Fancy getting away this spring? What a great idea! Here is a list of destinations that are perfect for travelling in spring to enjoy the good weather.

On the far side of Bearpit lies Stokes Croft, the bohemian area seething with music bars, clubs and cafés with multi-purpose basements like the one in Cafe Kino or The Art House, where what caught our attention on their menu were the paninis christened with the names of the most popular local electronic bands. For a rather quick, nutritional eat – even in vegan variety – we can also recommend the nearby restaurant in the local Biblos chain where we tasted the wraps and shared food trays. The same street features one of Banksy’s first murals, “Mild Mild West”, a teddy bear brandishing a Molotov cocktail as a group of bobbies approaches, painted after clashes between riot police and ravers in 1999. The graffiti is at the entrance to Hamilton House, a building housing cooperatively managed artists and start-ups with a spacious, crowded bar called The Canteen. There we had arranged to meet Euan Dickson, the young sound engineer of Massive Attack, celebrated Bristol citizens and the most prolific survivors of so-called Trip Hop. Dickson has overseen the gestation of their music since early 2000, including the albums “100th Window”, “Heligoland” and the recent EP “Ritual Spirit”. He also operates as a keyboardist in their world tours, although he admits having reached music by a different route: “When the band released ‘Mezzanine’ in 1997, I was only 10 years old! Oasis prompted me to take up the guitar, but it was PJ Harvey and Radiohead that opened up a new world for me. I was lucky enough to have my Dad recommend me as a porter in the Massive Attack studio, where I also learned to use Pro Tools and, thanks to my enthusiasm, ended up helping them with their music”, Euan Dickson revealed to us in the company of two friendly mates of his and a few pints we shared in good cheer.

We chatted about the racial diversity in the city, the result of immigration in the fifties, which has also seen some conflict. Nowadays “it’s just taken as normal because you grow up with people from everywhere. Bear in mind that 70% of Bristol voted to stay in the EU in the Brexit referendum”, Dickson explains. In fact, the origins of the group he plays in is deeply rooted in the vibrant scene born of that cultural mix. Since the 70s, the Jamaican diaspora has left its musical mark on the St Pauls suburb, an area where riots broke out in 1980 in response to a police raid. It would also have been the haunts of the young DJ Andrew “Mushroom” Vowles, Grantley “DaddyG” Marshall and the then graffiti artist, Robert “3D” Del Naja, later recognised as the original core members of Massive Attack. In the eighties, they jointly founded one of the first “sound systems” in the United Kingdom, the legendary Wild Bunch, which also included such illustrious Bristolians as Tricky, a future collaborator of the group and, subsequently, a star in his own right, and Nellee Hooper, a star producer of Soul II Soul, Björk, Madonna and Gwen Stefani. Between steamy reggae and punk activism, the first New-York-style spray and lettering, sweaty MCs and incisive scratches, dark nights and cold rain, the original foundations of Trip Hop were laid. The controversial label was applied to the scene sparked by Massive Attack, together with other local groups that achieved global recognition, like Smith & Mighty, Kosheen and the acclaimed Portishead, the latter named after the nearby town and birthplace of their lead, Geoff Barrow, who met Beth Gibbons when he was earning a living as a singer in Bristol’s night spots.

As if Massive Attack’s ties to the local underground were not enough, there is even a theory which identifies Del Naja as the face behind Banksy. Although we had been warned that the group were fed up with the subject, we couldn’t help slipping the question. “If 3D were Banksy, I would have found out long ago”, Dickson asserted. He added that the headlines came out the day before the band were due to hold a big concert in their hometown and that, “when 3D turned up at the rehearsal, Daddy G began to shout, ‘Look everybody , Banksy’s arrived!’, and we fell about laughing”.

We said goodbye to Dickson and started reviewing the development of local electronic music. At the same time Trip Hop was flourishing, another native of Bristol was coming to the fore – Roni Size who, together with the collective, Reprazent, would define drum and bass, spawning a host of sub-genres that continue to feed the city with breakbeats. For instance, while London is regarded as the nerve centre of grime, Bristol is the birthplace of renowned DJ and producer Joker, said to have a spectacular home studio here. Another local figure is DJ Blazey, from the Bodynod collective. He has managed countless clubs dedicated to urban sounds combining rap, electronic and reggae. Unfortunately, we didn’t coincide with any of them, but we were able to attend a whole night of dub, dubstep and grime sound featuring two beacons of UK Urban Music, The Bug and Flowdan. They performed for a radically young, totally devoted crowd in the gigantic, multi-space Lakota, in the Stokes Croft area. Other clubs where fans queue up at the weekend are the neighbouring Blue Mountain and SWX, in Broadmead. Sure enough, electronic seems to well up by spontaneous generation in a city which is also home to the boisterous Fuck Buttons and The Third Eye Foundation, the alter ego of Matt Elliot, also a singer of dark folk.

Well, music is just everywhere in Bristol – in the transhumant buskers who entertain tourists with their guitar playing, in the numerous shops selling instruments and in the new record stores – like Idle Hands, a must-visit for electronic devotees – that have emerged in place of the plethora of forerunners that closed down during the previous decade. However, the sound is experienced above all in the endless array of music bars and concert halls like The Lanes, where that weekend various members of Fun Lovin Criminals DJ’ed. On Saturdays they host Mod nights, currently featuring DJ Andy Crofts of Paul Weller Band fame at the helm. Others include the famous venue Louisiana – “The Louie”, among friends – or the large syndicated auditorium O2 Academy, used for big occasions. Pubs, too, notably the seedy The Surrey Vaults or The Crofters Rights where, apart from tasting a huge number of craft beers, we spent an evening organised by the London label Trashmouth Records and caught sight of Big Jeff, an endearing local figure whose presence at a concert acts as an endorsement of your choice of venue from among the endless offerings in the city.

All music is welcome and, if one day it is electronic that blares out, this doesn’t mean the next day  guitars shouldn’t prevail. No wonder, then, that Bristol is also the city of Wayne Hussey, the former Sisters of Mercy guitarist, and singer of The Mission, both beacons of gothic rock. Also hailing from Bristol are rockers like The Alligators and Rob Ellis, the drummer, producer and arranger known for his close collaboration with PJ Harvey for over two decades. The band Airbus is from nearby Portishead and is actually a spin-off from the group of the same name and with whom they recorded the B-side track “Sour Times”. But, if you’re looking for harder sounds, there are the small standout classics by Onslaught who were part of the thrash metal explosion in the eighties and split up shortly afterwards, only to reunite in 2004. Then there are Jaguar, part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and the hardcore punk group Disorder. So, Bristol begets a penchant for sharp riffs, as evinced in the crowded 3-storey pub, Mother’s Ruin, or at the venue Stag and Hounds, where that weekend happened to feature a performance by Olanza whose bassist is the son of the Black Sabbath drummer.

And, of course, we can’t overlook the fact that some seminal post-punk groups like The Pop Group and Glaxo Babies were founded in Bristol in the late seventies, followed the next decade by such acolytes as The Agents, The Escape and Rip Rig + Panic, whose members include the selfsame Neneh Cherry who would subsequently let Massive Attack use the kitchen in her London flat as a studio during the group’s initial forays in the metropolis. Bristol also witnessed the birth of two members of the popular Bananarama. And, another yardstick of mainstream eighties, the sorely missed Tears for Fears, came together in nearby Bath, where the Propellerheads also emerged. This is clearly fertile ground for music.

The rain never let up throughout our time in the city and, while we never quite grasped the rationale behind some locals – obviously used to such downpours – calmly strolling about in shirtsleeves or jerseys, we did come to appreciate the early nightfall and stimulating cold of Bristol in winter. We admired the city while recalling the verse by Beth Gibbons: “All mine / you have to be / from that cloud / number nine”. And, although soaked through, we felt lucky to be treading its streets.

Did that catch your fancy? Inspiring, isn’t it? Well, don’t leave it at that – get a flight and experience it for yourself. Check out our dates and times here.

Text by Mondo Sonoro and Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Who would have thought that, when they made their debut on stage at the Café Bizarre in New York, the young Lou Reed and John Cale would end up being the stars of an exhibition paying tribute to their band in Paris? That was back in 1965 when, having first called themselves The Warlocks and then The Falling Spikes, they had finally settled on a name that would identify and enshrine them for posterity. Incidentally, The Velvet Underground was the title of a book on sado-masochism written by Michael Leigh which had fallen into their hands by sheer chance. Nothing unusual, however, considering that drugs, prostitution, transvestism and homosexuality were rife in their New York haunts and would become the subject of many of their song lyrics, a fact which rattled more than one music producer.

Andy Warhol, a great one for moving in the New York underground and absorbing it into his parties and his works, particularly in the film pieces he shot with Paul Morrissey, was enthralled with the music of this upcoming band and added them to the prevailing fauna in The Factory. What’s more, he even took the bold step of taking over as manager of the group and in 1967 released his first production, The Velvet Underground & Nico, for which he did the cover design. Indeed, I am referring to the famous cover with the banana sticker, a veritable icon in the art world. But, the album’s value lies not only in its wrapping. Its content includes some genuine musical pearls like Sunday Morning, I’m Waiting for the Man, Venus in Furs and Heroin.One of the upshots of their collaboration with the pop artist par excellence were the videos he recorded with them, which ranged from ghoulish to arty, in which he enveloped the band in light and colour.

While the album was not a super-hit – only some 30,000 copies were sold – the band decided to  break with the core of Andy Warhol and The Factory to pursue their career as musicians. The Velvet Underground remained active until 1973, when differences between the leaders were responsible for precipitating a break-up – John Cale having had a more academic music training, while Lou Reed had followed a more rebellious line. They actually started moving in and out of the band, until they eventually decided to break up altogether.

Despite their short career and meagre success, at least as far as album sales is concerned, The Velvet Underground was one of the most influential bands of New York. Heirs to the beat generation legacy, they played a crucial role in New York’s counter-culture, far removed from the psychedelic hippie culture of the seventies that reigned in San Francisco, the other major hub of creativity in the United States. Among those who inherited their destructured sound and coarse lyrics were Ramones, The Voidoids, Dead Boys, The Heartbreakers, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, Bauhaus, The Contortions, Bush Tetras, Teenage Jesus and The Jerks, DNA, Sonic Youth, Spacemen 3 and Nirvana.

The Philharmonie de Paris is hosting a tribute to this band in the form of an exhibition entitled, The Velvet Underground. New York Extravaganza, which runs until 12 August. Audiovisual material has been carefully curated, with six films being purpose produced for the occasion, also featuring television file pictures, photos and portraits of the band members, objects from private collections and works by contemporary and later artists who were seduced by the charms of the band. This whole ensemble is designed to recount the story of the group and its lasting legacy. But, there is more – the exhibition will be supported by a parallel set of activities, including conferences, screenings and concerts.

Go back down memory lane and relive one of the outstanding rock bands of New York’s counter-culture by taking a getaway to Paris. Check out your Vueling here.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Fez is the symbolic heart of Morocco, as well as the country’s spiritual and cultural centre. Green prevails on the mosque facades and domes and is regarded worldwide as the colour of Islam. This fact is also reflected in the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music, which attracts musicians from all over the planet every summer. This is a unique event which sets up avenues of dialogue between disparate cultures and religions from Islamic lands.

But, don’t start panicking! You needn’t expect slow religious concerts in the sense of Gregorian chant. Rather, this is a festival which, year after year, promises to dish out great chunks of entertainment. On previous occasions, the Fez Festival was graced by the participation of music stars of the calibre of Björk, Paco de Lucía, Patti Smith, Joan Baez and Youssou N’Dour.

Noteworthy among the cultural and musical offerings at this year’s festival – which features over 500 international musicians starring in more than 50 shows and 10 concerts – is the flamenco of Diego el Cigala, the rhythm & blues of The Temptations with their legendary seal of American Motown, the video artist Jean de Boysson and the Malian singer and songwriter, Oumou Sangare, among many others.

In Memory of Hassan Al Wazzan, Explorer of Al-Andalus

This the 21st edition of the Fez Festival will be held from 22 to 30 May. Under the slogan, “A Reflection of Africa”, the festival commemorates the journeys of Hassan Al Wazzan, the Andalusi explorer known as the Lion of Africa whose remains are buried in Fez.

The life of Hassan Al Wazzan, who lived in the 15th and 16th century, was one of a nomad who was forced to travel due to political and religious circumstances. He embarked on a diplomatic career while studying in a Fez madrasa and travelled across all of North Africa as an explorer and geographer. Finally, he went to Rome, where he was adopted as a son of Leo X. There he was baptised with the name Giovanni Leone de Medicis (or Leo Africanus), although he never turned his back on the Islamic tradition.

Alternative Activities

The music programme is supplemented by a comprehensive schedule of parallel activities, notably film screenings, conferences, exhibitions and children’s activities. An alternative cycle of free concerts will be staged throughout the festival in Bab Boujloud square, paralleled by the Nuits Soufies, featuring free, daily concerts in the Dar Tazi gardens, right in the heart of the Fez medina, a symbolic place providing a broad overview of the all-embracing Islamic culture.

Fez – the Cradle of North African Culture

With over a million inhabitants, the Fez el-Bali medina (Old Fez) stacks up as one of the largest inhabited medieval cities in the world. The district is listed as a World Heritage site and contains the world’s largest pedestrian precinct. Its interior is a maze of 10,000 backstreets, some of which are cul-de-sacs, while others seem to lead you back to your starting point. Getting your bearings in that labyrinth can be complicated, but that’s part of its charm.

Like Fez el-Bali, Fez el-Jdid is a walled enclosure. Set in the walls are a number of palaces, gardens, bazaars and Koranic schools, the architecture of which is more elegant than in the rest of the city. The most interesting sights in the area are the Dar El Makhzen Royal Palace and the Mellah or Jewish quarter.

One of the most popular places with tourists is the Chaouwara tannery. While not suitable for the squeamish, on account of the potent smell given off by the animal hides, a visit to this quarter comes highly recommended. Seen from a vantage point, the quarter is magical, resembling a painter’s palette.

Text by Scanner FM

Images by Phil Chambers, Deniz Eyuce, Pablo Jimenez, Elena, Adolf Boluda and Sergio Morchon