Edwyn Collins has decided to retire from the stage with one final tour, “The Testimonial Tour“. Following his notable recent releases and despite remaining in fairly good condition given the movement limitations caused by the severe brain hemorrhage he suffered just over 20 years ago—a hemorrhage that paralyzed his body and left him speechless, from which he recovered remarkably—Collins and his family have decided that it is a good moment to stop. But before that moment, “A Last Lap Around Spain” took him to bid farewell to his audience in ten cities across our country, performing on Tuesday, May 5 at La Nau in Barcelona.
Edwyn Collins, Sala La Nau Barcelona 2026 – Photo taken by Meritxell Rosell for Indieofilo©
To open the night, a double dose of indie rock. First with the entertaining and occasionally nostalgic from the indie golden era, Glass Cheques, a Glasgow band that debuted in 2026 with the single “Seeking Adventure“. After them, and with some members shared between the bands, Bayview, the enthusiastic band led by William Collins, Edwyn‘s son.
William Collins from Bayview, Sala La Nau Barcelona 2026 – Photo taken by Meritxell Rosell for Indieofilo©
And then our protagonist arrived on stage, making clear that he intended to imprint the night in the public’s memory, with “Falling in Laughing” and “Dying Day“, from Orange Juice, being the first songs to sound. Edwyn introduced the songs, joked with the audience and the band, a well-oiled and complicit gang alongside whom songs like “Make Me Feel Again” or “The Campaign for Real Rock“, jewels from the Gorgeous George (1994) album, shone even brighter.
Edwyn Collins, Sala La Nau Barcelona 2026 – Photo taken by Meritxell Rosell for Indieofilo©
Undoubtedly, we were gifted with a very complete and emotive evening, in which a large portion of Collins’s best moments found a place: some more memorable Orange Juice tracks (including “Rip It Up“), the first single he released after the band’s dissolution (“Don’t Shilly Shally“), and his son William joining in for the performance of “In Your Eyes“.
Edwyn Collins, Sala La Nau Barcelona 2026 – Photo taken by Meritxell Rosell for Indieofilo©
Evidently, Edwyn could not resist closing the concert with the song that catapulted him to fame in 1995 on countless charts and propelled his popularity, the infectious “A Girl Like You“, bringing happiness to the devoted crowd. The encores briefly returned us to a gentler Collins with “Low Expectations” and “Home Again“, before ending returning to the starting box with his Orange Juice origins and the hyper-vitaminized and addictive “Felicity” and “Blue Boy“.
Edwyn Collins, Sala La Nau Barcelona 2026 – Photo taken by Meritxell Rosell for Indieofilo©
In La Nau we witnessed an amazing farewell from one of the most memorable figures in Scottish indie pop. Thanks for all, Edwyn!
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