The Influencers is a push for a better world. Meaning one that is more crazy, irreverent and fun. Three days of experimentation on mass culture that runs from personality changes for commercial giants by the famous Yes Men (plus their latest film “The Yes Men Fix The World”), to fierce tournaments between customised bicycles, apparently inoffensive radioactive sculptures, billboard liberators, the feats of a modern knight errant with his technological donkey, the presentation of a new product that will revolutionise the independent republic of your home : the domestic guillotine (invaluable in times of crisis), and many other intrepid ideas to improve your life the day the feast of commercialisation is all served up./ Cactus Lima Trans. by Suky Taylor

I totally like the hyper-realist and completely surreal style of Alex Diamond. It’s fascinating, I can´t help being fascinated by it. I would tell you something more personal about him, but nobody knows much for sure. You might be wondering, why should you care…? Well, you do my little grasshoppers, because his art is created largely FOR that very reason. His paintings and his representations become his own life (pay attention! They don’t represent it, they actually are his life). And that is more than just something cute, it is to say perhaps it’s biggest attraction. Because you know, when looking at them, that you are viewing an unreal reality. Something which is, but does not exist. Ephemeral. Like the artist./ Noelia Aparicio Trans. by Carol

To go to one of Sunn O)))’s concerts, you need earplugs and the knowledge that, different than a “conventional” concert, it’s more a physical experience than an emotional one. They said in an interview published recently that they make music to listen to with all parts of the body, and for this reason they turn up the volume even higher than Spinal Tap’s eleven. So that you feel it in your stomach. You’re going to end up without eardrums if you’re not careful; it’s nothing to joke about. The My Bloody Valentine show at the Auditori was something similar to what will happen at Apolo, but without the pop factor, and with the added theatre, and much, much, much darker. Sunn O))) is music made to be experienced live, not to listened to at home. / Eduard Gras Trans. by Laura

If you like the Borne more than the boneheads over at Telecinco and pop art more than eating with your fingers, if you can’t help it, don’t keep tormenting yourself: get on over to the opening of Iguapop and keep your good thing going. Now; if what you’re looking for is an understanding of profound art, traversing forms and time, known and renowned internationally and with awards covering the mantel (Creu de Sant Jordi, Nacional de Artes Plásticas and seven more), then I’d send you over to the Fundació Suñol where they’ve got the goods. Schematics, abstract geometry, post-cubist expressionism… Labels are never stick long to Hernández Pijuan. That and 50 years of a career become something indescribable, unencompassable, almost metaphysical. In fact Pijuan isn’t even dead, he’s off sharing a flat with Elvis, far from the Borne./ Bic Cristal Trans. by Don Vito

Grafika is not just another urban art exhibition. It’s not just another demostration of the influence that graffiti, hip hop or skateboarding have had in visual art, either. Actually, it’s both of those things, but if there’s someone who absolutely rocks in this field, it’s the artists of Beautiful Losers. That’s why it’s really worth it to visit this selection of about fifty pieces from algunos de ellos (like Mike Mills or Harmony Korine). Trained or inspired by the street culture of American cities, they’ve reached so high a level that now they’re a total reference in the worlds of contemporary art and design. I’m sorry, but they are anything but losers. There’s no one like them and I guarantee that this exhibition at Vallery is like nothing you’ve seen before./ Marta Bausells

Fito Conesa is invited and so are you. Homesession once again presents the work of an artist in an environment that, at the very least, is different. It’s neither about an exhibitions room nor a gallery. Formalities aside, just the basics. The Homesession boys have given up their own home so that the artists can work some magic in the privacy of a flat. And Fito Conesa will really enchant in this new edition of the program Invited-One-Day. Saying his work is multidisciplinary is saying nothing. From installations to drawings, and oo through live music. What will he have prepared this time? The best way to find out is to go over and find out for yourself./ Gabriel Trindade Trans. by Susa

Five years have passed since a quirky underground shorts festival named Quickflick found its way to Barcelona from São Paulo via London and Berlin. Five years of global creativity inspiring hundreds of filmmakers and artists from a dozen of the worlds creative capitals. But Thursday is Barcelona’s night! To celebrate this special birthday, Quickflick have compiled a review of some of the finest Quickflicks produced just from Barcelona –covering a number of themes, in a selection which is bound to surprise and entertain. Join the festivities and healthy dose of the short, sweet and unexpected in MauMau –and you might even feel like producing a Quickflick yourself in future months. Happy Birthday Quickflick Barcelona!/ Saint

Forget for one moment cyber-reality, robotics, and multimedia art. Let yourself be seduced by art made by hand and with care and love, see the different animal portraits on formats that are rare for these modern times. Remember when your grandmother made all those clothes, which were works of art, with needle and thread, sitting on the sofa? Well, this something like that, but in a more modern form (they even used sewing machines), making up these “Family Portraits,” mixed techniques, plays with fabrics and textures, that seem to simulate images taken from a photo booth but as if the characters from “La Aldea del Arce” came out of it. Welcome to a personal zoo, in which the wild animals aren’t the least bit aggressive./ David Juli Trans. by Laura

When Pablo Escobar died in ‘93, he was denounced for being responsible for the death of 4,000 people. He was none other than the Medellín cartel “Drug Lord”, and the top dog of the Colombian mafia. Was it an honour? Well, for him it most probably was, as he exerted his hand of steel in his nefarious reign. But once he died, what happened to his family? Should sons and daughters pay for the wayward actions of their parents? “ Pecados de mi padre (“Sins of My Father”) tells us about Escobar’s son, Sebastian Marroquín, and widowed wife. Both were badly scarred by Escobar’s wheeling and dealing, and now Marroquín feels the moral obligation to plead forgiveness from the families of his father’s victims, and this documentary begins his long path to redemption./ Miguel Ibáñez Monroy Trans. by Kat

When the Batsheva Dance Company performs, the audience sits surrounding them. Not a new idea, in fact quite the contrary, but one that has become uncommon in dance these days. The choreography is thus even more focused on creating a work of symmetry within the space (like a kaleidoscope) with facets and patterns (to be enjoyed from many viewpoints). From their beginning, Batsheva have never thought that art should be compromised. So these Israelis have gone out of their way to dance for Palestinians and strive towards a peaceful co-existence. With “Mamootot ”, their director Ohad Naharin (ex-Martha Graham and ex-American Ballet Theatre, among others) shows his obsession for geometry that is so common in the Big Apple, driving this deliberate effort to draw the public into an intimate embrace./ Francisco Estrada Trans. by Don Vito

I can’t get Ezra Furman out of my head. Since the first time I listened to him, his melodies keep coming to me and I can’t stop thinking about how amazing it would be to hear him live. They have gone from an up-and-coming indie talent to one of the best American bands of the moment with just two records. But what records! Full of hits that evoke everything from Dylan to punk, their folky rock has a bit of a Midwestern angst and comes with impulsive and challenging lyrics. Sometimes he’s tender, sometimes he’s sarcastic, other times he’s pungent, it doesn’t matter: he does what he feels, and that’s palpable in the intensity and confidence that bursts from every chord. They’re definitely one of the best live acts to see. Hey Ezra, I really don’t mind if you don’t take off your sunglasses./ Marta Bausells

Nowadays, the one and only female voice of spanish song. Beyond her affairs in life, that have been point of endless discussion and have fed many journalists for years, in any media, whatever colour it may be, La Pantoja is La Pantoja. And that without mentioning people, devote lovers and absolute haters all around Spanish and latin geography, putting her in the place she is now standing. This is a comeback tour, with a diva style show that includes 12 musicians and 8 dancers: that’s “Así es La Vida” (nice title, by the way). “Marinero de luces”, “Fue por tu amor” and so many others will once again generate smiles and cries. The ‘tonadillera’ confesses from her intimacy while she makes her place in history, in her’s and ours. Cooler than you may think./ Ana Metlikovez

Have you ever thought, in a desperate moment, that you would do anything to achieve an impossible dream or to have your love returned in the same way you give it, even sell your soul to the devil? Faust did it for wisdom, and Wilhem, the protagonist of the musical The Black Rider, does it for love. Created by R. Wilson, with music by Tom Waits and the collaboration of W. S. Burroughs, the production is re-opening at Teatre Almeria under the direction of Victor Àlvaro. I won’t tell you the story, you can find that out for yourselves at this wonderful once-a-month theatre, but I will emphasise the talent, passion and expertise that forge the show: incredible voices and intense performance make two hours of excellent theatre./ Francesca Regni Trans. by Suky Taylor

When Chinese Christmas Cards won the Levi’s Unfamous Music Awards, comparisons with The Postal Service started to rain down, and as Bon Jovi’s canny fan base declared, so many people can’t be wrong. CCC definitely remind me of The Postal Service, but they’re more potent and have a bit more spite, or in other words, they’re less happy-fun than Ben Gibbard and his little noise-makers. But just like The Postal Service, the girls like them, so what more do you want? Supported by Lasers, whose small-print says they mix classic shoegaze (you know, My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain) with the new noise music wave but in an electronic key. They do play guitars, and they add to the atmosphere with a many-layered enthusiasm. / Eduard Gras Trans. by Suky Taylor

Somebody once said that when we fall in love, we fall in love with something of ourselves that is reflected in the other person. Sometimes, we lose our mind and our own identity because of a person. We stop “being” in order to love, even if we might run the frightening risk of being hurt. And when everything is over, we are left naked, abandoned with our own memories. Raimundo Morte is the creative mind behind this short film based on a poem by Ángel Mota, and the sequel of “Tú, habrás sido mi cuerpo” (¨You, will have been my body¨), the winning film of the video-creation section at the 2009 VisualSound festival of Barcelona. In Mau Mau you´ll be able to watch a sneak peek of this visual poetry, as well as having the chance to see the performance of Sau-Ching Wong, the main actress in the film. Join us with all your heart and let her body also be part of yours./ Miri Spuni Trans. by Carol

There are some people that when they all get together, you’re guaranteed to have a good laugh, abundant brainwaves. You’ll put the world to rights, you’ll get all emotional, and then you’ll go all out and drink each other under the table! Well, today this is all makin’ a big comeback in the PVC of Poblenou, where the poetry recitals and performances will all mingle into one, and it’ll make your hair stand on end. But it’ll all surely end in delirious pleasure and debauchery. Diana Junyent Pornoterrorismo, a character from around town will be enlightening us with some texts together with the delicate crudeness of Leonor Silvestri and there’ll of course be an appearance of the lucidity from radical Javier Amilibia. PlayPause will bring us with spine shivering visuals. Tune in, drop off and hang out, this is one of the hot dates in Barna that’ll truly tickle your fancy./ Carme Ribot Trans. by Kat

Jonjo clearly asked Zohan for license to style his hair. Though, if we’re talking fashionable hairdos, I’m more a fan of Morrissey’s toupee. Jonjo’s English too, from the outskirts of Manchester, twenty-something, dead keen on being a popstar. His sound is a distorted lo-fi, indie clap-clap-clap kind of thing, with songs that are trying to be a bit glam. It’s pop. If he were a girl, he’d probably want to be Lady Gaga. The Guardian claims him to be a Razorblade lookalike, doing Rihanna covers. His Myspace is cool, makes you want to go see him in concert and wish him well in his musical future. You can never have too many English idols – let’s see how he gets on, and whether he can hypnotise me. Raquel Gariani Trans. by Aoife

If the center doesn’t go to Gracia, then Gracia goes to the center. Bar Vinil() is throwing a humdinger of a party for their fourth birthday, and in order for everybody –fans and guests- to fit, they are all gathering at Sidecar. Maria Coma, Inspira and Carlos Cros will be rocking out live. Afterwards, the DJ sessions will start with Too Many Ricky´s (Ricky Lavado of Standstill and Ricky Falkner of Standstill, Egon Soda, etc), resident DJs at bar Vinil(), and Bombjack DJ Guillem Pascual) will be playing some good stuff for us. The party might not last all night, but the desire to continue partying will. Now, go and look for some guys from the bar so they can invite you to the big night out. Let´s take full advantage of this because if it was in Gracia the neighbors would surely complain… / Raquel Gariani Trans. by Carol

All of a sudden the ground shudders and once again when it rains it pours. An entire country, Haiti, is left without a nation and a universal chaos is predicted from our safe little haven in the “West”. But, at the same time, this spine shuddering temblor and its consequences have provoked a wave of solidarity amongst the citizens of the world, and a small ripple of this solidarity will arrive in Barna this Saturday with a benefit gig. The emergency services of Médicos Sin Fronteras will be the sole beneficiary. There’ll be a unity of various types of music, from acid house to techo-dub and big fat base lines. Come and join us as we all hold hands with humanity and dance for Haiti./ Toni Trans. by Kat

If you still think that to be a dancer you need a hot bod, a minimum level of your complexion, starve for your art and make huge sacrifices, we’re going to prove that you couldn’t be more wrong. You don’t believe me? I won’t be the one refuting you; I leave that to the professionals: Daniel Zacar, a hairy little man that shines with happiness on stage, dressed up in leggings and ballet slippers. Put this way, bluntly, it may sound grotesque, but don’t let yourself be fooled (depending on the explanation, Santa Claus and Ronald McDonald equally sound like high-profile pedophiles.) Do you believe what people tell you? If I were you, I wouldn’t fail to see this live and ignore all that jive talk./ Angélica Guzmán Trans. by Susa

Few have shaken up the lesbian scene in this town like the legendary Les Fatales. Their joint in Balmes is renowned and has been the venue for many a party and top concert over the years, as are their periodical parties in KGB, where they’ll be this weekend. Katja Gustafsson, recently landed from Nordic shores will be bringing her dirty electro, hip and progressive house to the mix, Luna Martínez, her minimal groove, and the Elektroduenda will be dusting off her famous electro for the occasion. The night’s warm up comes in the shape of Rosa Pacheco and her minimal tech. Visuals? Courtesy of Pi_Body and yep, Punto Ge. And as if that weren’t enough, Femz aka Femma will be there, dishing out warm glögwein and other recipes. Oh yeah! The dress code is a blonde wig, as for one night only, we’ll all be Swedish. May Bergman’s spirit bless us all! /Carme Ribot Trans. by Aoife

Becool’s Acid Night returns to transport us back to the most acid tunes of the eighties. And I don’t mean shoulder pads and back-combing – this is luminous accessories and smiley faces. The host is Dj Pierre from Chicago, who was the pioneer of flashy lysergic beats with his band Phuture. The sounds of the Roland 303 are back and smiley doesn’t want to miss it – after years of rest, it never really disappeared, and Dj Pierre can be trusted to turn the dancefloor upside-down. When he plays “Acid Trax”, the air will sizzle./ Esther Díaz Trans. by Suky Taylor

It’s not just a whim. In Iceland everything revolves around the volcanic scenery and frozen landscapes. It might be because of this that the aurora borealis of artistic creation, the very unique Jóhann Jóhannsson and Hildur Gudnadóttirhail from these lands. He composes music which dances on string quartets, deliciously created and flavoured with electronic textures of immeasurable beauty. Alongside him, Hildur, an amazing cellist and composer of electronica for classical, and viceversa, the string to this pair’s bow. It’s likely that Kraftwerk and Shostacóvich seem worlds away from this, and the word pizzicato makes you want to yawn, but don’t forget that in Iceland, nothing is what it seems at first glance, and this’ll hit you like lava to the senses. Tu non mi perderai mai./Juan Carlos Romero Trans. by Aoife

Recycling sometimes can be something more than just separating trash. Recycling can mean creating. Making <a href=”http://www.ateneu9b.net/htm/prog_feb10.html#pro2 ” class=”review” target=”_blank”>something beautiful like a cheesy bum-bum or a chis-chis.Names don’t ring a bell? Well they make noise and sound swell and that’s good, because they’re some of the instruments that you can make in this workshop. In a couple of hours and with some plastic bottles, wrappers, napkin tubes, and a few other bits and bobs you can transform yourself into a genuine percussionist. And to put the icing on the cake, at the end of the workshop all the participants will play a song together. One of the best ways to spend a Sunday evening with experimenting, inventing and creating, with rhythm to boot. Who says that trash is worthless?/ Miri Spuni Trans. by Don Vito

This is a party that could provoke retching to some members of the city council of Vic, and for that alone it wouldn’t be a bad idea to organize the next edition there, he-he-he. “El sudaca nos ataca”, apart from being a song by Siniestro Total, is a chance to dance and listen to the most wild sh*t from Sudakistan as much as to groove on what’s cool from this vast (crude and refined) continent. For this edition, Mexico is the guest country. With cultural jewels ranging from the indigenous to folk and even futuristic interspersed with monstrosities like this (that make you think that the much consecrated and subsidized “fusion of cultures” is not always a good idea), we can be sure that this will be an unforgettable night. Only recommended to spirits who see beyond the obvious… Finally, a warning: you won’t sigh, you’ll moan./ Francisco Estrada Trans. by Susa

Oscar nominated for best picture, adapted script, actress and supporting actress (among other categories). Recognized with a Golden Globe for best supporting actress and forty more awards. Almost fifty nominations gathered in multiple international festivals and praised by critics and the public alike. Behold the impressive introduction of “Precious,” the little independent long-shot that made its way among the movie posters filled with 3-D effects, disconcertingly blue protagonists and overwhelming scenes of questionable style. The harsh story of a teenage girl burdened with a hard and heavy life serves as the thread to make up a social criticism like those that tend to attract U.S. filmmakers. Tender, raw, emotional, and ready for the Kodak Theatre. / Eva A. Prats Trans. by Laura

It’s estimated that our generation will live beyond 100-years-old, probably even beyond the year 2159. No really! I’m telling you. But don’t stree, there’s no need, we’ll still have some sitcoms to watch till then. Well. Whatever happens, who doesn’t like fantasizing about how it would be to get inside a time capsule that wouldn’t be opened until 2159? How would the city look, the people, the World? That’s what the Any Cerdà project proposes: to create capsule with proposals on how Barcelona will be in 2159, and not open it till then. And this week, in that line of thought, some lectures are to be held: today, Barcelona’s future according astrology; tomorrow, utopias and time capsules; on Wednesday, the future through imagination. And 2159, what about it?/Iu Peña Trans. by Susa

Resources won’t be the problem at this event. It has eight venues; all of them offering free activities like workshops, screenings, symposiums and round-table discussions. They are going to focus on two topics: the audiovisual world and young artists. From technical resources to concerts, a selection of fake trailers and master classes on documentary screenings; it will be impossible not to find something that suits your taste. Today they are hosting their opening event which will include a show from Companyia Cabaret InCivic, a concert from TNR-O “Orange”, an interactive musical instrument, as well as the performance from Tudansesmonchou, four artists who dj using cardboard computers. It sounds appetizing, but I tell you, this is only the beginning. Check out the program carefully, choose your favorite activities and observe (or listen, or feel, or…)/ Iu Peña Trans. by Carol

The Filmoteca de Catalunya is always your best bet when it comes to films; they never get it wrong. The selection of films dedicated to Marcel Hanoun is no exception. This Tunisian, considered one of French independent cinema’s best representatives, is firmly ensconced in February’s programme, to show a different side of cinema, far removed from what commercial filmmakers generally offer. An experience, whereby the filmmaker does documentary, is based on an urge to experiment, take risks and break the mould of traditional movie making. Innovative methods, spanning from the use of a Super 8 to the camera on a mobile phone, make for quite the unconventional creation and not something that the world of cinema has ever seen before./ Eva A. Prats Trans. by Aoife

Who said work? “Las Listas” parody with a bit of acidic wit, the collective efforts of those in the “modern” genre to be considered as artists. But… what would happen if this went beyond caricature, if we were all virtuosos and there was nobody left to be devoted to the mundane? If there were no salespeople in stores, nor workers of the land, or nor heros merely saving lives? If “do you study or design” became the philosophy and raison d’être instead of a joke on a social collective? If the muses democratized their powers and blessed all humans with them? J.D. Wallowits (the director of “Smoking Room”) is responsible for plunging us into this intelligent and yet disturbing situation that will change the view of many. (And the first six shows, February 10 to 14 are just 15€ if you buy tickets here, selecting the option “Corporativo” and entering the code “Las Listas”)./ Angélica Guzmán Trans. by Susa

There are times when the BCN music scene can seem a bit anaemic. Either you have to dance with the indie devil in a shrine to consumerism or seek out ever more experimental and avant-garde performers in increasingly esoteric spaces. Well, I have a solution. Formed last January over a mutual love of beats, poetry and placing the voice centre stage, Matt, Sofia and Maria have played just about everywhere, delighting and enthralling in equal measure. And to celebrate their anniversary, they have a lovely new EP they want to share with us lucky people. Expect bongos. Expect rapping. Expect audience participation. Expect hauntingly honest songwriting about life and love, performed with obvious love and dedication to their craft. Expect to adore them because trust me, this will be special./ Derek Robertson

I’ve been walking past Calle Valldonzella for months, witnessing them digging it all up, and keeping my distance as far as possible. Months without even wondering about anything, and then all of a sudden tah dah, whadaya know homie, a brand spanking new basketball court. All this time, just as if this was NYC or the Bronx….Just like if all of a sudden, our national sport changed from footy to basket, and we all waited in line to be the king of the court. Over-sized T-shirts, sweatbands and Nike Air Jordans. Doesn’t seem real does it, well get on down there and see for yourself. Fancy shooting a few hoops? How does Friday suit ya bro…?/ Nona Vilar Trans. by Kat