PRIMAVERA SOUND, BARCELONA 2006: THE BEST OF

Three days of dusk 'til dawn festival-going. It was a task set only for the best of the best music lovers. Tara and I took it upon ourselves to represent and put ourselves to the challenge.

Although there were moments where our commitment to the cause was tested (normally between 4 and 5am), when sleep and warmth were such tempting options, the music, the merchandise and those Spanish hotdogs never failed to revive a bout of waning enthusiasm.

So I am happy to report that made it to the end - to 5.30 on Sunday morning when we stumbled home bleary-eyed yet happy-hearted.

Installment 1 of The Best... starts at day 3.

DAY THREE

The last day of this fantastic festival and I planned to make the most of the next 11 hours of music. All the biggies were there for the finale: Lou Reed, Violent Femmes, Mogwai, Stereolab, Deerhoof, BJM, Lambchop y mucho mas. Of course food aquiring, port-a-loo going, drinking banned alcohol at the front of the entrance with Irish lads and some general wandering meant that not all the greatness could be seen. But I did my best and had a great time whilst doing so.

8.10pm

Best headwear: Sported by those cute Spanish boys from Coconot - which just so happened to be the Best Spanish indie rock band of the day.

9.20pm

Best 'back to 1967' experience: Sharing a joint and dancing to I'm Waiting For The Man. Ooooh yeah, I'm waiting for my man / 26 dollars in my hand...wahahahahaow.

Although I had my doubts about seeing the infamous Lou Reed 40 years after the Velvet Underground's heyday, the masterful White Light/White Heat and Waiting for the Man more than made up for the rest of the set which consisted of Lou and his band playing what sounded like a tribute to Bryan Adams.

If only I was born a few decades earlier...

9.25pm

Best baby rocker: Spotted in front of us at Lou Reed.

Clapping his hands and shaking his booty, that was one cool bub!

10.40pm

Best bushy chops: Worn most successfully by Frankie Emerson(is that his name? 1st guy on the left, from The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

Elbows were put into action to get front row positions for these notorious psychedelic revivalists. Expectations of antics from Anton Newcombe were dispelled as the band proceeded to play a tightly rocking set.

Just happy to be there, I took lots of photos - most of them out of focus - and jumped up and down with the fans.

The hour between pm and am

Best funny thing I did all night: Take photos of myself in a port-a-loo.

As to what I was thinking at the time of these questionable actions, I am not sure. I do however, remember thinking at the beginning of the festival that it would be fun to do a Primavera Public Toilet series...perhaps the artitic integrity was lacking here.

1.05am

Best band I think were awesome but I can't remember: The Violent Femmes.

Why oh why did I choose to be under the influence during one of the best rock bands EVER? And the photos I managed to take don't even help to reconstruct those lost memories. Sigh.

3.15am

The best loudest music: Mogwai.

Every. single. chord. is. felt. reverberating. through. every. part. of. your. body.

Despite damaged cochlears, watching this band was a musical sensation. I left Tara on the grassy knoll and ran into the sea of swaying people, pushing my way forward towards the thick, languid sound waves resonating from the front of the stage. And here I remained until the last note had been played, in a world of my own, completely and utterly encompassed in the etheral sounds.

Los Pimientos Rojos Calientes

The Red Hot Chili Peppers come to town en el martes, 30 de mayo

They play something old,
Something new,
Something borrowed,
And all whilst the lights are blue

Flea and Frusciante take me to the Otherside

What will they play next? Oh my gosh, is it, could it be...

Give it away, give it away, give it away, give it away now! Yeeeeeeeeah!

The Painting of Carrer de Milans

Outside my door, on the way to el supermercado I come across the Men At Work.

They operate in an oblivious fashion - intent on spraying their lines and blocks of colour - unaware of the clicking and zooming of my camera.

"The mirror reflects the human mask.

It creates a new awareness of identity and leads to vanity,

But it also provides a link between truth and appearance,

Awakening our desire for an unreal world."

(El Museo del Cinema, Girona)

El Dia de Sant Jordi

Sant Jordi's Day - the Catalunian version of Valentine's Day.

A day of romance in the streets of Barcelona

as young lovers and old friends take to streets

under the sunny spring sky

The sidewalks are lined with vendors selling books (for the boys) and roses (for the girls)

The plazas are filled with couples and lovers,

With books and flowers and each other in hand

A day when the Catalunian seny (common sense)

is overtaken by frivolity and rauxa (rashness)

Energy preservation is essential amongst the well-conserved

Roses and the young at heart

Arms raised, hands clasped and feet shuffling,

The old folk dance the Sardana

Feel the love

Trans-Lingual Transgressions

It was bound to happen: misconstrued meaninings and unintentional sexual inuendo whilst trying to master a new language. My mistakes to date...

Faux pas 1. Repeatedly saying "Estoy excitada" believing I was saying "I am excited", in an emotional sense. I have used this phrase often - to teachers, to people in shops, to new people I meet (often with a smile and a twinkle in my eye) - because there really is a lot to be excited about over here...

Some kind-hearted Spaniards have recently informed me that "Estoy excitada" actually means to be sexually aroused. Ahem. Apologies to those to whom I have been making declarations of my active libido. My embarrassment is something along the lines of this colour.

Faux pas 2. In the ice cream shop: Asking for "un coño de..." believing I was asking for a cone of something. The ice cream lady's stern correction of "No, coño. Cono.", alerted me to the fact that perhaps there is a slight difference between the two words*. Apparently a mere change in pronunciation can have a large significance in meaning...

*I have subsequently learned that cono is the correct word for ice cream cone. Coño is not. It is the word, often used in a derogatory or vulgar sense, for a certain part of the female anatomy.

I live (in Spain) and learn...

Una Noche de Coctels Baratos

A night of cheap cocktails in a dimly lit bar in el Raval...

Best damn mojitos I've ever had.

Not to mention the great music, beautiful wall-paper and toilets with glass-encased miniature animal displays.

There's Too Much Love

I could hang about and burn my fingers
I've been hanging out here waiting for something to start
You think I'm faultless to a 'T'
My manner set impeccably
But underneath I am the same as you

I could dance all night like I'm a soul boy
But you know I'd rather drag myself across the dance floor
I feel like dancing on my own
Where no one knows me, and where I
Can cause offence just by the way I look


Picture taken from Amberita's digital camera, lyrics courtesy of those lovely guys Belle & Sebastian.

Cosas Pequenas

Tutti Frutti en La Boqueria

Hmm, it looks as though my layout skills are a bit rusty. But I will just blame it on the website...