Placing a cherry on top of a week of video art, the guys from Holala! Plaza join forces with the Barcelona-based production company Sofa Experience to host “Off Loop Experience” within their crystal-clear walls. Under the motto “Past, Present and Dance Floor”, they will convert this unique space into the epicentre of video art by staging a world premiere in the form of a discourse (and by the looks of it, it might be the last one) by the legendary Ukrainian pioneer of video art, Rosko Viruka. This artist, who was silenced for decades by a Soviet regime not overly fond of transgressions, will talk about front-line experiments, experimental broadcasting and video sculpture. To add some spice to the matter, Sofa Experience will show their latest works against a musical backdrop provided by Vice Magazine. Wow!/ Purelowlife

The Documentary of the Month event is still flying the flag of the ‘documentary genre’ (sorry) in Barcelona and most of Cataluña, in the face of all the hordes of films from the US and others that open in the commercial cinemas every Friday. Now the ‘documentary genre’ (oops) announces the arrival of a new release that attempts to understand the absurd world in which we live. This month it’s The Monastery, a Danish film made over several years that relates the story of the elderly Mr Vig, who wants to convert his castle into a monastery, with the future nuns as residents. Not your typical documentary and worth a viewing./ Miquel Martí Freixas Transl. by Suky Taylor

What fascinates me about music festivals, especially the summer ones, is how similar they are to fancy dress parties. You get the same eclectic combination of colours, fabrics and styles. Anything goes…the more extravagantly you dress and the shorter your skirt is, the better. And accessories are a must. It’s no wonder they go all out – it takes a lot to get yourself noticed when there´s such a huge amount of people. ‘Festival Girls’ is a series of portrait photos taken at festivals like Primavera Sound, Sonar, Cultura Urbana and The Big Chill, in 2007. Iona Hodgson, the Irish editorial/portrait photographer, is having her first solo exhibition in the garden of delights that is the H2O Gallery. Her work explores the individual style and beauty of Festival Girls, and their reactions towards being photographed./ Nona Vilar Transl. by Cat Edmondson

A noise to calm the chaos. These beasts won’t bite. Adrián de Alfonso and Arnau Sala (drummer of Les Aus) have brought in Mark Cunningham to blow his horn and bring a touch of jazz to their sound. Free-jazz of the improv kind to let your imaginations flow. And what an amazing venue: La Pedrera. Apart from the fact that the concert hall is supercomfy, just entering the Pedrera is an experience, one step and your in another world. You’ll be able to relax your body and disconnect from the bustling world outside. I’m planning to go and just shut my eyes… no, not sleep… I’ll be philosophising about the changes in the world, our society and the new age and whether I should use those numbers that come up in Lost in next week’s lottery. Keep dreaming!/ Raquel Gariani Transl. by Ayesha

When one thinks about wallpaper, you probably are inclined to think about kitsch designs, faded colours, bad 80’s taste culture or just plain bad stuff to cover up the aesthetic of an old flat. However, Tres Tintas beg to differ and are challenging the notion of this concept, by reappropriating wallpaper for the younger, hip generation and connecting it to urban culture. And what is being presented here is the fruition of their collaboration. A designer from Cobi has created 9 models and 9 jungle designs that are oh, so unique. Mix this up with 1080 chairs and a thousand other blue, block letter fonts and other icons to cover up the most in flats and bars of Barcelona. Mariscal isn’t just limiting itself to this venue; you will find them presenting on location in Palo Alto their designs. Design makes our lives so much more visually interesting, right?/ Descalza Transl. by Teresa Silva

You’re invited to a birthday party, a prize-giving gala. But don’t worry about cake or a posh frock. Though a pair of high heels might be a good idea… If you’re still not acquainted with Burdel74 and on first name terms with the Madame, you’re obviously neither perverse nor corrupted. This larger-than-life dragqueen/artist/comedian is much more woman – too much at times – than me and my girlfriends together. The goddess of Barcelona, Gina Burdel, is celebrating the fourth anniversary of her Raval den. There’ll be awards for ‘Friends of Burdel74’, tasting for divas and divos alike until 3am, when the party will continue at Fellini. Don’t miss the party of the summer!/ Marlène Transl. by Suky Taylor

This is the side project of Placebo’s bassist, Stefan Osdal, which he´s created with David Amen and Javier Solo. It all started when David and Stefan got together to DJ at their friends’ house parties. They went on to remix songs by bands like She Wants Revenge and Queens of the Stone Age, and then joined up with Javier to sing in Spanish, and booom! They’d hit the bigtime. Their new album ‘In the clouds’, which is out now, features a wide range of vocal contributions from various artists such as Brian Molko (who went to the same school as Stefan), Alaska, Miguel Bose and Samantha Fox. Their new fans aside, the Placebo groupies will be there in the front row, so if you want to stand out, ditch your black clothes and put on as many colours as you can find./ Raquel Gariani Transl. by Catherine Edmondson

I bought First Aid Kit’s first album with producer Pau Vallvé and I liked it. However, I was expecting something a bit more upbeat and I ended up putting it on to chill out before going to bed. I put it on again today, months later, and I like it more than ever. It’s still a chilled out album, but it’s almost as if the spices have had time to sink into the meat and the taste if even tastier. They’re here to present their second album: Plaits. Same producer, same concept, same talent… but a bit more pop and with more of an electronic touch. Truth can hurt is a cracker. Let’s see how long it takes for Thomas Morr to be knocking on their door. With a more profound knowledge of their tools, they are hotter than ever. Tssss!/ Carlos G. Cano Transl. by Ayesha

The Ascaso project is back. Listen up. Internet2 was a mixture of melodic comedy, full of chaos and unusual beauty, interpreted through accordion, saxophone, oboe and clarinet. Some months ago, the group split and now Carlos performs his latest solo songs on clarinet and a makeshift cardboard piano on which he dances on top, or so he says. El Petit de Cal Eril is a child (or at least some) who play with home-grown lyrics and upbeat rhythms; a return to youth and innocence. And Misaluba Septet are a perversion of blues, free-jazz and afro-Caribbean rhythms, in competition with essential Catalan roots. All in all, a night without prejudice or limitations, of impulsive music rather than a pre-packaged product./ Mila Doré Transl. by James Deshays

Apart from Dario Fo and one or two other exceptions, Italian authors are under represented in our city, more inclined to English and French agents as we are. Which is strange, as we share a similar world vision with our Mediterranean neighbours – parallel domestic problems, political and social movements and even the same day-to-day emotions. Edoardo Erba is considered to be one of Italy’s most significant dramatists of the moment. Created in the Piccolo Teatro di Milano, his best-known work is New York Marathon, shown in Tàrrega a few years ago. His comedy Venditori, translated into Catalan for the Sala Beckett, paints a nonsensical portrait of society through the transformation of the life of a salesman in a large company following changes in marketing laws, known as the rules of the game, the order of a fixed and “almost” inflexible system. / <Albert T. Riera Transl. by Suky Taylor

As if by clockwork, May bank holiday and the summer sun is here. Your average punter hits the street in a t-shirt and flip flops and the beaches look like a paella with tourists of all sorts of colors and flavors. In all the showrooms next seasons clothes (it isn’t actually summer yet you know), are making you drool but the summer sales are ages away, months away in fact. And this is where Maria and Cristina come in. They’ve started an Outlet with brands like Les Mains, Iris Morata, Pep Boluña and more. It opens its doors to you this weekend in Maria’s studio in the Borne. Come by, check it out, try something on, and have no fear of the price tag, it is called Outlet./ Juan Boludo Transl. by Damien Dillon

With seven releases, Paradigma Musik, an independent label based in Barcelona and Berlin specializing in melodic techno, come to the playbill of Nitsa. Having taken off from humble beginnings on the once obscure MySpace, they’re landing here in our city with two of their main wingmen in tow. On one hand, Marc Marzenit, the best Spanish producer of electronic music in 2007 (so says GoMag) will conduct symphonic and sinuous yet pleasant musical paths in techno themes with touches of trance. Picking up the pieces and coming from the land of the baguette, Paul Ritch is down from Paris. He was once just a promise and now is reality as he brings us one of the most consistent and elegant live performances from the current minimalist panorama. Minimal techno, tech house, minimal trance, melodic techno….a myriad of styles and flavour with one goal in mind, dancing./ Raoul Duke Transl. by Don Vito

A punch in the face with a velvet glove. An excellently poetic introduction… blah blah… but hey, I didn’t invent it.. it’s on their myspace profile. Hmmm. I know most people don’t actually read the blurb on myspace, but I do. Black Acid is a garage band that draws from the best of the Stones, with a touch of the Stooges and full of great musicians like Richard Fearless of Death in Vegas. (Oh how I love Scorpio Rising and what a fantastic live gig with all those projections.. wow!). The rest of the musicians also come from other groups such as: Nymph, Dirty on Purpose, Coyote and Squal&Cane. And what twisted, distorted vocals, I love it./ Raquel Gariani Transl. by Ayesha

Be honest. You, too, have dreamed about being locked in at Corte Inglés one night, to roam free and do everything you can’t do there during the bustling days. Or to have exclusive access to an amusement park, or a museum, while it’s closed to the general public. The party I’m going to tell you about here doesn’t just look like it’s going to be one of the merriest bashes of the year. The joint effort of Loop (it’s their gala event) and the far-from-dead KBB (celebrating its 4th anniversary) is going to be staged, out of all places, in that historic, high-ceilinged building that houses the HQ of the Barcelona post office. A whole lot of video artists and DJs flown in from Austria will make sure that this old building will, in one weekend, witness a bustle it has never seen before./ Kati

The members of “El columpio asesino” from Pamplona, are visiting us again. Good music, between punk, electronic and rock, with a very unmistakable influence of bands such as The Clash, Primal Scream and the Pixies. “El columpio asesino” became nationally known through FIB 2001, thanks to a demo which made them earn a few national music contests. From then on, they began to create history within the indie sector in Spain. They are finally coming again to introduce us to La gallin, which is their last work, edited by Astral Records and Pias Spain. We expect a powerful and accelerated live show. We like their psychedelic and punky vibe, which also combines cheasy lyrics with transcendental ones, but always being very powerful and eclectic. The night will become condescending, let´s hop on the swing and have a great time./ Eva Aguilera

“Someone extracts a fragment of the screen, transforming it into a second screen. He takes another and another, until the audience has to move back to see the whole picture.” When only one person in a relationship is doing all the giving, it’s only a question of time until the bond evaporates. These days, the teacher/pupil relationship is diluted until it is lost in the ocean of Internet. In art, but we are used to adopting a passive stance. But not with Pixelbirds, videoart conjurors with incredible virtual top-hat-and-rabbit tricks. (light painting, cloths with motion graphics…). Today it’s Cubepusher, an experimental filmographic performance that combines video, sound, architecture, and photography, to question the relationship between the audience and the screen. Pure visual tenderness. / Cactus Lima Transl. by Suky Taylor

From the way he sings, you’d assume Joe Crepúsculo had a sad childhood. Like those geeky kids you’d rip the piss out of, but in true John Hugh’s movie style, with that ‘special something’ buried deep inside. It’s impossible to talk about Escuela de zebras without delving into his melancholy, his unspoken grace. His press release says he recorded the album in his dining room, decorated with paintings of ducks, virgins and guns. You’ll also find a touch of romanticism, children’s songs, nonsense and nonchalance, for sure. All this and more, if you listen to Los Cazadores, La Amistad, Después de la Muerte and Suena brillante. A production goldmine (by the hand of one of the Tarántula producers). Watch this space!/ Carlos G. Cano Transl. by Ayesha

Unbreakable, unstainable, erasable too… Plastidecor, Plastidecor. (Translated jingles aren’t quite so catchy, but you get the gist). There’s a Plastidecor party tonight. No it’s not a reunion of the youths of the 70’s and 80’s to paint houses and trees; it’s a par-tay for all who’re up for it with Sidechains (90’s club-house, renovated and reinvented), The Amplid (pure radioactive Barcelona electronica), M.A. (triphop and ambient with a signature singer-songwriter), Jesukrista (experimental pop with a good dose of hits), Kimberly & Clark Djs and The Bluetag (everything that you could need for unforgettable night). I ‘m running out of text space so I can’t keep listing everybody and everything that’ll be there tonight, but that’s enough to pique your interest I hope. My brief notes do no justice to the nuances of these artists, so you’ll just have to let your own ears be the judge./ Mar Ibáñez Transl. by Don Vito

Actually Gui Borrato is no DJ, he is a producer, but in times of digital mixing software this isn’t a big deal anymore. Anyway, what counts is not technical skills, but the selection of tracks, feeling and dramaturgy. And thats where Mr. Boratto knows his way around. With basslines, slowly trundling melodies, melodic sequences and soft modulations his show satisfies both, sound-fetishists and party-junkies who are looking for a stealthy and well calculated club-explosion. From sunshine tasting Tech-House tracks that remind you of sleepless balmy Ibiza-nights to Trance-excursions to the seabed and back. A good candidate to unhinge the dance-floor.What a Beautiful Life!/ Christian Schärmer

Single live is a unique auditory and aural experience. For those who have been following Teresa Iturrioz and Ibon Errazkin since their previous project (Le Mans) you’ll be sure to enjoy the complete adventure of a Single concert as it’s been only about 12 years since the last one. Their new EP “Pianístico” is coming out and it’s a musical and ornithological continuation of their stunning album “Pío Pío”. Without deviating from their pop lineage, the have achieved a mysterious and suggestive sound that encases the instrumentals with harmonious angles of very distinct origins; this alloy of nature and the origins of the Single “sound” continues to be an auditory enigma. In concert, the unmistakable voice of Teresa will flow with ironic poetry accompanied by the guitar of Ibon, the voice of Anti and the keyboard of Joan Vich./ Lucía Miranda Transl. by Don Vito

“Barcelonesos” (as made famous by our excellent Minister Joan Clos), tomorrow isn’t Monday. . no no no, and furthermore today is definitely Saturday all over again. And all because we are celebrating BCN vs NY. The Mediterranean capital raises a clenched fist to the capital of the world. From the other side of the pond come White Magic (one of the best known international exponents of weird-folk), with their unsettling tunes and the cold yet delicate voice of Mira Billotte (ex Quixotic). Defending the other side we have a quartet of lovelies: Les Aus (sonic experiments, music to yogically float to), Be Brave Benjamin, (laid back melodies with a jingly acoustic guitar) Piramid and Weimar (lo-fi electronica). The tension rises as the heavyweights of the underground scene worldwide take their places to battle it out./ Lluís de Nadal Transl. by Naomi Attwood

“Only love can conquer war and it’s good for people to make love”. This is Gregory Isaacs´ philosophy, one of the main models of reggae lovers, together with the deceased Dennis Brown. With a portentous and languid voice, at the same time than passionate and delicate, Isaacs is a precursor of the conscious lyrics of reggae roots. During the 70´s, Isaacs was one of the most prolific and popular artists that came out of the island of Jamaica. Night Nurse, is considered by many people, probably the best album of the also known as “Cool Ruler” or “Lonely Lover”. Even so, it is a record which became the reason why so many people became fans of the reggae genre. Some of his classics, which will probably be played at the show are “Soon Forward”, “Love is Overdue”, “Slave Master” and “Let’s Dance”./ Eva Aguilera

If you already find it difficult to make decisions and then put them into action, imagine if there were another realm to consider, if on top of reality, as in Greek- Roman mythology, life was at the mercy of the wanton Gods. Look at poor Ulysses and what he had to do to return to Ithaka because of the whims of those above. Abélula (Lula Goce and Abel Castello) are inaugurating “Metamorphosis”, their first project together featuring drawings which reinterpret the myth of Homer’s Odyssey. This is no ordinary exhibition where you can stroll around as you please, you have to make decisions (I will not be taking my boyfriend), which lead you to the next part and ultimately the end of the story. Like those books, you know. Art, interaction and mythology, three in one./ Iu Peña Transl. by Damien Dillon

As a supporting actor in “Daredevil” and director of “Ironman”, without a doubt, Jon Favreau is up there in amongst the comic world. After the latest superhero films (and not to call them ridiculous), the Marvel studios and the ever-so-slightly bigheaded Tony Stark seem to be bringing back the classic good-guy-bad-guy. No meaningless special affects, no lack of storyline, no superficiality of the characters. What stands before the popcorn “swilling” moviegoer is elegance, with explosions echoing from the narration and a brilliant iron-like protagonist. Robert Downey Junior has this spot on. Moreover, he plays a showy, Don Juan style, quasi hooligan which anyone would say he does well (clichés aside.) The result: an entertaining film for everyone, which may get us hooked to a series, and of course, with comical winks thrown in./ Eva A. Prats Transl. by James Deshays

The cool thing about writing weekly reviews (one of many, of course) is that you get to discover such incredible artists. Such as the American artist Matt W. Moore who, shamefully I hadn’t heard of before. In fact, I’d never even seen is work. So it’s these little discoveries that make it all worth it. His exhibition is all about street art – graffiti and other artistic styles that originated on street walls. But what he’s presenting can be seen as a natural or personal evolution; a step away from his original urban style, towards the abstract, using techniques specific to graphic design. Despite this, he still stays faithful to his roots as a graffiti artist. exhibiting his work on huge walls, with the powerful impact of thousands of different sprays and fluorescent colours./ David Juli Transl. by Catherine Edmondson

According to legend, the group earned its name at their first concert at Brighton’s amusement park, when 5 fans left the gig with their white shoes decorated in various patterns of blood from so much dancing and jumping. Hmm. Not sure if that’s true. However – comfortable footwear is definitely recommended. Laura-Mary and Steven may be only two, but their music leaves no room to spare, the vocals fill every inch of space. They’re currently on tour around the festivals of Europe, gathering legions of fans as they go. And don’t arrive late or you’ll miss support group The Last 3 Lines, a local group who are truly fantastic. You’ll be converted after just two chords./ Raquel Gariani Transl. by Suky Taylor

If she were an illness she would be catatonic, a film: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a city: Berlin, a doctrine: anarchy. That’s how she is, groundbreaking and original. Looking like she just escaped from a Man Ray portrait, she possesses a talent and personality capable of filling theatres with a single EP. Now she’s a little older she’s got an album for sale on the door. The power of her live performances and their aesthetic hybrids the cabaret of WW II and the circus spectacle of the Sixties, does not make but rather inflames the decadence that bellow from the saxophone. Jessie Evans drinks from the fountain of punk to bring you her own psychedelic brand of the aforementioned fused with tribal rhythms, electronics and choice fine slices of trance. If Juliette, of the Licks, were any good, she still could only come close to a bad Jessie. To hear heris to love her./ Angélica Guzmán Transl. by Damien Dillon

There they go again, those super-modern types from LeCool bothering with another urban art exhibition and bla bla bla…well yes…but…erm…no, because what is being shown is a lot more than street art. A collection which unites six artists illustrating different interpretations of urban culture. And given that an picture paints a thousand words, I challenge you to an interactive game: click the mouse and you’ll see what they do BTOY + Inocuo + Mr.Case + Olivia + Emil Kozak + Jordae. Pretty sweet right?! Be off with you now, to the place in question, a place of many surprises. “Come on and play!”/ David Juli Transl. by James Deshays

“I don’t like Munich,” is what I tell people when they ask me why I left. I take a sip of my beer. “Although,” I say, “the beer is much better.” I light a cigarette. “And in fact, it’s not that I don’t like Munich in general. I miss some underground culture there.” I look at the cars that pass by our terrace. “Because, to be quite honest, there is no better city to be in the summer than Munich. Nothing beats the beer gardens” – where you meet up with your friends to have a litre of fresh draft beer and eat grilled pork ribs as they don’t make them anywhere in the world. Anywhere but at the Hotel Princesa Sofia, possibly, where I’m a regular for my shot of Brez’n with Obatzda (Bavarian bread with a mix of butter and Camembert cheese). If you’re on a diet, don’t go. If you like the good life (Gemütlichkeit, as we Bavarians say) and girls in traditional dresses, please do./ Kati

I’ve been going for 8 years and won’t let anyone come near me unless it’s Manel or Luisa or Gemma. Right in the middle of Eixample, Basic lives up to it’s name, a sparse, clean, large, spaciously designed functional hair salon, where the soft clubby music and huge bay windows overlooking Carrer Aragon relax me. Manel and his people don’t yammer away, they don’t oversell, they work at their craft and throw in some art. An independant shop that specializes in you; they do anything, they do it all, and they do it well. They’re not expensive, they’re not cheap and I know that I’ll always walk out of there happy. I wish my hair grew faster. By appointment, please./ Hankster