Terraza Puerta Catedral - Gig with a view

So here I am, back in Seville after 2 verdant months in the South of England. As stunning a city as Seville is, I still feel a faint longing for rolling hills and gentle, hushed tones as I step back onto those familiar cobbled streets. But I´m all about the here and the now, which happens to be not at all that bad when I come to think of it. Particularly on warm, September evenings when the streets throb with ebullient life and limbs that are teak brown from a summer spent on Andalusian beaches.

I find my re-entry into Sevillian society is made that much smoother by encountering a few familiar faces, and if they´re friendly familiar faces, more´s the better. So first stop on my ´Operation the Guiri has landed´ was a quick pit stop at Alfakeke for a Friday night pancake care of Pierre´s Crepe making mastery. For anyone far from home, going to Alfakeke gives you an instant sense of belonging. It seems like almost everyone there is from some place else and while everyone seems to know each other, they´re also happy to open their world to someone new.

So with the ´I know what you did last summer´ chats done, and an egg and spinach crepe safely put away, it was a short stroll along Avenida de Constitución with the Friday night promenaders to my final destination, ´Terraza Puerta Catedral´. Positioned directly in front of the Cathedral, these are luxury holiday apartments, boasting a roof top terrace that leaves you eyeballing the gargoyles and communing with the gods. And on Friday and Saturday nights they lay on intimate live music gigs with free entry to the public against a backdrop that is hard to beat.

Last night was a newly svelte Miguelito Bueno, promoting his new album Toc Toc Toc and as ever singing like his life depended on it. Looking around the audience, everyone seemed entranced by Miguel´s visceral performance which had been further spiced up with some new fancy turns by keyboardist Rafael Arregui. It was an interesting contrast between the backdrop of the cathedral representing a timeless and palpably traditional Seville and the irrepressibly irreverent Miguelito and his band. But I´m sure even the ghosts of the cathedral must long for something different to the unrelenting Semana Santa marching bands that echo through the cloisters.

The Terraza Puerta Catedral is without a doubt a welcome addition to what can be a sparse live music scene in Seville. Be prepared for hotel drinks prices though, but I guess a small trade off against what´s got to be one of the best locations in the city.

Terraza Puerta Catedral, Avenida de Constitución 22 (ring buzzer)
cloespace.com/

Alfakeke, Calle Vicente 13 (Friday nights are Crepe night)