An intense weekend of punk, rock and psychedelia at Sala Upload
A new edition of the Gambeat Weekend is being held at Poble Espanyol, featuring bands such as Biznaga, Sandré, A Giant Dog and Elephant Stone, among others.
Rock, psychedelia, garage, punk... All these rhythms, and some others, will sound at the Gambeat Weekend, which, say those who organise it (the label Magic Mountain), is the wildest party currently being organised in the city. Ensuring it is so is a selection of bands that have come from Madrid or Barcelona, but also from the USA and Canada. An intense weekend on the 15th and 16th of September at the Sala Upload.
A great selection of artists with the hardest forms of rock as their identity take the stage, where you'll see, on Friday, A Giant Dog (in the picture), one of the guest bands from across the Atlantic. They come from Texas, in the US, and have been writing and performing songs since 2008 that, they say, speak "of the losers, the monsters, and the outcasts". These are themes that, at least originally, were inspired by the literature of Kurt Vonnegut (have you read Slaughterhouse 5, his most famous work?), among other things. They have released a record of different covers titled Neon Bible which is sure to be played at the concert.
Also on Friday, the stage of the Upload Room will host Elephant Stone, pure psychedelia from Canada that takes its name from a 1989 song by The Stone Roses. They make independent-rooted rock, but combine it with traditional Indian music (the band is led by musician Rishi Dhir) and incorporate traditional instruments such as the sitar, tabla and dilruba, which they seamlessly blend with Western psychedelic rock. The party continues with the glam and the riffs of Nancy and, especially, with the garage and surf with an Argentine accent from Los Peyotes, authors of a primitive and sixties surf and garage that you should not miss. Punk and pop, finally, form the sonic recipe that is also served on Friday by the Tatxers, a band that, you've guessed it, alludes with its name to the Iron Lady, queen of economic ultra-liberalism.
Haven't had enough? Well, remember that in addition to a large team of DJs who liven up the party between concerts, on Sunday you will have a second helping of hard rock with the Biznaga, a band from Madrid with roots in Malaga. They are authors of punk rock with moments of pop that have resulted in songs full of light like those that make up their most well-known works, National Dramatic Centre and Bremen do not exist. More punk rock, this one of Barcelona origin, will be served by the Sandré, a band that released the LP Easy Management last year, which they will play in one of their famous live shows, and the Duralex, a Barcelona band that produces amphetamine punk.
On the same stage, the Downtown Boys, a band from the US that plays punk rock with a message that targets their country's prison system, turned into a business, against racism, homophobia, capitalism and, especially, authoritarianism and fascism. And, also on Saturday, the trio from Madrid (despite their name) Boston Babies, will make their punk, rock and glam sound at the Poble Espanyol.
If you like rock, garage and psychedelia, they are waiting for you at the Poble Espanyol. However, before coming, check the Sala Upload website for information about this year's Gambeat Weekend concerts.