Haizetara 2014: Blimey, We WON!

We are delighted to announce, that after attending the 9th Annual Haizetara Street Band Competition in Amorebieta, Spain, we WON the judges prize of 10,000 euros!!! We were so honored to bring our music to this beautiful place, and play alongside incredible bands from all over the world. The whole town comes alive for 4 days. Streets, public parks, venues, town squares; all crackling with sound and musical mirth. It was here I had one of the most profound performance experiences of my little life. Something which affirmed my love of playing in the streets, completely mobile, with the ability to change drab architecture into joyous amphitheaters, and play to anyone at any time. Our second performance took place in a fairly small square, surrounded by high walls. Although completely acoustic, our music sounded HUGE; resonating fully amongst the buildings. The square was crammed with listeners. As we began our 4th song, Perambulations, the sky cracked and the rain poured down on us. Yet we didn't relent of flinch, we carried on roaring through the song as the audience popped up umbrellas and goaded us with applause (you can see a few clips of this in the video below). It was then we decided to utilise the town as our stage, a psychogeographical-musical-adventure perhaps. Situationism in action! (namely : the construction of situations, moments of life deliberately constructed for the purpose of reawakening and pursuing authentic desires, experiencing the feeling of life and adventure, and the liberation of everyday life). Anyway. We processed out of the square to a nearby children's playground, which thankfully housed a large concrete canopy. The audience followed as we blasted through a parade and arrived in our new (far drier!) location. We played furiously, desperately. Eventually the sun came out and we all emerged, soaking wet, exhausted and singing 'the national anthem' to rapturous applause. It was intensely joyful. One of the most memorable performances ever...buzzing with a direct connection to the audience the architecture alike. I thank the people of Amorebieta for that experience, and for giving us the inspiration to continue through the storm. You can watch the official video from the event here, with clips of all the other incredible artists present from around the world... We intend to share some of the money between the players, but the majority will go towards completing our next album. It's a massive massive boost for the band to receive this prestigious award...and we are all over the moon and can't quite believe it happened! Big Love, Squier and Perhaps Contraption x