Barcelona Insider

Music fans will have the chance to see live performances by influential artists from all over the world at this year’s Primavera Sound festival.

Primavera Sound returns in May

The popular event will be held at the Catalan capital’s Parc del Forum venue from May 27th.

Acts helping to get the festivities underway on the first day will include American indie rockers Pavement, who will be playing alongside the likes of Broken Social Scene and The Slits.

There will be some blasts from the past to enjoy on May 28th, with former Soft Cell singer Marc Almond and alternative rock legends the Pixies set to take to the stage, as well as Wilco, Shellac and many others.

Some of the biggest names on this year’s Primavera Sound programme have been saved for the last day, including Mercury Music Prize nominee Florence and the Machine, electro-pop greats Pet Shop Boys, reggae favourite Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and dance outfit Orbital.

As well as enjoying the live music, Barcelona visitors can visit some of the city’s famous attractions, such as the Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell.

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Music fans in Barcelona are in for a treat next month.

A younger Depeche Mode

This is because Depeche Mode, one of the most successful bands of the early 80s, are performing in the Catalan city on November 20th.

The group will be heading to the Palau Sant Jordi, a 20,000-capacity arena that is also used for sporting events – a far cry from their musical roots in Basildon, Essex.

According to EMI, Depeche Mode have sold 75 million albums around the world, so tickets for the event are sure to be in high demand.

Fans attending the gig can expect to hear classics such as See You, Shake The Disease and It’s Called A Heart.

It was announced in 2007 that Depeche Mode were heading back to the studio to record their 12th studio album, Sounds Of The Universe.

This was released internationally in April, which has so far been well received by the group’s fans.

Music fans staying in Barcelona will be able to visit Poble Espanyol this summer to see a varied programme of gigs.

Jeff Beck - one of many acts due to perform at Poble Espanyol

Located in the Montjuic area of Barcelona, Poble Espanyol is regarded as one of the city’s leading venues for summer concerts.

The highlights of its 2009 season will include an appearance by Jeff Beck, who will perform at the venue on July 22nd.

Beck was one of three well-known guitarists to have played with the Yardbirds, the other two being Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.

Taking to the stage on July 24th will be Orishas, a hip-hop group originating from Havana, Cuba.

Other highlights of Poble Espanyol’s 2009 summer season will include gigs by jazz musician George Benson (July 5th) and pop rock group Amaral (July 10th).

Poble Espanyol is worth a visit at any time of the year. It serves as an open-air architectural museum that brings together the style and culture of various locations from across Spain.

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.

Cyndi Lauper will perform in Barcelona this summer

Visitors to Barcelona will be taken on a nostalgic journey back to the 1980s this summer when Cyndi Lauper performs in the city.

The Girls Just Wanna Have Fun singer will be performing on July 21st as part of the summer concert season at the Poble Espanyol.

Lauper will be performing in Spain for the first time to promote her new album Bring Ya to the Brink.

She will not be the only popular music artist making an appearance in the Poble Espanyol concert season, with former Supertramp guitarist Roger Hodgson getting the series of shows underway on July 1st.

Jazz fans in Barcelona will have the opportunity to see George Benson on July 5th, before Jeff Beck, former guitarist with the Yardbirds, performs on July 22nd.

Primarily, the Poble Espanyol in the Montjuic area of Barcelona is an open-air architectural museum, where the style and culture of various Spanish regions is represented and preserved in one place.

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).

People in Barcelona will be among those who get the chance to see the first show on U2′s 360 Degree Tour this summer.

Edge and Bono - U2

The Irish rock luminaries announced that a series of stadium concerts in support of their new album No Line on the Horizon will begin at the Nou Camp in Barcelona on June 30th.

Milan’s San Siro will be the next venue on the tour on July 7th, followed by the Stade de France in Paris (July 11th), Croke Park in Dublin (July 24th) and other locations before U2 head across the Atlantic to play shows in the US.

The tour will boast the innovative aspect of a stage with a 360-degree design, which will afford every member of the audience an unobstructed view of the group as they perform.

Band manager Paul McGuinness said on their official website:”U2 have always been at their best when surrounded by the audience, this staging takes a giant leap forward.”

Tickets for the tour concerts will go on sale soon and are expected to sell out quickly.

No Line on the Horizon was released around the world at the beginning of March and went straight to the top of the charts in Australia, the US, the UK and elsewhere.