Bilbao BBK Live 2014 review • DIY Magazine

The UK could have the finest weather since records began, and it still wouldn’t be quite the same as soaking up the sun somewhere on the continent. That’s exactly how hoards of festival-goers are now beginning to think too, with legions of them grabbing their sun cream and travel miniatures, throwing them into hand luggage and jumping on the next budget airline to España.

That’s because Northern Spain is the newest hotspot for musical weekenders, and with Bilbao BBK Live attracting a higher calibre of acts with each year that swings by, it’s getting harder and harder to resist the sunshine. What with the likes of Franz Ferdinand, The Prodigy and The Black Keys taking on headlining duties for the event, it’s enough to make you unearth the sunglasses and get to Stansted Airport quicker than you can hum ‘Take Me Out’.

Elsewhere at this year’s event, there will be plenty of jumping up and down and waving your arms around, if Bastille have anything to do with it. Still on a high from winning that BRIT Award earlier this year – and selling god-knows-how-many records over in America – they’re set to bring the singalongs in bulk.

Another act well-versed in the art of pop are Phoenix, who’ll be bringing their wonderfully catchy songs to the opening evening of proceedings, whilst the likes of White Lies and Parquet Courts also get the crowds warmed up ahead of Franz Ferdinand’s closing set.

On Friday evening, Chet Faker will be showcasing his electro-infused talents, before Conor Oberst makes things that little more intimate with offerings from his latest solo album ‘Upside Down Mountain’. There’s not much chance of a quiet evening in the tent though; well, not if The Prodigy have anything to do with it.

New York’s Skaters should have just enough time to begin causing a ruckus ahead of a set from the more soothing tones of Band of Horses, and familiar sounds of MGMT. Then, how better to end a festival than with a pint of sangria in one hand and The Black Keys running through their hits on stage? That’s how they do it in Bilbao, right?