The Sala Apolo concert series, Be My Guest, is back in Barcelona, this time to – in their words – “look at their navel”. Because, although Be My Guest was born with the aim of bringing different and interesting proposals from other parts of the world to the venues of Barcelona, this time the event opts to promote the “scene that is closest to us”, the Barcelona or Catalan-speaking one. And it does so, once again, with the help of the pan-European platform Liveurope, of which Apolo has been a member since 2014, and which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary.
The new edition of Be My Guest will be held on September 12 and 13, and each date has a different programme; the first dedicated to experimentation and the second, to a more classical and pop proposal. In addition, a non-Spanish guest artist will participate on each date.
Advance tickets are available here at a price of 10 euros + fees. A two-day ticket can be purchased at a cost of 16 euros + fees.
On the 12th, proposals as crazy as the one from electro but not too mucha duo formed by producer Ignasi Bosch and soprano Neus Llorens who practice a style coined “medieval chumba chumba” combining baroque music with contemporary electronics. From a similar point of view, The Sara Fontánsthe duo composed of Sara Fontán and Edi Pou (he is part of Za!), weaves a fantasy of sound mixing violin, keyboard, drums, pedal effects and electronics.
That day is also confirmed COUan experimental electronic project made up of El Petit de Cal Eril, Esperit! and Ferran Palau’s band, which made its debut at Sónar this year. It is a “centre for musical and visual experimentation” that combines psychedelia, jazz and dub. The guest artist is Cushlaa collective based between Barcelona and Ireland whose mission is to fuse traditional Irish melodies and avant-garde electronics.
On the second day of Be My Guest, the 13th, the singer-songwriter profile prevails, for example with the notable, already quite well-known proposal of Maria Jaumewho has triumphed from Mallorca with singles such as ‘Me desplom’ and especially with her pop reinvention on her album ‘Nostàlgia Airlines’, represented in the successful single ‘Ressaca a sa platja’. More inclined to indie-rock and the Courtney Barnett sound is the one to bet on Marta Knight while Yaunest has distinguished itself by its sound inspired by the vocal pop of the 50s. The guest artist on this day is the Slovak Dominik Proka must-see for fans of Mount Eerie / the Microphones.
He will open the Be My Guest event that year, prior to the concert schedule on the 12th, Raul Refree with a talk called “Folklore has a match with new genres” in which the influence of folk music on today’s musical productions will be reflected, a direction in which Rosalía’s producer, Rodrigo Cuevas or now Maestro Espada, has had a lot to do with. The talk will be given in English and will be free with admission to either day.
