-the-edge splashing energy of the frontman Abraham Boba as the glue for all parts. On the new album "2" Leon Benavente shifted their stylistics a bit closer to the ice-cold postpunk-based crossover in the vein of El Columpio Asesino but the sound of their live performances stays more or less the same, and the new songs, such as "Tipo D" or "Aun No Ha Salido El Sol", perfectly fit to old favourites "Animo Valiente" or "Ser Brigada". That makes me wonder even further how they do it. Every time they are almost the same and every time it's thrilling.

The Second Best Show Overall:

L.A (Thursday 11th, 0:00, Castilla Y Leon). Two years ago we missed their show because they were set to perform at 02.00 am, and it was too late for us. This time it was much easier to spend 45 minutes with the crepuscular charm of Luis A. Segura and his band. The set covered the new era of the band (starting from the album "Heavenly Hell" on) with all the best tracks included, such as "Clocks" from aforementioned "Heavenly Hell" or "In America" from the most recent release, the brilliant "From The City To The Ocean Side". The red-lighted fog shrouded the stage while Luis played electric guitar, palyed acoustic guitar (without support of the band), played drums, and it was spectacular by all means.

The Best Show I Didn't See:

Izal (Saturday 13th, 0:45, Ribera del Duero). This edition of Sonorama has marked the new record in terms of attendance (I don't know the exact figure but it's over 60,000 people). It seems like the new record was set for the attendance of the single show as well, cos I've never seen the crowd like that. The audience has filled all the space of recinto ferial throughout - up to the WC's zone on the far back. Even the VIP zone was overcrowded that made us observe the show through the branches and leaves of the young magnolia tree. Moreover, in the middle of the show we were approached by our friend Rafa Tuñon, the frontman of Paciente Cero. So we talked to him a couple of Mikel's songs away.

Mikel Izal and his band has grown up to his current stature right before our eyes. Four years ago we saw them on some small local fests. Three years ago we could easily get to the first line before the stage to see them performing in 1.5 meters from us. And now they are The Most Important Band Of The Moment... It's nice, but I can't tell you that I saw their performance though I stayed there for this. The picture below will tell you why:

The Best Show No One Attended:

Clara Plath (Thursday 11th, 19:00, Carson Camping). It's such a pity that nobody came to see this band. Clara Plath was scheduled to play in Carson Camping at 7 p.m - right at the moment when the main stages come to action, so it was probably the worst timeslot to perform outside the recinto ferial space. But we were there, and we saw the band doing their best and playing competently and cohesively like if they were performing before the 200+ pairs of eyes.

The 'I Don't Get It' Show:

Kitai (Friday 12th, 14:00, Plaza del Trigo). This was the most brutal show of  all four Sonoramas that I beheld, equally cruel as to spectators as to musicians. The singer Alex acted with the ferocious beast-like aggression that splashed around like the wine he spoiled on himself in the middle of the show. The drummer Deiv played his drums on the God-like level. The bass player Fab did Flea pretty successfully. And the axeman Edu was competent as well. But all the components did not work well together musically. For me it seemed like the structure of songs didn't fit well for the venue, the music sounded disjointed at times and the melodies existed on the verge of falling apart.
But anyway, as a show it was one of these 'Yeah, I was there!' shows.

The Discovery Of The Year:

Disciplina Atlantico (Friday 12th, 19:50, Burgos). I was learned about this band before cos I liked their 4-song EP that was released earlier this year. But I didn't expect them to be so great onstage. They're loud, they're fast, they're noisey, they're melodic. They were vital. And I will pray for Disciplina Atlantico to successfully transfer their live energy into the studio recordings.

The 'Bloody Hell!' Show:

Echo (Friday 12th, 20:00, MeetinArts/Musica Creativa). We came to see this young band accidentally. We just walked through recinto ferial up to VIP zone to have ourselves some wine trying to kill time between Disciplina Atlantico and Leon Benavente. Absolutely unintentionally we decided to pass through the MeetinArts tent, and... This is what I like the most. You just hear something by chance and then you got stunned literally in seconds. This was the case. They looked young, I mean, VERY young - but what they did was really astounding. The girl with acoustic guitar on the forefront - oh my god, she sounded like she needed no microphone at all.

The Band Of The Year:

Igloo (Thursday 11th, 22:30, Burgos). Our favourite band, our friends, the amazing persons. Beni, Berto, Julian, JuanMa, we appreciate every moment we spent together, and we miss you so much now!
The band garnered less attention than it could due to the fact that their timeslot coincided with the Duo Dinamico show in the main stage. There should have been much more people otherwise, I guess. But it's usual situation when the lesser bands suffer from the main stages' schedule. Anyway we enjoyed the performance much cos it was the pure pleasure to see these folks onstage. Starting from the first track ("Ausencia Parcial") to the last one ("Sin Mentiras") we were raving as hell.
Other things to menion are: the pokeballs (don't ask), and the appearance of Rodrigo Valiente (The Trunks) for supporting role (next morning Beni and JuanMa themselves would appear along with The Trunks on Plaza del Trigo to return the friendly service back).

The Last Great Impression Of The Fest:

Viva Suecia (Sunday 14th, 21:00, Carson Camping). According to the merits of their album "La Fuerza Mayor", Viva Suecia is my favourite band of the current year. All they needed is to confirm their abilities onstage - and they surely did it on the last night of the festival. There couldn't have been the best way to finalize #SonoramaRibera2016 for me.

Sonorama 2016. The Report: The Prologue

Aranda de Duero is such a lovely place with the beautiful historic old part and three rivers (river Duero and two creeks) that are crossing the face of the town. It's so nice to walk down the narrow streets by the evening looking at the happy families that are sitting in the caffeterias drinking cold white wine... It's all so quiet and beautiful being washed over by the light of the street lamps...

But everything is changed every year in the middle of August when Sonorama comes to town.

At least three important things could make you el perfecto festivalero when you come to Aranda de Duero, the land of music, wine and lechazo, in August:

1. The physical fitness.
2. The preparation.
3. The plan.

The first thing is obvious. It's about walking, running and staying up on you legs for 14-15 hours per day with the diet of beer, calimocho and fastfood - please remember that when you are off from the midday section of concerts, most of the restaurants are closing the kitchen, so you ain't going to have a good lunch with, dunno, soup and stake. Tapas and bocadillos are your only choice. Your sleep will clock in 5-5.5 hours at best. And yes, there's a lot of other people wanting to get to the first line at the stage. 

The preparation. You need to be learned about what you are going to see. There are 140+ bands in the line up - a lot of them you've probably never listened to. You should spend some time to give yourself a listen to get an impression of the most of them, or you're going to miss something great.

The plan. Oh, no. THE PLAN. Let me repeat it: there are 140+ bands in the line up. If you want to see the considerable part of them you shouldn't mess the things up. In every certain moment you should know when, where, and for what. You should have the route in your head. You should have the perfect timing to get where you want to be on time and to avoid getting through the overcrowded spaces on your way up there.

Or.

Or you may omit these rules and just slack around the area for 4-5 days interconnecting with other people and having fun. Maybe you're going to miss something, but surely you will be absolutely happy soaking up the atmosphere of the festival with every pore of your body.

Sonorama 2016. 10 Hidden Treasures Of The Festival

The new edition of Sonorama will start in less than one week. So it's time to get yourself prepared. Almost 5 days, a lot of bands and a couple of additional stages - all this could make quite troublesome to observe all interesting things that would occur, so Spanish redes sociales recently started to produce some guides to help the audience to get through less-known names - the guides like this or this. Or this. 

If everybody else is doing it, so why can't I? Please find below my version of such guide - the list of 10 bands that might be overlooked but surely deserve your attention.

Thursday, 11th:

Clara Plath (Escenario Carson Camping, 19:00)

Led by the just-married couple of Clara Plath (vocals, guitars) and Roberto Lopez (guitars, synths, backing vocals), this up-and-coming band from Murcia is going to blow the pieces of your brains all over the General Guttierrez Park territory with their 90's grungy indie rock.

Copiloto (Escenario Burgos, 19:50)

Failing to achieve the mainstream success with his albums #2 & #3 (respectively, "Un Segundo Luminoso" and "El Inicio, El Desencanto y El Circulo de Confianza", both on Grabaciones En El Mar) though seemingly standing on the verge of it, the Aragonese singer/songwriter Javier Almazan somehow slowed the things down with his Copiloto project, but his abilities are still strong - which was evidenced by his most recent release "Los Puentes Hundidos" ((c)2015 Grabaciones En El Mar).

Igloo (Escenario Burgos, 22:30)

Standing tall amongst the best Spanish bands that never made it to the top, the Galician quartet Igloo without any doubt deserves to perform on the main stage. Anyway, the convoluted (and not always fair) ways of fame could just make this band one of the best kept secrets in the Spanish rock history.

Friday, 12th:

The Trunks (Plaza Del Trigo, 12:00)

Last year The Trunks were performing on the Red Bull Tour Bus stage before the pretty limited audience. This year they got the chance to attract much more people with their energetic and tuneful alternative rock on the Sonorama's most emblematic showcase.

Papaya (Escenario Charco, 15:45)

With the voice that can't be confused with someone else's, the tight melodies and the gentleman-like appearance, Chilean-born Canary inhabitant Yanara Espinoza appeared as one of the greatest discoveries of year 2015 with the debut effort "No Me Quiero Enamorar" ((p)Jabalina Musica). Definitely, it wouldn't be your smartest decision to omit her live performance.

Detergente Liquido (Escenario Carson Camping, 18:00)

Along with their pals Homeless and MOR right now before our eyes Detergente Liquido are resurfacing the indie scene of Cadiz. As fresh as funny, this band will surely do everything they can to make you fall for them.

Saturday, 13th:

Amatria (Plaza Del Trigo, 12:00)

An year ago (or so) Joni Antequera got his first hit single with "Chinches", the track off his third album (first under the wing of Subterfuge). The funny thing is that "Chinches" is probably the worst song he ever recorded. But the rest of his songs are much better, and his show seems to be the perfect way to start the saturday's program.

Paciente Cero (Escenario Burgos, 19:00)

These guys were so great two years ago, and they only got better since then (this is the case when the less words the better).

Sunday, 14th:

Carmen Boza (Plaza Del Trigo, 12:00)

I can [as proudly as humbly] declare this 'I loved her before she was famous' thing. Carmen Boza is great, and I'm pretty sure that her show will be the unforgettable one.

Viva Suecia (Escenario Carson Camping, 21:00)

The auteurs of the best album of 2016 so far and one of the most promising young bands right now - how much reasons do you need to consider it necessary to attend their performance?

Sonorama Ribera 2015. The Report. #2 "Action!"

Date: August, Thursday 13th
Place: Spain, Burgos Province, Aranda de Duero, Plaza del Trigo & Recinto Ferial

Thursday, 13th at midday we came to the heart of Sonorama, the Plaza del Trigo, to start our normal festival life. We were a bit late to get there right at the start of the first performance - the one of Los Nastys. We saw this band live two years ago on Carson camping stage, and they were not so great, honestly speaking - especially being compared to the band that followed them (Sin Rumbo - and they were absolutely perfect). This time Los Nastys performed much better - and though the music was not of our kind, the band was funny and energetic and seemed capable to give the day the right start.

Los Nastys

When Los Nastys came offstage we ran to the Red Bull Tour Bus stage to see what's happening there. The guys from Supertennis were performing. This year Sonorama established close ties to another great summer festival, ContemPOPranea. To visualize these ties both festivals some kind of delegated one band from the roster to the partner. Sonorama delegated Correos, and ContemPOPranea delegated Supertennis. This band played melodic power pop and sounded quite interesting to dig them deeper.

Supertennis

By return to Plaza del Trigo we beheld the lovely show of Nunatak, one more cool band from Murcia. Nunatak became our first true discovery of this Sonorama. I knew nothing about the band, so for me and Tanya they were surprisingly good.

Nunatak

The band's sound was built around more or less traditional folk rock format and incorporated tubes and violin, and their performance was so sparkling that it was absolutely impossible not to fall for.

Right after the show of Nunatak we tried to get in touch with JuanMa Fernandez, el guitarrista de Igloo, who as we knew was somewhere around there. Thanks to the free wi-fi coverage of the most part of old town of Aranda we managed to find him in the crowd. The next band to come on the stage was Analogic - and I have little to tell about them because all through the show of Analogic we talked to JuanMa and rarely looked stageside.

Analogic

After we parted ways with JuanMa (previously making the agreement to meet at VIP zone at night) we went to Red Bull to look at the last band of the morning session - Bye Bye Lullaby, the winners of the DO Ribera del Duero "Talento Ribera" contest. They looked cool and sounded cool, and became one more band to monitor (and I monitor, no kidding - two minutes before I started to write this report I purchased their album on iTunes, and right now I type all these words and phrases listening to it).

Bye Bye Lullaby

The night session started for us from the stage Burgos Origen Y Destino (former Future Stars) and the band Bambikina on it. I found them on Facebook a couple of months before the Sonorama and wanted to see them live. It was folk-based kind of misic again, and Esther Mendez, the frontwoman of the band, was so funny and honest and devoted to what she was doing there. By the way, Burgos Origen Y Destino this year became the full-fledged stage instead of being just pretty small tent.

Bambikina

In the meantime we caught a couple of songs by Marlango on the main stage - it was pleasant enough to stay there for more but Tulsa were 'a must see' for me so we returned to Burgos stage to see Miren Iza and her pals. Tulsa is one of the definitive bands for me as they were the third Spanish band whose music I embraced some years ago, and their album "Solo Me Haz Rozado" I adore much since then. Earlier this year Tulsa released the new album named "La Chica Calma" that marked considerable stylistic change for the band. Now their music is more electronic, more introvert, more somber. Accompanied onstage by the persons of Charlie Bautista and Marti Perarnau caliber, Miren presented to us the set of new songs cross't with a couple of older tracks - and all this turned into definitely one of the best performances of the day. It was really impressive yet laconic.

Tulsa

Then there was another discovery. Naming 'discovery' the band with 20-something career is not so smart for me, but nevertheless I have never ever listened to Australian Blonde before this Thursday. This band really amazed me. Especially their guitarist who appear to be Paco Loco, one of the most renowned indie rock producers of Spain. Now we could see why they called him 'loco' (crazy). From afar he looks like J Mascis, but if J mixes his furious playing with anemic stage behaviour then Paco does everything full throttle. His guitar playing is full of energy, and his appearance is absolutely frenetic - he rarely stops moving more than for a second or two unlike his colleagues including Francisco Nixon, the man behind the mic.

Australian Blonde

Having stopped the headbanging on Australian Blonde we came to VIP zone to have ourselves some wine (this year there were 12 labels of DO Ribera del Duero wine, so one might taste them all and choose the best for his own taste) and to meet JuanMa. After both goals were successfully met we found out that one of the main 'points of interest' of this edition of Sonorama started to take place on the main stage.

The bright and colourful performance named Morente Live! was a homage to the late flamenco singer and composer Enrique Morente. In the 90's he was the first classic flamenco musician to make connections to indie rock world, and later Jota (Los Planetas) and Antonio Arias (Lagartija Nick) became his recurrent companions. After Enrique had passed away in 2010, his younger daughter Solea created a band with Jota and Antonio to pay homage to Enrique's large legacy. Initialy an one-off project, Los Evangelistas turned into something more releasing two albums, touring intensively and experiencing the mutual work with Youth, one of the most renowned British producers of all time. The show was semantically divided into several acts and started from the classic flamenco. We were not interested in classic flamenco and decided to walk around and just look what's happening here and there. The sounds from Burgos stage caught our attention so we came there again to look at Los Vengadores. Los Vengadores were loud, melodic and highly energetic. It was nice because I like loudness, melodicity and high levels of energy.

Los Vengadores

But as the show on the main stage developed, it came farther and farther away from the basic flamenco, gradually incorparting the elements rarely found in the classic genre. So when we returned to Ribera stage there were Estrella Morente - the eldest daughter of Enrique, Solea, Antonio Arias, Jota along with other Los Planetas members and a string of classic flamenco musicians. This last part of the show was absolutely spectacular and driving, full with pure emotions and beauty.

Morente Vive! troupe

When the final crescendo was over we stayed before Ribera stage to win ourselves the better places for Dorian. We met success moving our wine-fueled bodies right at the security bars by the very center of the stage. The waiting period faded fast and we quickly became surrounded by the screeching young females evoking Marc Gili before their eyes. Dorian launched the show with the biggest hit single from the "La Velocidad del Vacio" album - "Los Amigos Que Perdi". Celebrating the tenth anniversary of band's existence this year, now the band tours in support of the album "Diez Anos Y Un Dia". If the tracks on the album were arranged in intelligent acoustic key, then live they sounded much louder and considerably more powerful. The guitar sound was predominant throughout the show. As we knew most of the songs on "Diez Anos Y Un Dia" by heart, we sang them along being definitely not the worst singers in the forefront of the crowd (some chicks by our side were much worse than us). Closer to the end of the show the paper gun was triggered, and we found ourselves placed inside the papercuts blizzard. It looked - and felt - very beautiful and uplifting.

Dorian

It was great but what would come next should be even greater. Earlier this day it was declared that Dorian would set up the signing session in mercadillo right after the show. Accidentally, we took a couple of Dorian CDs from home to listen to in the car during our North Spain travel. So we got something to be signed by the band. The only thing that was not prepared for this was me.
I thought that the musicians would stand behind the counter and we would just give them our CDs to sign, and they would sign them in the free-flow mode. In the best case we could say them "Hi!", I supposed. But in fact it wasn't so. We were invited into the space where we could shake hands with them, embrace them, talk to them... It's so sad that I wasn't prepared for this. I was absolutely stunned by the mere possibility of staying behind them so I've almost lost my tongue and felt myself like a fool. All the guys were so welcoming to us, and Belly was so beautiful and nice... Poor dumbhead me, it could have been much better! Anyway, to meet and greet with one of our favourite high profile bands was the great experience.

After that we just listened to Dinero from afar, to Kuve (the band fronted by the younger sister of Second's Sean Frutos) from afar and to La Habitacion Roja also from afar. The night was done.

The only thing to apologize was the missed performance of Reina Republicana. I planned to see them but it was absolutely impossible due to Dorian show and signing session.

Text: Mikhail
Photo: Tatiana & Mikhail

Sonorama Ribera 2015. The Report. #1 Get The Party Started

Date: August, Wednesday 12th.
Place: Spain, Burgos Province, Aranda de Duero, Escenario Carson Camping

Almost an year ago I was standing on the edge of  Plaza del Trigo stage when Javier Ajenjo, the director of Sonorama, unexpectedly brought me in front right before the eyes of all these happy young men and women around and introduced me to the crowd, and I was thinking: What could be better than this? What in my fucking stupid boring life could ever be greater than this? Or most likely this would be the greatest moment for me to recall when I die? Will there be the other beautiful moments worth waiting for? (The answer for the last question is: definitely yes!)

This time we came to Aranda a day before the start of the festival - just to breathe this air, to walk the empty streets, to have a night to drink the wine sitting on the Plaza Mayor... Generally speaking, we wanted to adjust our souls to the atmosphere of the town before the fiesta starts. Our arrival was preceded by 9 days-long travel across the north of Spain from Galicia to Pais Vasco. Initially we had plans to meet some local musicians on our route - the plans that have partially come true (Hugo Babarro from Bestlife (Under Your Seat) and Julian Rodriguez (Igloo), and partially not (Edu Ugarte, Joe La Reina). In addition to that, our visit to Ferrol coincided with the acoustic set of La Habitacion Roja in a pretty small venue called Sala Super 8. Happily we managed to attend the concert and, moreover, to take a couple of photos with Jorge Marti and Pau Roca.

12th of August surprisingly the sky got cloudy after the lunch time. It was the first time when we saw the clouds in Aranda. The official opening of Sonorama was set at 9 p.m. in camping. When we came there at the time, it started raining. Needless to say, we weren't prepared for this and quickly started to get soaked with the raindrops. But the first ever performance of Sonorama Ribera 2015 was not painfully spoiled by the weather, and the band of Jimmy Barnatan (old-school country "redneck'n'roll" rock) led us through their r-r-r-roaring show without any serious obstacles on the way. But the next band to appear before or eyes and ears - Club del Rio - was compelled to postpone the show for almost an hour cos the rain got harder. There was something in the air that made the atmosphere around full of lightweight craziness and surrealism. Somewhere in between of the performances the costumes contest was scheduled for this night (first prize - lifelong access to all the future Sonoramas. Yes, lifelong!) So we were looking at the men dressed like women and the women dressed like men, and all these freaky styley dudes and chicks walking around us. There was a semi-naked guy with the painting saying "Fuck Canada!" across his waist, for instance. "You can't take that stuff to Canada", I recalled the line from the old Low track "Canada". Anyway, the most winning costume this night was that one of jellyfish as it was built upon the see-through umbrellas, and not only looked cool but also effectively prevented its owners from getting wet. Unfortunately, we didn't have one. So at the moment when Club del Rio finally came onstage not only to move their gear back and forth but also to play some music we made the definitive decision to return to hotel. Club del Rio were none of our interest with their mix of reggae, acid jazz and indie folk, and to wait for Aerolineas Federales and secret concert was a bit too embarassing for us, taking in mind that the rain showed no signs of stopping in the close future.

As my report of the first night of Sonorama 2015 is limited due to the poor weather conditions I have the time and the space to express my simpathy and adoration to the persons we got acquainted with during this travel. Hugo, Julian and JuanMa, the time that we spent together makes me and Tanya dream about spending much more time with you!

Text: Mikhail

Photos: Tatiana