Sonar 2026 in 10 recommended concerts

BarcelonaA new stage begins at Sónar, with a change of management team and concentrating musical activity at Fira Gran Via de l'Hospitalet de Llobregat because the Sónar de Dia that was held in Montjuïc is disappearing. In this edition, which takes place from June 18 to 20, performances will begin at 5 p.m.; on Thursday the 18th they will end at 3 a.m., and on Friday the 19th and Saturday the 20th, at 7 a.m. Sónar+D is also segregated, relocated to the Llotja de Mar. Tickets are still on sale: Thursday, at 49 euros; Friday, at 99 euros, and Saturday also at 99 euros. The pass for two days (Friday and Saturday) costs 159 euros. Below, ten artistic recommendations from Sónar 2026.

The Prodigy

Saturday 20 at 10 p.m. at SonarClub

The Prodigy, led by Liam Howlett and Maxim, is the most popular headliner at Sónar 2026. They arrive with a nostalgic claim: the thirtieth anniversary of the song Firestarter, one of the great hits of 90s dance electronic music, which was released in 1996 as a preview of the album The fat of the land (1997). Seven years after the death at 49 years of Keith Flint, the charismatic singer and frontman of the British band, The Prodigy are immersed in a tour of European festivals, but with few signs of record label life. The last material they released, a couple of months ago, was a remix of the song Elitest G.O.A.T. by Sleaford Mods. A priori, the concert at Sónar promises to activate the spirit of rave-punk.

Speedy J

Thursday 18 (from 7 PM to 12 AM), Friday 19 (from 8 PM to 3 AM) and Saturday 20 (from 8 PM to 3 AM) at SonarCar

Also in the 90s, but in the realm of minimal techno, the Dutchman Jochem George Paap emerged, better known as Speedy J. After playing different roles in the electronic scene, he arrives at Sónar with a rather stimulating adventure that has been going on for a couple of years: STOOR Live, an electronic improvisation project. In a kind of techno-house jam, Speedy J invites producers such as Colin Benders, Nadia Struiwigh, Reeko, Mathew Jonson, Dasha Rush, Luke Slater, FJAAK, KiNK and Nene H to create live without a script. They will do so in three sessions: one of five hours on Thursday, one of seven hours on Friday, and another of seven hours on Saturday.

Cabaret Voltaire

Thursday 18 at 21.55 h at SonarClub

Even further back we have to go to find the origins of the British group Cabaret Voltaire, which played its first concert in 1975. In the context of punk, Stephen Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk, and Chris Watson formed a creative cell in Sheffield, initially with industrial music and later with different proposals of danceable electronics and post-punk. After various reincarnations as a trio, a duo, and even on a personal level, Kirk's death in 2021 seemed to imply the end of the adventure. However, Mallinder and Watson reactivated it in 2025 precisely to commemorate the group's 50th anniversary.

Charlotte de Witte

Friday 19th at 0.50 h at SonarClub

The Belgian Charlotte de Witte has been present several times at Sónar, since her debut there in 2018. And each time she has landed at the Barcelona festival, as happened in 2024, she has done so with an increasingly consolidated status as a star DJ. A reference name in the most relevant techno booths in Europe, she has achieved milestones such as the spectacular 2025 set at the Tomorrowland festival. In fact, three years earlier she was the first woman to close the main stage of the Belgian festival. De Witte has also starred in actions such as gathering 20,000 people in a square in Genoa, where she played an exultant remix of Nuevayol, by Bad Bunny.

Amelie Lens

Saturday 20 at 4 p.m. at SonarClub

The other Belgian star of Sónar 2026 is the Flemish producer Amelie Lens. From the same generation as Charlotte de Witte, Lens also works with techno as a base and with house derivatives. The performance in Barcelona will serve to preview tracks from the album Aura, which will be released in September.

Skepta

Friday 19 at 11 PM at SonarClub

Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr., better known as Skepta, was one of the heroes of the first generation of grime, that hip-hop with British origin. He made his mark with the overwhelming album Greatest hits (2007), and since then he has not come down from the throne thanks to albums like Do it again (2013) and Konnichiwa (2016) and hits like That's not me and Shutdown and the most recent Victory Lap (shared with Fred Again and PlaqueBoyMax. At Sónar he presents himself as the headliner for Friday.

Kellis

Friday 19 at 8:15 PM at SonarVillage

North American singer Kelis burst onto the scene in 1999 with the magnificent Kaleidoscope, an album produced by The Neptunes that offered a unique approach to R&B, hip-hop, and jazz. Until Food (2014), more soul-oriented, she maintained a very solid career as a cult artist and an influence for the great divas of the genre. Coinciding with her concert at Sónar, Kelis has announced "new music" soon.

Two Shell

Saturday 20 at 0.10 h at SonarHall

Two Shell play with enigma and maintaining identity in a more or less impenetrable mystery, following the tradition of other British projects like Burial. This duo's proposal mixes UK garage, hyperpop, and anything that comes to mind with an experimental and playful drive at the same time. They can be the joy of the club, as they have shown on other occasions in Barcelona (at Primavera Sound in 2022, for example).

Metric

Thursday 18 at 19.10 h at SonarPark

The Castellón-born Thais Amores García, aka Metrika, revealed herself as a highly unique voice in trap with the album Madre fundadora (2024). She cemented her sound with satanic aromas in Neofita (2025), which included songs like Diva del infierno and Toto de loca, her big hit. Metrika was one of the artists Rosalía invited to the confessional during the Lux tour concerts in Madrid. Rhymes of explicit sex, also present in the EP Jane doe in the dream house (2026).

Ani in the Hall

Friday 19 at 6:30 p.m. at SonarHall

Aina Serena and Jan Cabarrocas formed Ani in the Hall in Celrà, relying on a telluric electronic sound. In 2025, they released the EP Intel·ligència Romàntica, a delight that incorporates folkloric references and choral singing in tune with Tarta Relena, Magalí Sare, and L'Arannà, albeit with a more determined danceable purpose, as they demonstrate in songs like Mitty and Tornar-se blava.