The two British bands delivered energetic concerts in their debut in the Canary Islands at the most comprehensive and international edition of the Tenerife Phe Festival, which also left memorable performances such as Ibibio Sound Machine, Bodega, Arxx, and Natalia Doco.
September 8, 2026
The popularity, success, and mass-phenomenon status to which every artist aspires can be measured by their convening power at every concert, album and/or song sales, or the streams they accumulate on the channels of streaming and the mass of followers monitoring every move on social media. But there is another factor perhaps just as important as all the above: when you reach that star-studded Olympus, the audience takes ownership of the songs and every concert turns into a real-time collective karaoke. From this point on, the connection between the musicians and the audience, or vice versa, enters another dimension.
This is what happened with two of the national artists that the Tenerife Phe Festival brought to Puerto de la Cruz this year: Barry B on Friday's opening day, and the native of A Coruña Carlos Ares on the second night of concerts of the festival. Each in their own style, always versatile, changing color when the song calls for it, they put their live muscle on full display and showed how their repertoires become a continuous back-and-forth with the audience.
Barry B, the artist from Aranda de Duero, faced thousands of people who accompanied him singing every song he performed, the ones from the album Chato (2024) and its most recent Miscalibrated childhood (2025). Play Beautiful, of Chato, was the opening of a set that captivated the audience who knew all of them by heart, the old ones and the new ones, to the surprise of Barry B, who didn't hesitate to leave the stage and cross the human barrier in front of him, giving away kisses, smiles, and signing autographs for anyone in the front row who asked for it. An impeccable live performance of his that he dispatched with elegance thanks to a repertoire that the audience has made their own and that features tracks like Do you want to self-destruct with me, Crystal giant, Monster truck, Victoria or Miscalibrated childhood, which is the title of his latest release from 2025.
But if there was a special moment at the Barry B concert, it was the duet with Madrid-born Gara Durán with The lake of my sorrow, from the album Chato (2024) and the celebrated A house on Teide. He said goodbye with I thought I had hit the jackpot., a song in collaboration with Carolina Durante amidst a sea of applause from an audience that got what they came to look for at Phe Festival.
Carlos Ares did his thing with the proposal that came to the Tenerife Phe Festival on Saturday in Puerto de la Cruz. Before getting into the songs that envelop Pilgrim (2024) y The Lion's Den (2025), the Friday chronicle makes it clear that the festival is not sustained by Barry B alone. In this eleventh edition, the most complete due to the diversity of styles and the most international, guitars, speed, and of course, dancing rule. On Friday, right there were the British Fat Dog in the final live set of the day, where they turned the main stage upside down with a wild crowd moshing like there was no tomorrow, along with singer and guitarist Joe Love jumping into the pit constantly and mingling with everyone. It was a crazy show by the Brits—who feature a sax and violin in their lineup, thanks to a sonic palette that fits a bit of everything: a sort of electro-punk, techno, and rock, thick basslines, and dance sequences that at times linked Fat Dog's sound to Nitzer Ebb or Alien Sex Fiend—and a very punk attitude, so to speak, that caught on with the audience. By the creators of King of the Slugs and the acclaimed debut album Woof (2024) pieces remain on the retina of the eleventh Tenerife Phe Festival that are worth a good dance, or mosh pit, of the caliber of Shit Love, Cancel Me (I’m Tired) o Go Fuck Urself.
The Canarian scene
On Friday, the 2026 Tenerife Phe Festival opened with Xerach. The singer and percussionist from Gran Canaria, accompanied by Magali Datzira on guitars and Adriana Puentes on keyboards, presented her latest repertoire with pieces such as What I am going to lie, If I am Chavela, you are Frida, What a name, what a face, how rare or You love me, I adore you. It was the first sound check at the launch of the eleventh edition of the festival, which would lead the audience to move between the two main stages, Deichmann and Heineken, featuring proposals of different styles and formats.
With Arxx, the Brighton duo formed by guitarist Hanni Pidduck and drummer Clara Townsend, opened the first international window of this year with a concert that justified the organization's effort. Crying in the carwash, Trouble, Like Hell, Good Boy or Ride or Die with which they closed their performance, were some of the songs at their first concert in the Canary Islands.
The Madrid band Rufus T. Firefly led by Víctor Cabezuelo and Julia Martín-Maestro, took over the main stage in their return to Phe Festival following their appearance in 2021. A brilliant repertoire peppered with pop and psychedelic songs like Jade Nebula, Blue Thunder, I know where the ducks go when the lake freezes, Blue Thunder, Song of Peace or The beginning of everything.
The second Canarian artist at the Tenerife Phe Festival was Belice. The people from Gran Canaria, with their indie rock proposal, finalists of the Sonora 2026 contest just like Xerach, connected with the already numerous audience with Perfect manifesto, I promise not to leave you alone or Let the world dance.
New Yorkers Bodega they held their first concert in the Canary Islands in Puerto de la Cruz and the first of a seven-date tour of Spain in September, with a stop at Ebrovisión, in Miranda de Ebro, on Saturday after performing at Phe Festival, presenting their fourth album All Inside Aquarium, which will be released on October 9. Echoes of ESG and the attitude of The B’52s and many other bands from that era, post-punk, dance-punk, art rock, no wave, rhythmic tension, and dance cadences come together in this band fronted by Ben Hozie and Nikki Belfiglio. They opened the concert with How did this happen, from her first album Endless Scroll (2018), in the wake of LCD Soundsystem, to enter with the new ones, such as Slow Train, Bob Dylan version, Pick up the Check, Weather Me, All Inside Aquarium, which gives the album its title, or Combustible; and there was time to look back at his repertoire with Myrtle Parade or Can’t knock the hustle.
To the Basque party EZEZEZ, performing at Tenerife Phe Festival 2026 alongside the Scots from Faeda in collaboration with The Spanish Wave, they had to perform after Fat Dog and before Ibibio Sound Machine, which closed the first day. The band, originating from Bilbao and formed by Unai Madariaga (vocals, guitar), Mikel Irigoyen (bass), Eneko Ajangiz (guitar), and Álvaro Olaetxea (drums), delivered a good concert with a proposal that, due to its originality, has no counterpart in the national scene. In the wake of Idles or Viagra Boys, they presented, among others, tracks from their third studio album, Hello, with which they have confirmed the potential of the project.
The groove of Ibibio Sound Machine
The closing of the first live music carousel had a lot of groove, afrofunk, and electronic polish with the British lineup Ibibio Sound Machine. The second Canary Islands concert by this ensemble fronted by Nigerian singer Eno Williams—the band was at Womad in 2022 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria—brought collective dancing to the main stage as the early morning hours began to slip away. A vibrant live performance led by some of the tracks from their new and sixth studio album Chopping Mountain (2026), which will be published on September 11. They sounded Concept of Love, Return to Sender and Loveand, premiering for the Tenerife audience at Phe Festival; and other hits with a contagious rhythm from his discography, such as Protection from Evil, Lets Dance or Pull the Rope, with which they closed their performance.
In this edition, where the festival brought back the two stages for live music, the open-air nightclub that was Phe Club, the open-air nightclub with continuous and uninterrupted programming from opening to closing, left behind on Friday the memorable sessions of Roman Flügel and the set of Phil Hartnoll (Orbital) with a concert of the band's classics and priceless remixes like London Calling, by The Clash, encapsulated in breaks, twisted basslines and thick synths. A stage with a notable presence from the Canary Islands scene, which on Friday hosted the Sun Dance Family Session for a family audience familiar with Dita Konnat and Claudia Bliss, beside Koset Quintana and Yaiza Martinon; JJust Beca & Candela, Sound Island and Mostany.
Getdown Services, duo hits
Tenerife's Phe Festival focused this year and bet on several international bands that made the organization's effort worthwhile for the public, which is the most important asset of the festival and the artists. Saturday was the turn of Getdown Services. the Bristol duo of Josh Law and Ben Sadler. Their debut album, Chips (2023) put them on the map with a simple formula that works, and at settings like Phe Festival the party was in full swing. Dance rhythms, disco rock or disco punk, two voices, sequences, and a Gibson SG guitar spitting out riffs in the vein of AC/DC over beats and phrasing that evoke the Beastie Boys. At Phe Festival, the duo ended up shirtless and in shorts, delivering a repertoire where nothing was superfluous, including the infectious The Radiator, from his brand new recent album Massive Champions (2026), the chart-topper Dog Drool or I Can't Die Like That, among others.
Getdown Services said goodbye while it was playing One More Time, by Daft Punk, on a second day that offered a lot of great music. She Mafalda opened the concert series. As a duo with drummer Alex Moreno, the concert allowed audiences to discover his work on the Island and the balance of pop and rock that permeates the songs. He played tracks from his album Reset (2025), Jump and Sedated, among others, in addition to their latest single Anthem; he brought it to his turf I am no longer that woman, by Mari Trini, and premiered a collaboration with La Bien Querida that is released this week under the title of I want.
Ahead are two artists from Tenerife: Little Alaska, which presented the repertoire of its first album Universal Theory published this year, which includes topics such as Passenger Lovers, Burn, Galaxy, They've done it again, What we went looking for and The place where you grew up, were part of his repertoire; and Choclock, the alias of Sergio Bruno Miguel Delgado, one of the most versatile artists on the music scene and this year's featured act at the Tenerife Phe Festival. For him and the R&B towards which his songs lean, the main stage was set with the makings of a genre figure. The author of works such as Bruno (2019) y Magua with Honey (2022), I'm Colorblind, But I Feel Blue (2024–25), or Give Me More Time (2025), made the most of his time with Something hits my chest, Cover up the sun, Malvasia and Black Sand, among others.
The best live stream in Scotland
The Scots Faeda were also making their debut in the Canary Islands. The indie rock band consisting of Robbie McNicol (vocals and guitar), Sam Cowan (drums), Cole Cummings (bass), and Jamie Mackay (guitar) came with the label of being the best live Scottish band and delivered a solid concert centered around the singles that have brought them fame. They started with Too Wild to Last, Too Rare to Die, and in the 40 minutes they had, they did All Thorn No Horses, Look me in the Eye, South Paw o Play with my ego.
Saturday's final segment had a lot to offer and showcased the variety and eclecticism of styles that the Tenerife Phe Festival embraces in every edition. Up next, Natalia Doco, Good Franco, Carlos Ares, VVV [Trippin You] and the aforementioned Getdown Services.
The Argentine singer based in Paris, Natalia Doco, has developed a sound that unites continents and generations, with a fusion of Argentine folk traditions, indigenous spirituality, and urban rhythms. He performed between Faeda and Good Franco, giving another color to the concert sequence. He came to Puerto de La Cruz with that unique cocktail wrapped in cumbia, reggaeton, salsa, and chachacha, and with the repertoire of his latest and fourth album Axe (2026). He moved the audience however he wanted to the rhythm of the new songs Cha Cha Trap, Juira, Bicha, Que vuela, Gatitude, Animal and Axe, as well as other passages from previous works, such as The good Gualicho or Breathe, of the disc La Sagrada (2017), among others.
TO Good Franco, winners of Sonora 2026 alongside Los Blody, and deserving of the Sonora Passport bound for Phe Festival, they were given an unbeatable time slot to present their credentials. And they faced an attentive audience that appreciated it. The musicians from Gran Canaria delivered their concert with craftsmanship and songs Like Every second, Fresh morning, If you leave, Before dawn, Like Arody, Moon for Mars (in collaboration with Belize) and Cowards.
With the La Coruña accent Carlos Ares, the Tenerife Phe Festival 2026 crossed midnight. And it did what was expected: winning over the audience with its catchy pop-style melodies from the very first chords with the songs from the two albums it has released: Pilgrim (2024) y The Lion's Den (2025). Much like what happened with Barry B, Ares watched as the audience took ownership of the songs he was performing. He opened with Páramo, from her latest album, followed with Dewdrops And on the third track it dropped The lion's den, with which the audience got hyped up. They would be followed by Bald tongues, Indigenous, With a single finger, Borrowed matter, Important, Speed, Dog days and Pilgrim. A perfect night for the musician and the audience.
VVV [Trippin’ You], Madrid trio mixing post-punk, synthwave and dark electronics, a prominent project of the new Spanish underground fronted by Adrian Bremner, was the last performance on the Deichmann stage before Getdown Services got the entire festival audience dancing. And without forgetting the stage Phe Club, which took off with Sun Dance Family Session and had in the studio Emma Play & Mr. Paradise, Bobby Bob, El Chico & Jessy La Ley, Yung Prado and The Struggle. Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip), who was forced to cancel his set for family reasons, was not there.