Benicassim International Festival 2008

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Lightspeed Champion, performs against a psychedelic backdrop at Benicassim Festival 2008. The quirky indie troubadour will also be making appearances at Summer Sundae, Green Man and Leeds and Reading Festivals later this summer.
Pic: Tom Oxley

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Crowds gather to see Babyshambles on the Escenario Verde, the Main Stage at the Benicassim Festival in Spain, as the Friday evening (July 18) entertainment kicks off. Later the stage will see performances from the New York Dolls, My Bloody Valentine and, er, Mika.
Pic: Tom Oxley

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Babyshambles onstage at the Benicassim Festival tonight (July 18) – they opened with a cover of ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, a huge worldwide hit for a certain Elvis Presley back in 1956.
Pic: Tom Oxley

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Vincent Vincent And The Villains get things going on the Fiberfib.com stage on the second day (July 18) of the Benicassim Festival in Spain. The band released their debut album ‘Gospel Bombs’ earlier this year.
Pic: Danny North

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During their Benicassim Festival set on the second day of the bash (July 18), New York Dolls survivor Sylvain Sylvain exclaimed, "Happy birthday Johnny!" in tribute to the band’s late guitarist Johnny Thunders.
Pic: Tom Oxley

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The legendary New York Dolls included a now-traditional cover of the song made famous by Janis Joplin, ‘Piece Of My Heart’. Singer David Johansen dedicated it to "my favourite singer ever".
Pic: Tom Oxley

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Spiritualized suffered initial sound problems during their set at Benicassim Festival in Spain tonight (July 18), but won the crowd over with a beautiful version of recent single ‘Soul On Fire’.
Pic: Danny North

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My Bloody Valentine mainman Kevin Shields onstage at the Benicassim Festival – the recent shows the band have played have been their first in 16 years, though they have yet to play any new material.
Pic: Tom Oxley

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Revellers at this year’s Benicassim Festival. The bash attracts a lot of foreign punters, including thousands of Brits – noticeable by their pale complexion.
Pic: Danny North

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A cocktail bar at Benicassim Festival. The tents are all equipped with water coolers and fans to combat the punishing heat.
Pic: Danny North

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Speaking to NME.COM afterwards, Hot Chip mainman Alexis Taylor descibed his band’s show at Benicassim as one of the best of the summer.
Pic: Danny North

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Benicassim’s backstage pool during the afternoon, when very few people are on site due to the intense heat.
Pic: Danny North

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Benicassim has been entertaining the masses since 1995. Over 12,000 Brits are expected to descend on the Spanish Festival this year. Were you at Benicassim 2008? Send your photos – whether of the acts onstage or just you and your mates – to festivals@nme.com and we’ll add the best ones to our gallery.
Pic: Danny North

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Fancy a kebab? One of the many food stalls at this year’s Benicassim Festival. NME.COM was particularly taken with the falafel.
Pic: Danny North

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Mika’s stage show at Benicassim was typically flamboyant, the singer bringing a huge troupe of dancers to spice up the likes of ‘Lollipop’ and ‘Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)’.
Pic: Tom Oxley

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As well as the likes of his huge Number One single ‘Grace Kelly’, Mika’s set at Benicassim 2008 also included a cover of the Depeche Mode classic ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’.
Pic: Tom Oxley

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The Brian Jonestown Massacre closed their set at Benicassim with an epic version of ‘Hide And Seek’, featuring four guitarists.
Pic: Danny North

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Tricky backstage at the Benicassim Festival. The star recently released his first album in four years, ‘Knowle West Boy’, on Domino Records, also home to Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand.
Pic: Danny North

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Some Benicassim festival-goers really made the effort – liking the bunches on Wonder, er, Woman.
Pic: Danny North

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The Vodafone Fib Club tent at Benicassim has proved hugely popular, with performances from the likes of Metronomy, Jose Gonzalez and an eventful headline slot from Spiritualized.
Pic: Danny North

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Jon Spencer’s band Heavy Trash play the Fiberfib.com stage at the Benicassim Festival – the star made his name with his Blues Explosion and cult rockers Pussy Galore.
Pic: Tom Oxley

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Tricky, pictured here onstage at Benicassim, was part of the Bristol ‘trip-hop’ scene in the early 90s – his contemporaries Portishead also came back this year, and his old comrades Massive Attack are working on a new record too.
Pic: Tom Oxley

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My Morning Jacket bring a blur of hair and guitars to Benicassim Festival’s Main Stage, the Escenario Verde – and also gave a run-out to their Prince-like funk track ‘Highly Suspicious’. It’s a song which has divided fans, and not everyone was convinced in Spain.
Pic: Danny North

Pic: Danny North

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The Kills performing on the Benicassim’s Main Stage the Escenario Verde on the Saturday night of the bash (July 19). The band’s set was dominated by songs from their recently-released album ‘Midnight Boom’.
Pic: Danny North

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Hot Chip onstage at Benicassim Festival – the band had to leave after their Friday (July 18) show to go to the Madrid leg of the bash, taking place the next day.
Pic: Danny North

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Jack White dons a dapper waistcoat for The Raconteurs’ Benicassim Festival performance.
Pic: Danny North

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The Sunday morning 3am crowd predictably went ‘Crazy’ for Gnarls Barkley, especially during the aforementioned track and set closer ‘Smiley Faces’.
Pic: Tom Oxley

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The speaker-stack drapes on either side of the Main Stage at Benicassim Festival, the Escenario Verde, feature a collage of lyrics from all the artists performing this weekend. Pic: Tom Oxley

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Indie heroes Death Cab For Cutie played a well received set on the Fiberfib.com Stage at Benicassim Festival, featuring highlights of latest album ‘Narrow Stairs’. Pic: Tom Oxley

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Calvin Harris during his Benicassim Festival slot – the Scottish dance star recently collaborated with Dizzee Rascal on his Number One single ‘Dance Wiv Me’.
Pic: Tom Oxley

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Morrissey’s Benicassim Festival set started just before midnight on Sunday (July 20) – but it was clearly still too hot for his band.
Pic: Tom Oxley

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Morrissey, who played Benicassim Festival just two years ago, returned to Spain to play the Main Stage on the Sunday evening (July 20), greeting the huge crowd by saying "Will you and your Spanish eyes wait for me?"
Pic: Tom Oxley

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Justice caused utter mayhem with their set on the Sunday night (July 20) at Benicassim 2008, with one especially excited reveller even breaking through security to invade the stage.
Pic: Danny North

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"I was gonna wear that tonight", claimed NME’s Hamish MacBain before Siouxsie Sioux’s set at Benicassim Festival on Sunday (July 20). He decided on double denim in the end.
Pic: Danny North

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Siouxsie Sioux played a few crowd pleasers at Benicassim – including her old band The Banshees’ debut single ‘Hong Kong Garden’, named after her local Chinese takeaway in her native Bromley.
Pic: Danny North

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Black Lips on the Main Stage at Benicassim Festival. The band are, reportedly, to perform in locations as far-flung as Estonia, Finland, Russia, Brazil, India and China throughout the coming year.
Pic: Danny North

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Black Lips performed tracks from their extensive back-catalogue, including tunes from most recent release â

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Atlanta garage-punkers Black Lips take the weight off after their late-night Main Stage appearance at Spanish scorch-fest Benicassim 2008. The band played a storming set to festival goers in the early hours of Friday (July 18).
Pic: Danny North

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An onstage grapple between US punk eccentrics Black Lips during their Main Stage performance at Benicassim Festival 2008…
Pic: Danny North

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Black Lips onstage at the Benicassim scorch-fest. The Spanish-based Festival opened yesterday (July 17) with appearances from Lightspeed Champion, Sigur Ros and These New Puritans. Atlanta punkers The Black Lips are reportedly currently working on their fifth studio album.
Pic: Danny North

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