Introducing…La Plata

They are a bit over 20 years old, but this Valencian quintet evokes the dark synth pop of the 1980s “new wave”, the exact starting point of Valencian scene that would put the Mediterranean coast on the map of avant-garde pop and international club culture, before paellas in car parks and all the other clichés from the bakalao route. La Plata take that baggage in Diego Escriche’s songs, increase the revolutions and crush it with intense guitars not unlike those of Triángulo de Amor Bizarro, with whom they share the producer Carlos Hernández, who worked with them on their EP Un atasco (2017) and debut LP Desorden(2018). Teenage angst from twenty years ago with one of the sensations of the season’s peninsular indie pop.

Vida Festival 2018

The Vida festival has become one of the musts on the Catalan summer music festival calendar in record time, and it celebrates its fifth anniversary this year with a line-up that’s got us all ready to get to the Masia d’en Cabanyes just down the coast in Vilanova i la Geltrú from June 28 to July 1.

St. Vincent is one of the headliners this year, as she presents ‘Masseduction’ (2017), the latest album from the American singer-songwriter and guitarist also known as Annie Clark; Scottish band Franz Ferdinand also present their new effort, ‘Always Ascending’ (2018); and Of Montreal, American indie artist Kevin Barnes’s project, also debut tracks from their album ‘White Is Relic/Irrealis Mood’ (2018); English singer-songwriter Nick Mulvey presents his second solo work, ‘Wake Up Now’ (2017); and the legendary band out of Arizona Calexico, led by Joey Burns and John Convertino, take to the stages once again with their ninth album, ‘The Thread That Keeps Us’ (2018). Other international acts to check out include singer-songwriters Elvis Perkins, Bart Davenportand Josh Rouse; noise from Hookworms; krautdisco from DBFC; and guitar pop from newcomers out of Norway, Great News.

More local acts include Los Planetas, one of the biggest bands on the Spanish music scene, who come along with their ninth album, ‘Zona temporalmente autónoma’ (2017), under their arm as well; El Petit de Cal Eril, the band led by Joan Pons, bring their metaphysical pop and the psychedelia of their live shows to the festival with their own ninth album, dubbed ‘Δ’ (2018); the six-piece Oso Leone from Mallorca also present a new, and much-anticipated, album, which is released this year and shows off their more electronic and R&B sides; and the mathrock duo ZA! also have new music to show off.

You can also check out fast and powerful pop from young Valencian band La Plata; the mix of krautrock, metal and pscyhedelia that Medalla have for you; punk from Galician outfit Novedades Carminha; and from Murcia it’s Perro, among others.