The Benicàssim International Festival, FIB Heineken, leaps over to Madrid to stage Saturday Night Fiber, next July 19

The line-up for this wonderful urban event, which aims to be here to stay and hopes to diversify the cultural and recreational offer proposed by the legendary Benicassim Festival, gathers five groups that have shaken up or are still shaking up the indie music panorama: Mika, Babyshambles, My Bloody Valentine, The Rumble Strips and Siouxsie.

Distance to our apartments for rent in Madrid:
Apartment Tirso de Molina is a 30 minutes by subway to Auditorio Juan Carlos I
Apartment Retiro is a 30 minutes by subway to Auditorio Juan Carlos I

The list of artists for the festival Rock in Rio Madrid is already closed. Thus, the present configuration of artists for the three music spaces of the City of Rock is final, with shows by Bob Dylan or David Guetta confirmed in the last few hours. Furthermore, as a reminder, keep in mind that there has been a change of dates for the shows of Ivete Sangalo, who will be performing on June 28^th, and Flamenco All Stars, who will be playing live on July 5^th. Also, electronica duo Chus&Ceballos will be present in Electrónica on July 4^th, instead of their original date, June 27^th.

Neil Young, El Canto del Loco, Shakira, The Police and Bob Dylan will lead the different days at Escenario Mundo. The Electrónica sessions will host figures such as Guetta, Carl Cox, Satoshi Tomiee, Body & Soul and Sasha & Digweed. Also, Loquillo, Mando Diao, Orishas, Zucchero and Café Tacuba will do their thing on the Hot Stage. All in all, over 60 national and international artists encompassing all musical styles in an incomparable show.

For more infomation please visit www.rockinriomadrid.terra.es

For some years now, Calle Fuencarral and the Chueca neighbourhood in Madrid have become reference points for Spanish modernity. The trendiest shops, hair salons and tattoo/piercing parlours have given the area a very active life during the day. Restaurants, bars and clubs with innovative décor liven Madrid’s night, accommodating a varied clientele.

The excellent location of this area has allowed it to become an urban catwalk for independent fashion where trendies, skaters, rappers, indie kids and grunge lovers coincide in a neighbourhood where the tolerant environment acts like a magnet for all types of people.

Five minutes from the Puerta del Sol and running perpendicular to Gran Vía, the streets Fuencarral and Hortaleza have gradually seen the establishment of alternative shops, tattoo and piercing parlours, gay libraries, gay venues, delicate restaurants and trend-setting hair salons.

Distance to our apartments for rent in Madrid:
Apartment Tirso de Molina is a 10 minute-walk to Chueca
Apartment Retiro is a 10 minutes away by subway to Chueca

A wide range of bars offering the finest flamenco atmospheres

With the rise of flamenco bars in the 19th century, flamenco enjoyed its finest hour in the capital. These days, the flamenco bars and clubs are carrying on the tradition, offering a chance to see flamenco at its purest every night, while enjoying a fine meal or a drink.

Our journey begins in the most traditional flamenco tapas bars in Madrid. El Rincón de Jerez (Rufino Blanco, 5. Tel.: 91 355 47 45) is located in the Salamanca neighbourhood and is one of the venues with the most authentic atmosphere. At 11 o clock every night, the waiters and the audience sing “la salve”, a tradition which “comes directly from Jerez”, according to the venue manager Rafael Cantero. “The lights go down, and candles are lit in order to get the singers in the mood, and the audience is given a song sheet so that they can join in”.

Not only can the audience enjoy the finest local music, but they can also enjoy the traditional tapas and dishes such as gazpacho, potatoes, fried fish and bull tail, and wines such as sherry and manzanilla de Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

Los Gabrieles (Echegaray, 17. Tel.: 91 429 62 61) is another of Madrid’s most traditional flamenco venues. Open since 1898, according to manager Sonia Sebastián with the passing of time it has become “an veritable flamenco museum, having remained the same for over a decade”. The Andalusian decoration stands out, with its tiled walls depicting scenes from mythical works such as Don Quixote.

From 1:00 till 9:00 it is a regular bar, where locals come together to chat, have an aperitif and enjoy the purest flamenco. After 9:00 it becomes a cocktail bar, but flamenco music remains ever present until the early hours of the morning.