This Saturday is the first edition of Dark City Fest, the dark music festival that will take place at the Penelope club in the summer city of Benidorm. This year, for personal reasons, we won’t be able to go, but we hope that the festival continues and we can attend next year. In the meantime, we are going to give you some reasons to encourage you to visit the city of Alicante and attend the festival.
New Best Spanish Artists
The two most aclaimed band in recent times, Darkways and New Wave Kill, will both be at the festival. The first one has burst onto the scene with tremendous force and after playing at Dark City, they’ll head to Gotik-Treffen to play the tracks from their debut album, released by German label Young and Cold Records. We recently interviewed Madrid’s New Wave Kill and have seen them live several times, including opening for Russian band Ploho. Give their album, Stitches for the Soul, released last year, a listen and be amazed by this young band’s intensity.
Future Classics
Dark City Fest will feature two of the “new” bands creating the biggest buzz lately. Rosegarden Funeral Party (also part of Young And Cold Records) is the moniker of Leah Lane, a brave American artist who has emotionally laid herself bare on albums like Martyr, In The Wake of Fire, and From the Ashes. Meanwhile, Principe Valiente is a Swedish group formed by Fernando Honorato (who’s launching his solo career as Fernando’s Eyes) and Jimmy Ottosson. Their albums Choirs of Blessed Youth, Oceans, and In this Light come highly recommended. As for NNHMN, they’re one of the biggest bands in modern darkwave, with a truly magnetic vocalist and a solid handful of dancefloor killers.
A Proper Chance to See Kaelan Mikla
After their troubled appearance at DarkMad, many fans are eager to see the Icelandic trio. Last year they composed a soundtrack for Victor Sjöström’s silent film The Phantom Carriage, a project that suited these girls perfectly. A proper witch’s gathering awaits you in Benidorm.
The Best Future Pop Band
Of all that Future Pop movement, VNV Nation might be the most emotional and Apoptygma the most fun, but without a doubt, Covenant are the best. It’s been thirty-one years since they released Dreams of A Cryotank, and since then they haven’t stopped recording great albums and composing anthems like “Like Tears in Rain,” “Dead Stars,” “Bullet,” and “Call the Ships to Port.”
Classics with New Material
Legendary band The Chameleons released a new single last week, “Saviours Are a Dangerous Thing,” a preview of their new album Arctic Moon, coming in September. It’ll be their first album in 24 years, so we’re eager to hear those new tracks live. Pink Turns Blue have been quite prolific in recent years, and this year they’ve released the magnificent Black Swan, an album that matches their classic works. And while Clan of Xymox usually base their concerts on their classics, they released a new album, Exodus, last year, from which we hope they’ll play some tracks.
Surprises
If you have been a goth all your life, you’ll surely know Catalan band Volkoff and will know by heart their “esperando la muerte.” If not, give them a listen: you might end up succumbing to mix of EBM with industrial that these experience musicians make. And if you want something heavier, let yourself be surprised by Hasswut and their industrial metal. Another thing that catches our attention is the video session by J. Siemens, a long-experience musician.
A National Map of DJs
From David el Niño, who’s single-handedly covered Valencia, Madrid, Barcelona, and Ibiza, to Catalan Ramón Moya, Francis Tein from Navalmoral de la Mata, El Largo from Madrid’s legendary Saratoga, or famous French producer Big Toxic, we’ll have a great sample of how darkness has been danced to in most of Spain’s key areas.
Long Concerts
Most bands will deliver concerts as long as their headlining shows, and from Darkways opening with an hour-long set to Covenant and Clan of Xymox playing for an hour and fifteen minutes, we’ll be able to see complete performances.
Marky Ramone
The only living member of The Ramones will be playing the following day in Benidorm, and with your festival ticket, you can catch his frenetic performance. Punk’s most famous drummer, backed by a highly competent band, delivers 41 punk pills in the blink of an eye.
Sun and Beach
Even the most gothic soul enjoys spending a little time at the beach (with maximum protection or the biggest umbrella, of course), so the festival is the perfect occasion to take a dip in the warm Mediterranean waters.
