The popular band Izal performs today for the last time at the Palau Sant Jordi (9 p.m.), on its farewell tour before disbanding as a musical group, inside Cruïlla de Tardor.
Their leader and soul, Mikel Izal, takes stock after twelve years of experience and five studio albums, which has made them a reference in Spanish indie pop-rock. La Vanguardia subscribers have a 15% discount on the price of tickets as long as they buy them at Entradas de Vanguardia.
Need, therapeutic measure, tiredness… the reason for this definitive stop?
They have been twelve years of extraordinary intensity in which we have experienced practically everything. We are very restless people who find it difficult to be in the same place for so long. It's time for other adventures.
The decision has been made since last year... has the pandemic been a trigger or an accelerator?
We believe that it has not had much to do. It had been a while before the pandemic valuing all this. Yes, perhaps the fact of having so much time to think has accelerated the process.
This party that these farewell concerts are, is it just a farewell to the stage or the existence of the Izal group as such?
They are the last concerts as a group, with no plans to return to this day. In the future we will see what paths each one takes. First of all we are musicians, that is not something you can choose to abandon, you are, period. Forever. Therefore, we will surely continue to be, but in different ways.
It is a decision as a group, but individually where are the shots going to go? More music, records, concerts?
We are enjoying now, being more aware than ever of the importance of the privilege we are experiencing. We do not want to talk about future plans, out of respect for this present.
Have you thought about what it means to stop having feedback with the public, in close proximity or in large spaces?
Each one will seek to be happy in their own way, and there are many ways to be a musician and reach people. There are also times when you need to rest from all that for a long time. It is exciting not knowing what the future will bring.
What summary can be made of these twelve years of Izal?
Happiness, intensity, miracle after miracle, epic nights, great sprees, millions of anecdotes, five albums that we love and excite, and above all the affection of the people. They have made all this possible.
Where is the arrival of the band before so much public? The lyrics, the music, what you transmit?
I think that answer should be given by the public. We have always believed that the songs are what matters, beyond the image, the marketing, the awards, what the press says about you... The songs rule. If they connect and excite, they are unstoppable. Looks like you got lucky with that.
And on the contrary, what can be improved about Izal now that they say goodbye?
Perhaps we did not work on the transoceanic jump as much as we would have liked. Conquering Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chile... we would have loved it, but Spain demanded so much work from us that perhaps we didn't have much strength left to go abroad.
When you started, what were your goals really?
Make a living with music. Pay the bills playing in gambling dens. As simple as that. Then everything got out of hand...
In these twelve years, how has the music scene where Izal moves changed?
We believe that at the level of live music, it has only grown, there are more and more festivals and more people planning their vacations based on this or that live music event. Perhaps it has become a bit static as far as new names are concerned, although it may also be that we are a bit confused lately with everything we are experiencing and we are missing the news on the scene.
Has this collective time come to erode personal relationships within the band?
Not at all, we started out as five strangers who are now family.
Since they are coming to play their songs, why did they title this latest album Home, already composed in 2020?
Because it is an album that speaks from the truth, from what is important, from intimacy, that is Hogar.
