July 20, 2007 1:00

Bright Eyes shine as Benicassim kicks off

Spanish festival gets Conor Oberst's final show - for now

Bright Eyes wound up his international tour tonight (July 19) as Benicassim 2007 sprung into life.

The beachside festival, just outside the town of Castellon, traditionally opens a day early with a reduced line-up on the main stage.

And this year the party, dubbed Fibstart, coincides with the final night of Conor Oberst and band's international tour.

Oberst led the band, clad in their trademark white suits, through a set heavy with tracks from current album 'Cassadaga', including 'Hot Knives', 'Four Winds' and 'Middleman' alongside classic 'First Day Of My Life'.

Oberst told the crowd he wished he could stay for the weekend in Valencia, but the band were straight on a plane home to Nebraska.

He said: "We have to say goodbye to one of our favourite drummers, Janet Weiss." Weiss joined the Bright Eyes touring line-up after her own band Sleater-Kinney split last year.

The other big highlight of Fibstart was a chaotic show from Iggy Pop and The Stooges, which saw another now-traditional stage invasion. Stay tuned to NME.COM for our exclusive video interview with Iggy Pop himself.

Benicassim 2007 begins in earnest tomorrow, with fun in the sun from Klaxons and The Horrors.