Primavera Sound 2020: first impressions

2019 is over. Lists are over... and here it comes (finally) the heavily anticipated announcement of the Primavera Sound's line-up for 2020. Gone is the tricky label #NewNormal, so let's welcome the #BestFestivalForever... Or it is, really?

At first glimpse, it seems way better than last year. Yes, the traditional eclecticism of the Festival turned into its Coachellisation and the embrace of the so-called urban music is here to stay. But there's plenty to see, with an exciting 90s revival (Pavement, Yo La Tengo, Dinosaur Jr., Kathleen Hannah and Ms Gordon altogether) and some wonderful surprises, particularly Mavis Staples and Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, absolute musts of the Festival for this Blog. Add "surefires" among the headliners, such as The National, or among the 'small class', such as Jessica Pratt or Fontaines D.C. and the result is an edition that, at least on paper, looks happily stacked.

But is there something really special, something that really blows our minds and justifies the promotiong of the Festival as very special edition (20th anniversary of Primavera)? Not to our knowledge/tastes, aside from the aforementioned hero from Hull, to be honest. Moreover, there's the feeling of several painful misses that could have elevated this edition to undeniably one of the best. If you allow us to name a few: Sleater-Kinney, Sharon Van Etten, Julia Jacklin, Vivian Girls, Tiny Ruins (or any of the wonders from 'down under', a familiar, recurring pain), Better Oblivion Community Center, Wilco, Crowded House or Tindersticks (bands that are playing in Barcelona this year for the price of your mortgage)... Plus, there's the fear too much Mordor awaits us compared with the latest, pretty comfortable editions, and that some acts we really want to see, namely Jesus and Mary Chain or Rolling Blackouts are playing on Wednesday. And even more scary than the previous: overlaps could be particularly devastating this edition.

But there's no point wasting much time complaining about what could have been... As, we insist, the overall first impression is pretty positive, taking in mind, as always, there's always something to discover among the vast 'middle and small class' offer to add to 'our' Festival routes. Having said that, let's honour the Blog’s tradition: here’s our rough paint & colour' version of 2020 line-up with the bands we are willing to see. Suggestions are welcomed and as always, a lot to listen ahead!!

CONFIRMED ARTISTS FOR PRIMAVERA SOUND 2020

3 June - 7 June

100 GECS •33EMYBW •ABBATH •AEAEA •AFRODEUTSCHE •AGORAPHOBIA •AKASHA KID •AMAIA •AMELIE LENS •ANIKA KUNST •ARTHUR VEROCAI •AURORA HALAL •AUTOMATIC •BAD BUNNY •BAD GYAL •BAUHAUS •BEACH BUNNY •BECK •BEN UFO •BICEP LIVE •BIG FREEDIA •BIGKLIT •BIKINI KILL •BILL CALLAHAN •BISCUIT •BLACK COFFEE •BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD •BLACK LIPS •BLACK MIDI •BLAWAN •BLOND:ISH •BOY HARSHER •BRITTANY HOWARD •BROCKHAMPTON •BUTTECHNO •C. TANGANA •CALL SUPER B2B SHANTI CELESTE •CARIBOU •CARISTA •CARLA •CAROLINA DURANTE •CAROLINE POLACHEK •CHAOS IN THE CBD •CHAQUETA DE CHÁNDAL •CHROMATICS •CIGARETTES AFTER SEX •COMA •CRUDO PIMENTO •CUBAN DOLL •D. TIFFANY •DAVE P. •DESIRE •DIE KATAPULT •DIIV •DINOSAUR JR. •DISCLOSURE •DJ COCO •DJ FRA •DJ HARVEY •DJ KELVIN •DJ LIZZ •DJ NARANJITO •DJ PLAYERO •DJ SHADOW •DJ WHOISDUALIPA •DUKI •EARL SWEATSHIRT •EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN •ELA MINUS •FATIMA YAMAHA •FAYE WEBSTER •FERRAN PALAU •FLOATING POINTS •FONTAINES D.C. •FREDDIE GIBBS & MADLIB •GABBER MODUS OPERANDI •GABRIELA RICHARDSON •GEORGIA •GIRL IN RED •HANNAH DIAMOND •HEALTH •HÉCTOR OAKS •HELADO NEGRO •HICKEYS •HONEY DIJON •IGGY POP •IOSONOUNCANE •ISABELLA •IVY BARKAKATI •JAKUZI •JAMILA WOODS •JANE FITZ •JAWBOX •JEFF MILLS •JEHNNY BETH •JENNY HVAL •JESSICA PRATT •JOAN SHELLEY •JOHN T. GAST •JOSEY REBELLE •JOYHAUSER •JULIETTA FERRARI DJ •KACEY MUSGRAVES •KAMMA & MASALO •KAMPIRE & DECAY PRESENT BUNU BOP •KANO •KHALED •KILLAVESI •KIM GORDON •KIM PETRAS •KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD •KING KRULE •KING PRINCESS •KOFFEE •KURT VILE •L DEVINE •LA FAVI •LANA DEL REY •LAS LIGAS MENORES •LAWRENCE LE DOUX •LE HAMMOND INFERNO •LE NAIS •LEON VYNEHALL •LES AMAZONES D'AFRIQUE •LES SAVY FAV •LIGHTNING BOLT •LILA TEQUILA •LINGUA IGNOTA •LITTLE SIMZ •LORENA ÁLVAREZ •LORENZO SENNI •LORY D •LOS HIJOS DE YAYO •LUNA KI •MABEL •MAGGIE ROGERS •MANEL •MANO LE TOUGH •MARIA DEL MAR BONET •MARIAH THE SCIENTIST •MARTHA •MASSIVE ATTACK •MAVIS STAPLES •MECÁNICA POPULAR •METRONOMY •MICA LEVI •MIKE DRED •NAPALM DEATH •ÑEJO •NINA KRAVIZ •NOGA EREZ •NORSICAA •NÚRIA GRAHAM •OKLOU •OM •OSCAR MULERO •OTOBOKE BEAVER •PABLLO VITTAR •PALOMA MAMI •PANTOCRATOR •PARK HYE-JIN •PAUL HEATON & JACQUI ABBOTT •PAVEMENT •PELADA •PENELOPE ISLES •PILE •PNL •RAPSODY •RICHARD DAWSON •RINA SAWAYAMA •ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER •ROMBO •ROOSEVELT •SAMPA THE GREAT •SANGRE NUEVA •SHAME •SHELLAC •SHERELLE •SHYGIRL •SIDE CHICK •SONIDO LA CHANGA •SOTO ASA •SPECIAL REQUEST •SQUAREPUSHER •SQUID (UK) •STELLAR OM SOURCE •SUDAN ARCHIVES •TEKI LATEX •TETO PRETO •THE CARETAKER •THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN •THE NATIONAL •THE STROKES •TIM BURGESS •TOPS •TRAPANI •TROPICAL FUCK STORM •TYLER, THE CREATOR •UNIFORMS •VAGINA DENTATA ORGAN •VIOLET •VTSS •WEYES BLOOD •WILLIAM DJOKO •YO LA TENGO •YOUNG DOLPH •YOUNG MARCO •YOUNG THUG •YUNG BEEF & PABLO CHILL-E •ZA •ZOZO

Green- Definetely seeing them. Absolute must
Orange- If there are no overlaps (in particular with the green ones), I'll be there for sure
Yellow- Curious about it/on "research mode"/nice option if there's no overlap

At Heatongrad! A Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott playlist

Among the amazing gigs and events scheduled for the next months, there's one that occupies a pretty special place in the heart of this humble blogger: the Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott gig coming this Saturday, as part of the 'Blues i Ritmes' Festival taking place in Badalona (ouch!). Finally, after so many years being a fan, I'm going to see them live. It's sort of the closing of a pending music chapter for me. You know, like that moment when you are about to strike out one of those looong-time things remainig to do in your due-to-list. But bigger, because I really thought I wasn't going to have the chance. So, I'm sure you understand my excitement. The wait is finally over... after... 19 years!

I'm counting back from early 1997, when I grabbed my copy of 'Carry On Up the Charts', my first The Beautiful South record, quickly followed by Housemartins' 'Now That's What I Call Quite Good'. On those years, this huge R.E.M. and Crowded House fan, found his third "music" pillar, haunted by the knack for melodies, the joyful vibe (some ace and somber ballads too) hiding Heaton's not just witty but masterful lyrics, a true social chronicler with a true socialist heart (beat that!) and the discovery of one of my favourite vocalist ever, Jacqui Abbott. One of my most desired music wishes is that 'The Later With Jools Holland Special' gets a proper release. I had three VHS copies of the edited version (roughly 30 minutes) shown by Catalonian program Sputnik that now are completely wasted after watching it zillion times. If, after watching Jacqui singing 'You've Done Nothing Wrong', you don't get moved, I won't believe you're human, sorry.    

But, at least to my knowledge, TBS never made it to Barcelona, Jacqui left (no offense to the previous & later female singers, but she's incomparable and irrepleceable) and later the band called it a day. Being honest, I remember my interest on the band sort of vanishing although, funnily enough, The Housemartins, in particular 'Caravan of Love', became the soundtrack of some crucial years in my life (longs, slightly surreal story related with my then job, I'm saving it for another day), and despite keeping track of Paul's solo career ('Fat Chance' has many tunes to celebrate) I couldn't make it when he visited Barcelona a few years ago (I was in the States). Besides, there was, clearly, "something" missing. Until 2013, when I found (and wrote about enthusiastically here) the reunion of Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott was a reality. Now, with two lovely albums as a result of that comeback the opportunity to see them live has arrived. Heatongrad arrives to the city!

Here's a playlist with, arguably (it's very hard to choose so few), my favourite 19 + 1 (one for every year being a fan) tunes of their career. See you on Saturday!

Agenda of Concerts Winter-Spring 2016

Keeping with the Blog traditions, here it's our Agenda of Concerts for Winter and Spring seasons (check the list of Fall 2013 and Winter 2015) of 2016. Aside of the possible ones, there are some mandatory gigs, with bands that we have been waiting to see for a long time, like Tinderstick or Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, indispensable yearly festivals like the Minifestival de Música Independent de Barcelona and special concerts like Robert Forster or the El Genio Equivocado Fest. Obviously, this isn't a closed agenda, and we hope to add more proposals soon. Have a look and see you there!

Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, welcome back!

Pop is back!

I couldn't resist. The temptation was too big. Time to officially celebrate: Jacqui Abbott & Paul Heaton are back together with a new, flamboyant album (dying to hear it), "What Have We Become", out May 19th . So, to salute the comeback as the occasion deserves, I've prepared a collection of videos (extremely hard to choose only 10)... just to tell you a bit of this two pop geniuses backgrounds... and a nice excuse to get nostalgic and listen to wonderful tunes! Welcome back Paul & Jacqui!



So, the story goes: this ridiculously talented guy



Found this incredibly gifted voice



And together, they created many pop wonders...



And now they are back!

The Bloodbuzzed Jukebox 7

Here's our next round of our TOP TEN playlist, with the tunes I have been enjoying the most lately. As with previous sets, this is also available at the blog's soundcloud (come on and join us). New discoveries, a couple of beloved bands returning to form, and the first taste of a dreamt comeback meeting all the great expectations. Great tunes indeed!

Direct links to the previous Jukebox weeks
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6

Welcome to the Jukebox!

Music to Look Forward in 2014

Another blog tradition: our new year's music wishes! A small summary of the releases/events we're looking forward to. And yours?

1. To begin with, our traditional & most beloved sure-fire: Jeremy Jensen, aka The Very Most, will be back quite soon with new lush and charming songs. But the challenge in 2014 is greater. Seeing each other again. UK on the horizon! 
2. Another sure-fire is going to be my first gig of the year: Basia Bulat at the end of January presenting "Tall Tall Shadow". Plus, few weeks later it will be the turn for Savages. Oh My, Oh My. 
3. The Hi-Life Companion keeps me waiting way more than is reasonable! "Our Years in the Wilderness" has to arrive very soon, we need it! 
   
4. There's an indiepop genius up north (Sweden) called Andreas Jonsson who has been releasing stunning tune after stunning tune in adorable singles for almost two years. Now Alpaca Sports is going to offer a full album, entitled "Sealed with a Kiss", scheduled for February. What if it is so perfect we don't want to hear anything else? Show some mercy for the rest of musicians out there Andreas! 
5. Young bands conquering the world.This is REALLY the year Planet Earth (at least the part that's not deaf) should fall forever in love with Fear of Men and Let's Buy Happiness. And 2014 should be also the year where the young indiepop army from the Dunedin scene (courtesy of the lovely people at Fishrider Records) conquers the world. It would be a much better place anyway. 
6. Two favourite voices of mine are expected to offer new music this year. Rose Elinor Dougall will offer a follow-up to her fantastic "Future Vanishes" Ep. Can't wait. But the COMEBACK in big capital letters for me is the reunion of Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott. Record on the works. To hear them together again...to hear her again....it's been so long. Goosebumps already. 
   
7. Indietracks, Indietracks, Indietracks, Indietracks... repeat 'til become truth!
8. Fourth Primavera Sound Festival. I already posted my wish list recently. Check it here.
9. Even more & records expected: Northern Spies, Hospitality, Belle and Sebastian, Me and the Bees, Grushenka, Cosmen Adelaida, The Swapsies, Young Romance, Sharon Van Etten, Be Forest... And what do infallible labels like Shelflife, EardrumsPop, Slumberland, Matinée, Test Pattern, Fortuna Pop!, Dufflecoat, WWNBB, February Records, El Genio Equivocado or Discos de Kirlian have prepared for us? And yes (let's go mainstream for a second), it's true this time. It's a U2 year. Maybe too late? We'll see...
10. And finally, the most personal one: you're going to see (better said read) me writing quite a lot out there. Here's hoping for the very best...

Of course, there are many more out there, eager to be discovered. The year in music could be spectacular!

A Dreamt Comeback, Jacqui Abbott returns!

Jacqui & Paul, mighty pop couple
 together again

Maybe you knew it already, but I'm just too excited not to make a post about it: one of my all-time favourite singers has returned! I just found out Jacqui Abbott is back singing, and seems a new album is on the works, probably out before the year ends!!

Here's a song from Paul Heaton's latest album to date, "The 8th" called "Envy" and performed by Jacqui (seems that they met again and solved their differences two years ago)

And here's "DIY" played past June at Mosborough Music Festival 2013. It's a new tune that seems could be included in the aforementioned forthcoming album
And three Beautiful South/Housemartins classics played at Ferrara, Italy, this July, to end the post with a HUGE SMILE!