Sónar 2023 – 17 June 2023 (Barcelona)

After an excellent second day at Sónar 2023 where the shows of Aphex Twin and Fever Ray stood out, the last day was marked in the calendar as the day to shown the new national urban trends with the long-awaited visual spectacle of Eric Prydz or the rap of the British Little Simz..

Little Simz, Sónar 2023 – Photo by Víctor Ramos Santafé  for Indieofilo^©

The first stop on our tour was a local boy, Leïti, who just a few hours earlier had been part of the viral photo at the launch of FC Barcelona’s new football kit . On a stage where he was accompanied by a good part of his Cutemobb collective, such as the producer Bexnil or Chineseguy2021, some giants on stilts who juggle and a few dancers, his show was at times too fast and with endless stimuli that made it difficult to concentrate on the music. In any case, without the guest appearances that can be found in the various songs on his album Apocalipsi (2022), the young musician from Barcelona defended his songs with flying colours in front of an audience that went wild for his proposal, which sometimes lacked a little connection between the songs. After a short break to recover from the incredible heat, it was time to have some fun on the main stage of the 8 hands session “2manydjs invite Peach & Tiga”., where the Belgian producers were joined by the British DJ Peach and the also Canadian DJ Tiga to offer about 3 hours live. A session that practically started with Rosalía‘s “Bizcochito“, and between house and electro, hits from the last 20 years were played. Incidentally, even though it wasn’t possible for us to enjoy the whole session, we’re thankful for the small presence of their famous remixes that gave the session an unforeseeable touch, which, as a wink, was closed with “The Sound Of The Big Babou” by Laurent Garnier who would have closed the main stage that day had he not had health problems. Relaxation before the madness of the Sónar noche would come with Lucrecia Dalt in the seats of the Complex+D stage, where the Colombian singer was accompanied by a percussionist to present some of the tracks from her latest album, Ay! (2022). Her live performance was a delight, combining jazz and Latin rhythms at times, mixed with subtle electronica that made the 50 minute show go fast and furious.

Lucrecia Dalt, Sónar 2023 – Photo by Víctor Ramos Santafé  for Indieofilo^©

Once inside the Fira de L’Hospitalet exhibition centre, the most eagerly awaited moment of the day arrived: the immersive show Holo brought to the Catalan festival exclusively in Spain by Swedish producer Eric Prydz, and described in the festival’s presentation as the most technologically complex show to pass through Sónar in its 30 years.. And we can attest to the fact that it seemed so to the naked eye, as the three-dimensionality created by the holograms on stage was impressive, with hands holding mobile phones, whales or robots literally flying above our heads. The only downside is that musically his session did not differ in style from the one he gave at the same festival the previous year, sometimes abusing the ups & downs and passages with a very similar sound., but it must also be admitted that when it was played “Opus” in a full without remixes, the audience fell at his feet.

Eric Prydz presents HOLO, Sónar 2023 – Photo by Víctor Ramos Santafé  for Indieofilo^©

Just when we thought everyone was on the main stage, we were surprised to see the SonarCar stage filled with a huge crowd to see Samantha Hudson perform her ‘AOVE Black Label‘. The multidisciplinary artist, who has also participated in AI talks at Sónar by day, gave a great concert in which, between irony, dance, impossible movements with dancers and humour some of his hits were played, such as “Otra Vez” or “Burguesa Arruinada”, offering nearly 35 minutes of blistering electro-pop to the delight of a audience that is in love with her her..

Samanta Hudson, Sónar 2023 – Photo by Víctor Ramos Santafé  for Indieofilo^©

A few metres away on the SonarPub stage, it was time to catch up with Alba Farelo on her return to the festival after performing at Sonar by day in 2017. Already an international star, the singer from Vilassar opted to kick things off with the best-known songs from her album Warm Up (2021), such as “Blin Blin” and “Pussy“, with the choreography of the group of dancers accompanying her standing out. As the show progressed, and despite the Catalan singer’s unspectacular vocal range, some glitches on the screens and sometimes too long pauses between songs, the audience fell at her feet with songs such as “Flow 2000″, “Zorra“, “El sol igual” or “Yo sigo igual“, which featured the only verses in Catalan in the whole show. In between mentions of Versace, Dior and Swarovski (who could be sponsoring the show, considering how many times she mentions them), the Catalan showed why, at least in terms of public following, she can now eat at the table of other female stars across the Pond, and as you can see at the end with “Alocao” and “Fiebre” and that kind of karaoke initiation that has become the festival..

Bad Gyal, Sónar 2023 – Photo by Víctor Ramos Santafé  for Indieofilo^©

Back at the SonarCar, the French-Granadian La Zowi once again attracted a large crowd of people eager to see her live show, “La Reina del Sur“. In a short and intense show, and from a femininity trap that we don’t really understand, perhaps because we’re too old for provocation for provocation’s sake and this new wave of feminism based on the self-commercialisation of both body and lyrics, the Andalusian singer had time for songs like “Bitch Feka”, “Puta” o “Chill”, although amidst the sweat, fans and screams, the tent came down with “Chapiadora“, “Yo lo pongo loco” or a fast-paced remix of “Smartphone“.

La Zowi, Sónar 2023 – Photo by Víctor Ramos Santafé  for Indieofilo^©

The festival ended for us with the long-awaited performance of Little Simz, and the truth is that she didn’t disappoint in the least. Her performance was one of the great concerts of this edition. On an almost empty stage with only a few instruments on stage (none of which were played until half an hour later), the Londoner jumped to stage like a cyclone singing “Silhouette” or “No merci”, demonstrating a sense of confidence and poise that blew us away, bringing exactly the same speed and vocal ability to their live performance as on their records.. Between tracks from her previous album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021), and her latest, NO THANK YOU (2022), the night flew by thanks to the subtlety and persuasiveness of lyrics that are both tough and catchy at the same time. In any case, it was hard to improve on the incredible proposal of the British artist who also brought us close to grime in “Venom” which left traces of gospel or afrobeat in other tracks… But we were more than wrong, because as soon as the guitar and bass joined forces on tracks like “Gorilla” or “Introvert” the whole thing went up to an orgasmic level,which reminds us of the first time we saw the artist, then known as Kae Tempest, live. Big words, no doubt.

Little Simz, Sónar 2023 – Photo by Víctor Ramos Santafé  for Indieofilo^©

A perfect end to a Sónar that, strangely enough, left us with the feeling of having seen the best shows at the beginning and end of the event. With two completely different proposals, but with the common link of an overwhelming feminine youth, Marina Herlop and Little Simz deserve to be elevated to the altars of the festival’s history for their incredible musical proposals. Also worthy of mention, but outside the purely musical realm, are the shows by Eric Prydz and Samanta Hudson, as well as the very near prediction of an international media star in the form of Bad Gyal… What will Sónar have in store for us over the next 30 years?