In 1994, post-Madrilenian Groove Madrid was in hectic full swing and shedding itself, specifically, of some of the less convenient burdens of those happy years. Bustling, noisy, cosmopolitan and, above all, fun, the capital was starting to build on one of the basic pillars of the new youth movement (the members of which seemed innocent and harmless enough, but they could sure roar up a storm): Music, pure and simple, and no pretensions. For the first time, we in Spain were discovering the latest sounds in music at the same time as the rest of the civilised world. As almost always, those sounds came from the US and the UK. Bands like Sonic Youth, Pavement, Mercury Rev and Dinosaur Jr from the other side of the Atlantic; and Ride, The Charlatans, Oasis and Blur from the British Isles, opened the doors here in our country for truly singular bands like Cancer Moon, Penelope Trip, Parkinson D.C., Patrullero Mancuso, El Inquilino Comunista, Australian Blonde and Los Planetas – all of whom, and many others, were signed to independent labels that encouraged musicians to “go their own way”. They were acclaimed in alternative-music media channels advocating change, and they played in small venues spread around the country. One in particular was Maravillas, the sanctuary of the indie-rock scene in Madrid, where an idea began to sprout – one that would prove absolutely crucial to the next fifteen years of music in Spain.
Between concerts, Luis Calvo and Joako Ezpeleta, both editors at the magazine Spiral (Calvo was also head of Elefant Records), joined up with Miguel and José Morán, who were running Maravillas, to really bring about what had until then only seemed like a pipe dream: “We would dream of creating the perfect space for an international gathering of young music lovers; a place full of unique, enriching and unforgettable experiences where people could share their interests and passion for music and life while providing an emotionally-charged base of support for cutting-edge bands to put on really amazing and one-of-a-kind shows.” And, the opportunity arrived when they found the ideal spot on the Mediterranean for truly great summer holidays – a friendly place, lots of sun, surf and sand, and beautiful weather. Françesc Colomer, who was then the mayor of the small city of Benicàssim, listened to their proposal and recognised the incredible possibilities of such a venture. He took a gamble and ultimately won. The first edition of the International Benicàssim Festival was underway.
1995-1997 – The Velodrome: “Leave Home”, The Chemical Brothers
On the first weekend of August of 1995, the first edition of the Festival was born, bringing together 8.000 young people, on each of the three days’ of the Festival, in the city’s velodrome where two more editions of the Festival would take place. Bands like Suede, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Orbital, The Chemical Brothers and The Stone Roses, among others, left their mark on the musical history of a completely different event in Spain. Shortly afterwards, at the end of 1996, Luis Calvo and Joako Ezpeleta moved on to pursue other music-related projects, but have always remained involved in the Festival in some capacity or another.
1998-2002 – The New Venue: “Karma Police”, Radiohead
From 1998 onwards, the Festival expanded significantly and moved to a new venue with much better facilities for both the fans and the artists – Björk, Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey, Primal Scream, Spiritualized and sixty other bands performing on three different stages over three days, heralding a new chapter in the Festival’s growth. It was also in 1998 that the Festival’s Extra-musical Activities were launched, such as the FIB Fashion Show and the FIB-Act theatre festival, both of which are non-profit ventures. These activities gained in intensity over the next years, becoming more and more consolidated, to eventually include FIB’s Date with Dance, FIB Summer Courses, the FIB International Short Film Festival and FIB-Art – all of which have become essential elements of Benicàssim’s urban and cultural landscape.
In 2001, Heineken came on board as the Festival’s main sponsor, from then on it came to be known as FIB Heineken.
The following year proved momentous in the history of the Festival: 38,000 people attended each day, surpassing the wildest of expectations. Radiohead, The Cure, DJ Shadow, Paul Weller and Belle & Sebastian, to name just a few, put on shows that established FIB Heineken as an international benchmark of music festival excellence.
2003-2008 – Ten-Year Anniversary and Consolidating Our Status in Europe: “Hallellujah”, Leonard Cohen
The 2003 edition of the festival excelled in the variety and quality of the performances, including Blur, Moby, Echo & The Bunnymen, Suicide and Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man.
In 2004, we celebrated the Festival’s tenth anniversary in the company of great and influential artists like Kraftwerk, Brian Wilson, Pet Shop Boys, Lou Reed, Wire and Einstürzende Neubauten, providing a spectacular overview of music history. This led to 2005 when we were blown away by the brilliant performances of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Richard Hawley and Yo La Tengo.
2006 was another record-breaking year for FIB Heineken, with tickets selling out two months in advance. On that amazing third weekend of July, 40,000 people crossed the Festival’s threshold every day to groove to and cheer for Depeche Mode, Morrissey, Pixies, Madness, Franz Ferdinand and The Strokes.
Firmly establishing FIB Heineken’s reputation and status in both Spain and Europe, 2007 was another record-breaking banner year, with more that 150,000 people attending over four days to bask in the magic of Devo, The B-52’s, Arctic Monkeys, Iggy & The Stooges, Wilco, Amy Winehouse and Rufus Wainwright.
FIB Heineken 2008 continued to set the standard of distinction and quality thanks to artists like My Bloody Valentine, Morrissey, The Raconteurs, Siouxsie, and Morente Omega with Lagartija Nick – not to mention the tremendous and showstopping concert Leonard Cohen put on, which is no doubt indelibly etched in the memory of everyone who was there.
In 2009 we also had what the press considered to be the most important Headliners of the Festival’s history with Oasis, Kings of Leon, Franz Ferdinand and The Killers. More than 50.000 people a day mounted up to a total of 200.000 visits to the venue in four days that filled the city of Benicàssim up as well as the Festival’s camping areas and all the hotels available in Benicàssim and the surrounding cities.
On Friday July 17th, the strong winds that at times surpassed 100Km/h, forced the Organization to have to cancel some of the concerts that were to take place that night, including the scheduled concert of the North American band, Kings of Leon.
A dazzling line-up that included Gorillaz – one of their exclusive concerts around the world and their first one in Spain -, Vampire Weekend, Te Prodigy, Ray Davies, Kasabian, Dizee Rascal, Hot Chip, Mumford & Sons and The Temper Trap, among others. An edition marked by an unquestionable artistic quality and an ambiance that added a total of 127.000 visits to the concert venue from July 15th until July 18th.
In 2011 FIB reached once again an audience of 200.000 persons. Stars like The Stokes, Arctic Monkeys or Primal Scream rescuing “Screamadelica” paved the way for one of the most memorable Sundays of the Festival: Beth Gibbons’ voice in a Portishead concert that would be followed by the epic pop from one of the indispensable bands of the year, The Arcade Fire. The 2011 edition exceeded by far every expectation and hip-hop found a place on the Maravillas Stage with the performance of The Streets on Thursday July 14.
