5 reasons why Barcelona’s radical music and arts scene is hitting new heights

While the underground continues to be the coal in the fire of Barcelona’s energetic, artistic spirit, the desire for boundary-pushing music from Barcelona’s locals and further afield has allowed it to carve out a unique role in helping new sounds to global audiences.

Much of this is down to Barcelona’s two flagship festivals: Sónar and Primavera Sound, whose programming often veers away from focus on popular music or a particular genre — and instead works to platform a plethora of interesting sounds. Alongside its ability to attract some of the world’s biggest acts, Primavera is often responsible for giving off-kilter artists their first big audience outside of their home country (see Fred again.., Bad Boy Chiller Crew, Burna Boy, K-pop sensations Dreamcatcher and even Burn Energy Tour headliner Nia Archives). While Sónar’s more electronic-focused programming often sees influential greats such as Aphex Twin, Gorillaz, Björk, Arca and Grace Jones, on the same billing as bubbling genres from across the world.

“Sónar and Primavera have done a lot to put Barcelona on the map when it comes to music. They bring in artists from all over the world, which is super exciting, and they’ve helped open people’s minds to new sounds,” says Eloisa. “This said, it’s not until recently that they started giving the importance needed to local queer collectives at their festivals.”

“Recently, they’ve started to see how important collectives like ours are to the scene. For example, Primavera invited us to close one of their bigger stages, which was insane. They’ve also included various collectives for streaming takeovers (like MUSA or latineo), which is such a vibe. It feels like these festivals are finally getting it—that collectives bring the kind of raw energy and realness that people crave, and we’re happy to be part of that shift while still keeping things intimate and special on our own dancefloors.”