Festivals on Tenerife – 7 Rockas Festival, La Laguna

An eclectic mix of activities awaits anyone who heads into La Laguna this Saturday. The ‘7 Rockas Festival’ is classed as a showcase for rock in its purest state (I’m guessing that you could probably replace ‘pure’ with ‘raw’ here); however, festival events also include master classes in drumming and guitar playing during the morning.

These are followed in the afternoon by air guitar (the one musical instrument that I can actually play), guitar hero, ‘juego de palo’ (traditional stick fighting – your guess is as good as mine about what that has to do with rock music), and rock hairdressers (if these are the same as the ones I’ve seen at Mueca in Puerto de la Cruz, they’re worth going to see just on their own).

The evening sees the real rocky part of the festival get underway with sets from the best rock bands from across the Canarian Archipeligo.
Bands include: Machango (La Palma), Blackened (Lanzarote), Cuerno Cabra & Alea Jacta (Fuerteventura) and Histeria, Nadien and Guerilla Urbana (Tenerife).

Wait a minute, there are some islands missing. I can understand there not being a band from San Borondón (nobody knows how to get in touch with them there), but what about Gran Canaria, La Gomera and El Hierro? Maybe they should rename it '5 Rockas Festival'.

Date: Saturday, 3rd October

Location: IES, Viera y Clavijo, La Laguna

Fiestas in El Médano & Los Abrigos – Sansofé 2009

As if El Médano wasn’t a cool enough town to hang out in already, July and August sees its plazas and beaches buzzing with concerts, exhibitions, film screenings and all sorts of goodies as part of the Sansofé festival.

Nearby Los Abrigos also gets in on the act, making two of the south of Tenerife’s most attractive coastal towns the perfect places to spend your summer.

Click here for the full agenda

Fimucité 3: Film Music Festival – In Tenerife no-one can hear you scream!

As a nerdy kid I had ‘Great War Movie Themes’ and ‘James Bond Movie Themes’ in my music collection…still have a Bond CD, (the David Arnold compilation), so I was interested to hear about Fimucité 3, a festival celebrating movie soundtracks held annually in Santa Cruz and La Laguna.

This year’s theme is the Alien Movies, but also includes homage to the granddaddy of movie composers, Jerry Goldsmith.

Performances will take place in The Auditorio, TEA and Teatro Leal with a complimentary season of films being screened in the Filmoteca Canaria.

Special guest performers include Oscar winner Jan Kaczmarek, Mark Snow and Clint Mansell. With music covering films from Disney classics to Star Trek, the Omen and the X Files, there’s a right mix of moods from chirpy cheeriness to spine tingling chillers. The festival is rounded of at the Auditorio with a performance of music from the five alien movies and some of Jerry Goldsmith’s finest work.

Dates: 20th to 26th July

For more information about the programme check out their really cool website…but be careful a facehugger doesn’t jump out at you.

Platano Rock – Concerts in Tenerife

Summer’s here and so are some great sounds. It might be the month of music, Mary J and mud at Glasto, but Tenerife has some mini-fests of its own.

The fourth Plátano Rock Festival hits Santa Cruz in June. During the month,
A series of contemporary urban art exhibitions, movies and live bands are set to rock the capital’s streets.

Location: Sala de Arte La Recova, Plaza de La Concepción, Santa Cruz

Dates: Exhibitions in Sala de Arte La Recova from 6th to 21st June at 19.00: Concert in Plaza de La Concepción on 12th June featuring The Right Ons, OVNI, Line and DJ Carrie (from 20.00 to midnight).

Entrance: Free

Fiestas on Tenerife – The Second International Agatha Christie Festival

Agatha Christie one week, Corpus Christi the next, spooky eh? The timing of the Second International Agatha Christie Festival in Puerto de la Cruz couldn’t be more timely coming as it does a couple of weeks after the ‘Queen of Crime’ posthumously entered the Guinness Book of Records for the world’s thickest book in which all Miss Marple stories are published in one volume.

The festival in Puerto might not break any records, but with screenings of adaptations of many of her books and theatre performances of The Tea Dance and The Man From the Sea (set in Puerto itself) in Spanish, German and English, crime fiction aficionados will have a job solving the mystery of how to catch as many of the shows as they can.

Location: Puerto de la Cruz

Dates: 5th to 14th June

Events: click on image below for full details, or visit www.agathachristie.es

Films on Tenerife - Son of Rambow

The eighties are back in this great little British flick which at first seems to be ripping the mickey out of the Rambo movies, but turns out to have quite a poignant message about family, friendship and machine gun wielding flying Labradors.

A mismatched pair of kids finding they have something in common in their hero worship of John Rambo, team up to make their version of a sequel to Rambo: First Blood.

You’ve just about got time to catch it at the TEA (Tenerife Espacia de las Artes) as part of the International Museum Day programme.

Location: TEA, Santa Cruz

Date: Monday 18th May

Time: 20.00

Tickets: Free Entrance; the film is in English with Spanish subtitles

Movies on Tenerife – Clash of the Titans

When I heard that Clash of the Titans was being remade on Tenerife, I feared that it might be a second rate remake of a fun, but second rate film. Not so, looking at the big guns from the movie world involved, this remake could easily out shine the original and put out the word to the movie industry that Tenerife is a fantastic location for movies.

Having fun with Greek Mythology this time are British acting gods, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes. Joining them are Danny Huston (currently the baddie in X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and Mads Mikkelson (he who spanked James Bond’s buttocks and worse in Casino Royale). Relative unknown Sam Worthington (although his role in the Terminator 4 movie: Salvation may change all that) plays Perseus, the hero at the whim of the gods. The Incredible Hulk director, Louis Leterrier is at the helm.

Principle photography started in England on 27th April and we’ll keep you updated on Tenerife Matters regarding progress and when Zeus et al are due to descend for their epic Clash of The Titans on Tenerife soil.

English Language Cinema on Tenerife – State of Play

Mix a heavyweight cast (Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren) with a trustworthy director (Kevin Macdonald - Last King of Scotland) and take your ingredients from the hit BBC series of the same name and you’ve got an almost guaranteed winner. Thriller aficionados aren’t likely to be disappointed with this engrossing tale of a reporter (Russell Crowe) investigating the suspicious death of the aide of a US congressman (Ben Affleck) who also happens to be an old friend. Murky dealings and political shenanigans ensue.

After the fluff of the last couple of weeks, it’s nice to have something you can get your teeth into.

Cinema: CineGranSur, Costa Adeje

Date and Times: 17th to 23rd April (Extended until 14th May), 17.15 daily

Tickets: €6

English Language Cinema on Tenerife - Marley and Me

Anyone who’s serious about their movies knows that the worst time for decent films is Easter and Christmas when cinema screens are usually filled with offerings with as much substance as candy floss.

Not only do you get a lightweight movie at GranSur this weekend, but you get one which was already screened a couple of weeks ago. YAWN!

Cinema: CineGranSur, Costa Adeje

Date and Times: 8th to 16th April, 15.30 daily

Tickets: €6

English Language Cinema on Tenerife – Bedtime Stories

One for the kids this week with this lightweight Disney tale of hotel janitor, Adam Sandler (he just doesn’t do it for me) whose fantastical stories, made up for the benefit of his nephew and niece, start to come true.

The kids will probably enjoy it.

Venue: GranSur C.C., Costa Adeje

Screenings: Daily 15.30 & 17.15 from 3rd April to 7th April

Tickets: €6

English Language Cinema on Tenerife - Watchmen

With high octane action and girls with incredibly pert breasts, this tale of outcast superheroes battling for their very existence is probably going to initially have more of a masculine appeal. However this graphic novel adaptation is a superhero movie with depth and the action is delivered with a side serving of social comment.

Stylish, exciting and, like X-Men, escapism and superheroes for the thinking man...and woman.

Venue: GranSur C.C., Costa Adeje

Screenings: Daily 15.30 from 17th March to 2nd April

Tickets: €6

English Language Cinema on Tenerife - Marley and Me

Jennifer Anniston wants babies, Owen Wilson doesn’t so he gets her a dog instead (seems a reasonable and even preferable alternative to me). So far this sounds like the ingredients for a rom-com; but Marley and Me is based on the best selling novel by US newspaper columnist, John Grogan and is more a drama about being taught how to enjoy life by a loveable Labrador. This week's English language movie might not be everybody’s cup of tea.

Cinema: CineGranSur, Costa Adeje

Date and Times: 18th to 26th March, 16.00 daily

Tickets: €6

English Language Cinema on Tenerife

This week’s English language offering at Cine GranSur in Costa Adeje is the critically acclaimed ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. The story about a boy born old who gets younger as he gets older…Nice thought.

It's one on our list of 'films to see'.

Times: From 13th to 17th March daily at 17.30

Tickets: €6

Something to get animated about…

When it comes to sexy, stylised animation, Japanese cinema is arguably the world leader. Movie buffs should stock up on the popcorn and settle down into a seat at Cine Victor in Santa Cruz for a month of classic Japanese films from animation legends such as Satoshi Kon and Isao Takahata.

It’s guaranteed the graphics will have punters as wide eyed as the cartoon characters in the movies they’re watching.

Location: Plaza de la Paz s/n; Santa Cruz de Tenerife; Tel: 922. 15 16 51.