For many years, the leader of the Elefantes, one of the iconic groups of Iberian pop-rock over the last decade that opened new expressive means for Spanish music, and now as solo act, Shuarma, the artistic name of Barcelonian Juan Manuel Álvarez Puig, continues to prove that he has a lot of
say and sing about in these days and convulsive times for songs and the music industry. The songs of his album, El poder de lo frágil, have received praise from insiders and collaborators, and, most importantly, from the public, which is what matters in the end. Now on a long tour, Shuarma puts
his personal accent on Spanish pop songs, with lyrics that talk about everyday, personal experiences, full of lyricism, but without avoiding social criticism or the most intimate and chaste themes. It does so with the energy and power of rock that can be felt in his live performances, as his Valencian fans can see for themselves in April, and in other cities and places in the months to come. The other date is with Love of Lesbian, one of the most representative groups of what was called in its day Spanish indie music. After an initial period of singing in English, the group looked for a more direct form of communication and chose Spanish, giving us two albums, today highlights of any collection, Maniobras de escapismos (2005) and Cuentos chinos para niños del Japón (2007). Although they play here without a new release (the last 1999, o Cómo generar incendios de nieve con una lupa enfocando la luna, dates from 2009), their live act is one that shouldn’t be missed, always leaving you wanting more. Love of Lesbian is an example of a group that has know to build a career and reputation based on honesty and music rigour. Now is the time to reap the harvest and listen to songs that go directly to the heart.