In partnership with Bilbao BBK Live
Since its inaugural year back in 2006, Bilbao BBK Live has cemented its reputation as not just the region’s biggest and best festival, but one of Spain’s most unmissable summer weekenders, welcoming global superstars and modern icons alike to its scenic site on the slopes of Mount Cobetas.
As the festival celebrates its landmark 20th anniversary, with stars from David Byrne to Lily Allen, Calvin Harris and Robbie Williams all lining up for the 2026 edition, we look back through the BBK archives to some of their most memorable sets – as picked by the festival team behind the magic.
The xx (2018)
Back in 2018, riding high from the worldwide success of third album ‘I See You’, The xx brought their travelling music and art experience Night + Day to Bilbao. Curating a week-long series of shows and events around the city, it culminated in a mesmerising Friday night headline set at the festival itself, bringing out stunning modern classics from ‘Crystallised’ to ‘Angels’, and underlining a band at the peak of their powers.
Memories from the team that makes it happen: “It was such a special week with activities throughout the city, gigs at the Guggenheim and The xx curating the Lasai Stage” – Fernando Yañez (Booking Agent)
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (2018)
Rewind back to a time before last year’s seismic Oasis reunion, when the chance to catch an old-school Gallagher classic rested in the hands of Noel or Liam’s solo endeavours. Headlining the Saturday night of Bilbao BBK’s 2018 event, the High Flying Birds knew the assignment, dropping ‘Little By Little’, ‘Half The World Away’, ‘Wonderwall’ and more amid their own canon of certified bangers. Consider the mic well and truly dropped.
Memories from the team that makes it happen: “I was scheduled to do a quick five-minute interview [with Noel] but it turned into a relaxed 45-minute conversation about music, life and shared memories” – Daniless (Online Content Manager)
John Talabot (2024)
Over the last decade, Spanish DJ and producer John Talabot became Bilbao BBK’s unofficial resident, given the honour of closing out the Basoa Stage for five festivals in a row from 2018 onwards. His last hurrah in the spot was 2024, and it was a truly special one; transforming Basoa’s forest arena into an exclusive and immersive dancefloor – and proving why the home country hero is one of electronic music’s finest.
Memories from the team that makes it happen: “Seeing the Basoa Stage finish with him behind the decks became a kind of tradition: simple, emotional and meaningful for everyone involved” – Maria Pagola (Head of Press & PR)
Radiohead (2012)
Any Radiohead festival headline is guaranteed to be a crowd-pulling highlight in the calendar. However, arriving in Bilbao as part of 2012’s ‘The King Of Limbs’ tour, Thom Yorke and his motley crew had a royal flush of a setlist up their sleeves: ‘15 Step’, ‘Bodysnatchers’, ‘Pyramid Song’, ‘There There’, ‘Idioteque’. Dropping an unexpected Neil Young number in before an encore of ‘Everything In Its Right Place’ was the cherry on top of an exemplary display.
Memories from the team that makes it happen: “Between songs, Thom Yorke began playing Neil Young’s ‘After The Goldrush’. It brought back a flood of childhood memories” – Igor Arias (Sales Director)
The Hives (2013)
Swedish stalwarts The Hives are the perfect festival band: chaotic yet dependable, full of insatiable hits and unstoppable fun. In 2013, ‘unstoppable’ was the word of the day as a huge electrical storm broke out right in the middle of their set. Like true rock ’n’ roll pros, they carried on, barreling through ‘Hate To Say I Told You So’ and ‘Tick Tick Boom’ before the festival was temporarily stopped for an hour – and leaving the crowd with more than enough energy to see them through.
Memories from the team that makes it happen: “The sky seemed to fall on our heads. When it was finally over, it felt like we’d been transported to Woodstock 1969” – Gaby Salaverry (Brand Partners Director)
Ernesto Ezpeleta (2023)
Festival highlights don’t always just come in musical form – and in 2023, Ernesto Ezpeleta proved that with gusto. Known as Bihurri – or ‘woodcutter’ in the Basque language – Ernesto gathered a huge crowd around the Main Stage and, over the course of five minutes, proceeded to split a car in two using just an axe and his own mad strength. You certainly don’t get that with Dua Lipa…
Memories from the team that makes it happen: “It was inspired by Vicente Paredes’ brilliant book Supereuskadi, which also inspired the visual universe and artwork of this year’s festival” – Borja Dopico (Planning Director)
R.E.M. (2008)
Still only in its third year, Bilbao BBK secured a huge line-up for its 2008 iteration, with The Prodigy, The Police and Lenny Kravitz all heading to the mountains. Topping the bill on Saturday, however, R.E.M. set a precedent for all future acts to follow, serving up a two-hour set of greatest hits and fan favourites, backed by towering screens and one of the most powerful catalogues in modern music.
Memories from the team that makes it happen: “It was my first year as part of the team and everything felt magical, especially R.E.M. Delivering an epic performance in the rain to a completely devoted crowd” – Itxaso Hernández (Communication Director)
Bilbao BBK Live is July 9-11 and you can get tickets here