Sonorama 2018. Day 3

Days 1-2

Friday, 10th

By the morning before walking to Castilla Y Leon (Santa Catalina) stage for Nat Simons we made a brief stop at our favourite Plaza la Sal’s Heineken stage where Duque were performing at the time. The band looked a bit elder being compared to average Heineken stage residents but was alive, kicking and undeniably pleasant. 

Nat Simons’ music is quite close to that of Joana Serrat but Nat managed to perform her program with much more diversity. She interchanged fast rock and roll songs with slower ones and did a couple of cover versions as well. I never thought I would dance to a Tom Petty song one day but she made me to do so.

Then we returned to the old town of Aranda to see the way louder Basque band Kometa. We never heard a single song of them before, but it quickly became apparent that we should count +1 up to our list of discoveries.

After we took a break to have ourselves a cup of cold white wine at Plaza Mayor we came again to Santa Catalina place just in time to see Pet Fennec but the band onstage apparently was not Pet Fennec. The fast glance at Sonorama app (by the way, this year this app was really useful) – hey, that’s Jorge Marazu! Somehow the schedule was shifted pushing Jorge Marazu and Pet Fennec to perform later than it was planned initially.

Pet Fennec. This was the performance no one really attended to. Right after Jorge Marazu finalized his set the spectators started slipping away, so at the moment the band began to play there was literally no one before the stage. Only a dozen of persons were hiding their bodies into the thin strip of shadow at the far right side of the stage. We stepped into the shadow as well but quickly came off thinking: ‘What the fuck? If we are going to be the only ones to support the cool band why can’t we keep staying in the sun?” Pet Fennec were really cool. I liked their album, and their live performance made me like them even more.

Due to the aforementioned schedule shift along with our subsequent visit to a restaurant* (being invited by Javier Ajenjo) our spare time between ‘morning’ and ’night’ sections was diminished so we were late to attend the Angel Stanich gig at the main stage Ribera del Duero. However, we came in time to catch the very beginning of Luis Alberto Segura’s show.

L.A. was amazing as always. He’s got a lot of great tunes spread over his last 4 albums starting from “Heavenly Hell” (as he never plays the songs from three albums independently released prior to his breakthrough record) so he could play three hours in a row without losing the certain level of quality.

Right after L.A. covered up Nada Surf began to play on the main stage. This was the special moment for me. I was stunned as Nada Surf were my all-time favs and I could proclaim myself being a fan since I first listened to “Inside Of Love” back in 2003. I sang along and shouted out to every song with the tears in my eyes almost breaking my voice…

As the magic couldn’t have been prolonged beyond the timing of the standard festival set we were forced to find us new entertainment, and we found it in El Ultimo Vecino. I always thought El Ultimo Vecino was an one-man synth-driven project but it appeared to be the full band. Moreover, the band spearheaded by Gerard Alegre Doria behaved like if they ain’t no strangers to the indie rock vocabulary. 

Regarding La Plata, I expected more, to put it frankly. All the songs of their set explored the same sound and almost the same dynamics.

New Day have blown me away, and I went completely mad. That was pretty strange as I don’t like their debut album that much to go nuts, but onstage Amparo Llanos and her tiny band sounded ferocious. Their songs being performed live managed to express much more energy and melody. Not all of their songs were perfect but the most of them knocked me off.

* In the restaurant we were seated next table to a company of four. One of them was Eric Jimenez, the drummer of Lagartija Nick and Los Planetas. He was so friendly and gave off such great charisma that I can only admit we've never met a person like him before.

Day 4

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.

The Best Of 2015. 7x7

Step by step we are getting closer to the end very top.

Alborotador Gomasio "Los Excesos De Los Ninos" (p)Limbo Starr Buy

Nueva Vulcano "Noveleria" (p)BCore Disc/La Castanya Listen/Buy

Papaya "No Me Quiero Enamorar" (p)Jabalina Listen/Buy

Blacanova "Regiones Devastadas" (p)El Genio Equivocado Listen/Buy

L.A. "From The City To The Ocean Side" (p)Sony Buy

Pasajero "Parque De Atracciones" (p)Ernie Producciones Listen Buy

(lo:mueso) "Hoiden Limother Petity Vefucker" (p)Aloud Music Listen/Buy

• The energy, the cool melodies, the provocative videos and a lot of noise around. The sophomore release of Alborotador Gomasio was forged on the noisey side of Madrid punk rock.
• Another post hardcore-fueled fruit in my top lists garden. If the previous album of Nueva Vulcano "Los Peces De Colores" sounded quite edgier and stripped-down, "Noveleria" is a smoother record. There's more space in it, and while "Los Peces..." was really cool record, the new one is just better by all measures. 
• Tight and gorgeous yet quite minimalistic country-soaked baroque pop from the latest bird of the Jabalina Musica nest. Papaya's Yanara Espinoza seeks for happiness in more or less traditional formats of a song but somehow she manages to sound absolutely unique. 
• Before recording the new album the Sevillan post shoegaze rock outfit Blacanova moved from Foehn Records to El Genio Equivocado but did not change the artistic vision. Subtle и slow-paced tracks with psychedelia, shoegaze, post rock and dark folk influences for the fans of the band's previous works. 
• Luis Alberto Segura slowly moves towards his painfully underappreciated "Heavenly Hell"'s sound back from the stripped-down-to-the-core "SLNT FLM" template.
• "Parque De Atracciones" definitely is the step forward for Pasajero. The band has matured for these three years that divide the second album from the first one. The songs got stronger, the arrangements got wiser, the sound got more concerned in nuances. Another success for Manuel Cabezali as a producer.
• Experimentation with (or refusal of, in better words) the standard rock song format, flirting with pure stream of consciousness noise, and skipping between genres. With these things involved it's a pure artistic achievent for (lo:mueso) that this album doesnt sound quirky or pretentious. 

The Best Of 2013. Album #3

03. L.A. "Dualize" (p) Marxophone

There's the simple term that fits "Dualize" the most - 'a grower'.
I'm not a big fan of the latest solo works of Richard Swift, american singer/songwriter who spends much time producing other musicians. So I was kinda afraid what kind of sound he might create for Luis Alberto Segura. "SLNT FLM", an EP released a year ago, have already shown the turn from the polished pop-rock sound of the great "Heavenly Hell" to visually simplified and stripped-down roots-rock tone. But what's with "Dualize"? I should admit that the things stay the same, and the album logically follows the same path as EP. However, the sound and instrumentation might seem pretty simple, but if you give the songs a bit more time to grow on you, you will see how perfectly the room is constructed and organized and structurized for each of them. Close your eyes at any moment of any song - and you almost get right there in the studio behind the shoulder of Luis playing...

P.S. The song which I disliked the most when listening to the album for the first time now I like the most. It's "Mirrorball", and it's absolutely gorgeous in its simplicity.

P.P.S. I should also admit that the label Marxophone seems to be the champion of all labels this year, especially if knowing what album would make it to the #1.