March is the best month of the year. Not only are the ghastly winter months over, but the clocks leap forward and our bank balances are back up to scratch. It’s also the birth month of Ron Jeremy, Dave Eggers, Darryl Strawberry and yours truly (on the 12th, musical gifts welcome).
I’m leading with a doffed cap to the fine folk behind Freedonia. This month marks nine years of fringe cultural planning in deepest Raval open to absolutely everyone. On the 30th, the team head over the road to This Side Up where they go late and loud with a line up of supreme DJs including Hivern Discs’ Marc Piñol, hot topic Ylia and city stalwart DJ Lui. Arrive early, dress extravagant.
On an occasion of such fiendish serendipity that one can only suspect Lucifer himself is pulling the strings, both Cannibal Corpse and Cannabis Corpse play Barcelona this month. The former, death metal veterans, slaughter Razzmatazz on the 6th, whilst the weed-worshiping tribute outfit smoke out Upload on the 29th. A year’s subscription for anyone who Telegrams (t.me/bcnmes) photos of both ticket stubs to BCN Més HQ.
The annual Independent Label Market returns to Crec on the 17th and 18th with a music fair and an ample programme of sideshows around town. Go meet the moguls dedicated to the noble pursuit of releasing tunes on wax in person, whose number this year includes exotic reissue specialists Finders Keepers, afro-jazz dudes On The Corner and the broken-beat styles of 22a.
After having announced events in good faith, this column is occasionally burdened with the curse of cancelled nights, flaky venues and other small-scale promoter’s obstacles. In this vein, we terminate with acorrection: in the end, weirdo food do Naturaleza Acústica goes down on the 25th at Magia Roja. It’s not for everyone.
