by Sergio Ramirez There is something special about this city: its exceptional climate, the open and festive character of the inhabitants, and its gastronomy makes Valencia a favourite destination for international travellers. It's a city full of colour, light and noise, as is seen year after year in the famous Fallas festival. A stroll though the bed of the dried-up river Turia or having a "caña" rum in the district of Carmen are two popular customs enjoyed by Valencia's citizens and are highly recommended. The cultural life of the city has increased greatly in recent years. There are now more museums than ever but there's less of the effervescent musical activity of previous decades. Despite that, the success of veteran local bands like La Habitación Roja or Polar and the appearance of new bands like Índigo or Euro-Trash Girl has raised the musical panorama of Valencia. The programming of gigs is also more regular thanks to promoters like Tranquilo Niebla. Tranquilo Niebla was a mythical club where you could listen to the best indie pop music in the city and then a record label, but now they concentrate solely on putting on gigs. Another great label is Zebra Records, which has bands like Siwel, Euro-Trash Girl and Nice Man (Francis McDonald).There's also a rich variety of radio programs in Valencia where you can hear indie pop from all over the planet. The pioneer here was Jorge Albi, whose radio show La Conjura de las Danzas ran from the end of the 80s through most of the 90s, and who also put on festivals with bands like The La´s, Happy Mondays, The Darling Buds, The Pop Guns, James, and the Katydids. Today radio shows like Toxicosmos and Ya No Puedo Mas with their On Air club night continue to give the city moments of passion, pop and emotion. |
