Dr. Calypso give goodbye concerts in Barcelona

Dr. Calypso, a pioneer Catalan Ska group, are playing their last ever gigs tonight and Friday at the Sala Apolo in Barcelona after a frantic 6-month tour to venues all over the country. So much is owed to this Barcelona-based band who started spreading Jamaican rhythms before most bands began using them. They are splitting up because they don’t want to “turn into dinosaurs”.

“It doesn’t work like it did in the 90s” they said last March, shortly before beginning their last tour which involved well-attended concerts at different events, including the live music market in Vic (Mercat de Música Viva) and the Sant Narcís festival in Girona. “We all have other responsibilities and it is better to leave it with a 30th anniversary tour than just waiting for it to decline.”

The band are letting go, happy in the knowledge that they stayed true to themselves to the end.

Dr.Calypso’s contribution is easy to spot when you look at the type of band currently popular in Catalonia. “Now, unlike when we started, there are loads of bands with two lead singers and a wind section. Lots of people have been inspired by what we did,” they said.

Tickets sold out weeks ago to today’s and Friday’s concerts, which are both due to start at 9:30pm.