Five Spanish bands to see at Bilbao BBK 2016

Well, that’s half of it to be honest but the other half is about stumbling upon something fresh and exciting; a band you catch whilst your mates are arguing about whether watching the second half of Arcade Fire is as important as watching the first half of Foals.

Bilbao BBK Live are pros when it comes to mixing the established with the homegrown newbies. With humble beginnings back in 2006 – making this year its tenth anniversary – they’ve always managed to put together a line-up that pushes together the established with the rookies on the edge of something big. A line-up that is comfortably familiar but with dashes of the unexpected.

This year, the festival is welcoming the likes of Chvrches, Grimes, Wolf Alice, Tame Impala and Father John Misty to the province of Bizkaia. Describing themselves as “above all, a fuss free festival”, they’re also launching a new ‘BASOA space’ that “offers a unique festival experience to lovers of electronic and experimental music”; it’s basically non-stop DJ sets in a surrounding forest, so expect some bats to circle around some serious beats.

Whilst the organisers have pretty much nailed the international line-up with headliners Arcade Fire, Foals and Pixies all involved, we’ve gone and handpicked some talent a bit closer to home that you’ll definitely want to check out.

Hola a Todo el Mundo

With a band name that translates as ‘Hello Everybody’ Hola a Todo el Mundo are quite simply, for everybody. Creating easy, accessible indie-pop, with lots of lovely overlapping harmonies, there’s plenty of climax-moments that will see you thrust your beer in the air, particularly during the outro of "Turn Out The Light". Don’t let their ukuleles, banjos and fiddles put you off – this is far from Mumford and Sons 2.0

Triángulo de Amor Bizarro

Releasing their debut album ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ back in 2007, this New Order-loving trio formed in the Spanish city of A Coruña, with a sound that borders on the electro-indie of the early 80s. There’s some grunge influences in there too but with a pop sensibility that will have you singing along even though you have no idea what they’re saying. It’s catchy, distorted and completely infectious - just listen to "Baila Sumeria".

C. Tangana

Spain has a surprisingly big hip-hop scene and C. Tangana is one of their finest exports. Mixing deep cuts with a monotonous drawl, Tangana is obviously very cool but seriously, he knows what he’s doing when it comes to producing a banger. Often citing Drake as an inspiration, Tangana is still versatile and original enough to spark your interest. Watch the video for "Lo Hace Conmigo" on YouTube.

Soledad Vélez

Described as ‘neo-folk’, Soledad Vélez is straight-up making some of the most exciting electro-pop to come out in a while, anywhere. Flashes of Cat Power and Joan As Policewoman spring to mind but it’s the climactic tendencies, full of emotive reprise, that’ll grab you by the scruff of the neck and make you take notice. Watch the video for "Asteroid" on YouTube.

Juventud Juché

What started as a fun project between pals soon turned into a real thing thanks to this trio playing as many shows as they could following a demo release in 2012. They’re in-your-face and unapologetically scrappy, with clear influences from the likes of Mission of Burma and Gang Of Four. Watch the video for "En Tu Casa" on YouTube.