Barcelona — Blog — Neil Andrews Photography

Back to Barcelona with SEAT for the Primavera Club Weekend. This time we would get time with the new SEAT Arona urban SUV.

Primavera Club is a small music festival run by renowned Festival Organiser Primavera Sound. The aim of the Primavera Club festival is to identify potential upcoming international bands.

On the Friday night we went to El Molino which dates from 1908, when it was then known as the “Petit Moulin Rouge”, and put on Spanish versions of French cabaret. It is now part of the eclectic nightlife of Barcelona.

Here we were treated to the best gastronomy and delicious cocktails. The mouth-watering food came from the creative Michelin starred chef Carles Abellán, one of the world’s top chefs. One of Ferrán Adriá’s protégés, he learnt from him in the mythical El Bulli. Our amazing cocktails were conjured up by Barcelona based mixologists Giacomo Gianotti and Adriana Chía. It was then on to watch some cool new bands.

It was a memorable evening where music, food, art and SEAT all merged into the claim “Created In Barcelona”.

A short video of our night with SEAT at Primavera Club and our test drive of the SEAT Arona around the streets of Barcelona.

Here are some of the shots I took on our test-drive of the urban SUV.

I stayed on in Barcelona to catch up with friends for the next few days. it was great to get to explore the city a bit more. Even though I was suffering with a bad cold I still made the effort to get out early and hit some great locations on my photographic list.

I was blown away by some of the modern architecture in Barcelona. Especially along the waterfront.

As some of you may know I love taking photos on London's Underground so I was really excited to be shown some amazing Barcelona Metro stations by my friend Monicá. So much pleasing symmetry to be had.

One of the best discoveries I made on this trip was thanks to Elena @elensham . It is the newly restored Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. Built between 1902 and 1930 by architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, the complex fell into neglect. However, now the renovated buildings are magnificent once more, with elaborate design both inside and out. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and well worth a visit.

So I can highly recommend Barcelona as a city that will meet most people's needs whether it be music, great art, street art, food, drink, Modernisme architecture, modern architecture, friendly people and a few rays of golden sunshine thrown in.

I have never been to the launch of a brand new car model before, therefore I jumped at the chance to fly to Barcelona to collaborate with SEAT UK.

I must admit, with it being a press event, that I thought it would be a rather corporate affair. None of it! After a few brief figures we were on with the main event : The launch of the new SEAT urban SUV, the SEAT Arona.

The SEAT Arona was created in Barcelona and Barcelona is the home of SEAT.

A short video I created of our time at the launch of the SEAT Arona and exploring Barcelona.

The hills around Barcelona make great viewing points to see this bold and dynamic city. I love these views where you can see the very fabric of a place and how the modern buildings sit alongside the more historical ones.

Street art is everywhere in Barcelona and is an important part of city culture. A 55m wall was even created at Primavera Sound and is the canvas for an art project from SEAT and TheCreativeNet.

It's always worth getting up early to explore a new city. I love nothing more than to wander the quiet streets as a city wakens from its slumbers. Oh and I think it makes for nicer photos! Elena with her beautiful red dress was the perfect model.

The area around the Primavera Sound Wall is a hub of start-up and tech companies with some amazing modern architecture on show.

Porta Fira Hotel by Toyo Ito and b720 Arquitectos

It was great fun to be at the launch of the SEAT Arona which reflects may of the qualities of the city in which it was created - dynamic, vibrant, lively, optimistic and high tech.

I am certainly looking forward to returning to Barcelona to visit friends later in the year and trying to get to know this wonderful city a little better.