FIB Heineken Fest in Spain: A Music Lover's Dream

Benicassim by night

From Benicassim, Spain: Festival Internacional Benicasim featuring 4 nights of incredible indie music, including Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Amy Winehouse, and Wilco, and blasts from the past such as Iggy Pop, Human League, Devo, and B-52s.
(July 19-22)

Benicassim by day

Recommended beverage to go with this show: a rail drink (this fest was sponsored by Heineken so the beer option was out)

In the sleepy seaside Spanish town of Benicassim, local population of 13,900, some 50,000 mostly-Europeans invaded for a 4-night indie rock music fest. Now in its 10^th year, Festival Internacional Benicasim (FIB) is a mad mix of indie and electronica bands from around the world. The bands and deejay tent rage all night long; rest and recovery occurs during the day on the lovely beach, where folks can detoxify in the salty waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

Tens of thousands of people utilize the campgrounds by the Fest. My group (which consisted of 10 Brits, a Swiss guy, and me, the American) opted for a hotel. Luckily, our hotel was a block from the beach. The downside was we had a 30-minute walk to the Fest side, partly over rocky, unpaved roads, 15 minutes of which was just walking the perimeter to the entrance. There was little infrastructure to support the mass visitor influx but the quality of this fest was so top notch that it made any hassle getting in and out of the town worth the effort.

Ironically, a large number of American bands dotted the line-up on the main and side stages. I thought, “Am I flying all the way to Europe to hear American bands?” There, though, I took great pride in this fact and the notion it’d be unlikely to have many of these eclectic, talented U.S. bands on the same bill in the States.

Such American headliners as Wilco, Bright Eyes, Albert Hammond, Jr. (guitarist from the Strokes) and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club gave truly stunning performances. I would’ve been happy to skip the B-52s, quite honestly, but the cleaner bathrooms were near the main stage so I had to endure “Rock Lobster,” not my favorite tune.

Below, you’ll find some brief random perceptions about the acts I saw.

Best of the Brits: As expected, headliners Muse, the Magic Numbers, and Arctic Monkeys all played brilliant sets. Amy Winehouse fought back her alcoholic, anorexic tendencies to perform; her jazzy-reggae tinged rock was something special.

Old white guys can rock! This fact was proven by headliners Devo and Iggy & the Stooges.

Great bands to dance to: Americans Ok Go and !!! (Chk Chk Chk) as well as the Brazilian CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy) get my vote.

Best flamboyant showman: Why, Rufus Wainwright, of course. His pure voice and ebullient personality made it worth showing up early one night to catch his set.

Wish I caught more of them: On the side stage, I only caught a sampling of Swedish rockers Peter, Bjorn and John but it sounded incredible.

Band with the worst commute: The Klaxons. They’re British but got stuck in the monsoon and couldn’t get to Spain in time for their headliner set. But troopers that they are, they made it and performed later in the evening on a side stage.

Best act not actually in the intended line-up: Who Made Who from Sweden performed in the main stage slot originally scheduled for the Klaxons. Dressed in skeleton garb, they positively rocked the place.

“Damn, they didn’t play…” Arctic Monkeys didn’t play Mardy Bum. Ok Go didn’t play A Million Ways.

Most talented deejay. Armand Van Helden from New York. Ok, he was the only one I saw/danced to but he was really, really good.

Band I couldn’t avoid despite my efforts. B-52s. I just didn’t feel the need to hear “Rock Lobster” or "Love Shack" live but the nicer bathrooms were near that stage so I heard part of their set. If you like these guys, it sounded pretty good. “Roam” was more than tolerable.

Bands I am most upset I missed. Sad but true. Due to scheduling, I missed The Rapture, Human League, Calexico, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah…entirely.

It was a wonderfully exhausting trip!

Technorati Tags: FIB Heineken Fest, Benicasim, Festival Internacional, Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Amy Winehouse, Wilco, Iggy Pop, Devo, B-52s, Ok Go, Peter, Bjorn & John