Barcelona Insider

Heavy metal fans will be rocking out in one of Europe’s most sophisticated cities this year when the Sonisphere festival comes to Barcelona.

Metallica - One of the many bands lined up for Sonisphere

The event will attract some of the biggest names in modern rock music to the Catalan capital’s Parc del Forum venue on July 11th.

Due to headline the festival this year are American heavy metal gods Metallica, who stepped back into the limelight last year with the release of their first album in five years.

Death Magnetic reached the top spot of album charts around the world and led to Metallica performing at festivals and live gigs across the globe.

Metal fans in Barcelona will also be able to see Slipknot rocking out on the Parc del Forum stage at Sonisphere, as well as Machine Head, Mastodon and Lamb of God.

Sonisphere is a Europe-wide event that will also be held in the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Finland and the UK over the summer.

Music fans will be setting off on Barcelona breaks over the coming months to join in with a celebration of one of the world’s most popular musical instruments.

Barcelona Guitar Festival

The Guitar Festival got underway in the Catalan capital on March 24th and will provide musical entertainment for visitors to Barcelona up to June 18th.

On April 24th, the Palau de la Musica Catalana will play host to David Byrne, one of the founding members of the band Talking Heads, who will perform music he has created in collaboration with Brian Eno.

Madeleine Peyroux will play at the same venue on May 8th, followed by American rock great Jackson Browne on May 13th.

Other venues participating in the Guitar Festival include Bikini and Luz de Gas, as well as L’Auditori, which will host a gig by Wilco on June 4th.

Trips to Barcelona will also be popular with music fans this year when the city hosts two major festivals – Primavera (May 28th to 30th) and Sonar (June 18th to 20th).

Fans of contemporary music will be able to combine a Spanish holiday with a world-renowned festival this year.

Jarvis Cocker - One of the many acts due to appear at Primavera

Primavera Sound 09 will come to Barcelona’s Parc del Forum from May 28th to 30th and bring some of the most groundbreaking and experimental artists in modern music with it.

The festival will kick off with performances by well-known artists including My Bloody Valentine and Aphex Twin, as well as cult bands and figures such as Lightning Bolt, Squarepusher and Spectrum.

Bloc Party and Jarvis Cocker will be among the headline acts on the following day, along with Spiritualized, Saint Etienne and many others.

Canadian rock legend Neil Young will bring Primavera Sound to an impressive end on May 30th, with performances by Sonic Youth, Michael Nyman and the New Year also scheduled for the last day of the festival.

Primavera will not be the only major music event held in Barcelona this year, with the Sonar festival set to take place from June 18th to 20th featuring performances by Orbital, Grace Jones and others.