16 Toneladas

16 Toneladas is a live music venue on Calle Ricardo Micó, on the north side of the old Turia riverbed, a short walk across the river from El Carmen and the IVAM. It opened in early 2014, in the middle of the economic crisis, and has since become one of the fixed points of Valencia's rock circuit. The name comes from "Sixteen Tons", the 1950s song made famous by Tennessee Ernie Ford, which already tells you a lot about the room's taste for rock and roll with roots.

The space is a single hall for roughly 300 people. Before opening, the team spent years looking for the right premises and then stripped the building back to work properly on soundproofing and acoustics, and local music journalists have singled it out as one of the best-sounding rooms in the city. The stage is close to the audience, sightlines are good from most spots and the feel is that of a real rock club rather than a nightclub with a stage added on.

The programme leans towards rock, garage, blues, rockabilly, punk, power pop and indie, mixing international touring acts with Spanish and local bands. In its first year it booked names such as Pere Ubu, Chuck Prophet and Shellac, and recent listings include The Flamin' Groovies, Deke Dickerson, Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne and Kate Clover alongside local bills. Recurring cycles such as Wáchina Wáchina, the Big Ducktail's Party Weekend and the Cicle Cànter, plus tribute nights and the occasional after-party or DJ set once the band has finished, keep the calendar busy, often with several concerts a week.

The crowd is made up mostly of people who come for the music: regulars from the rock and garage scene, fans of a particular band and a broad mix of ages, with a younger audience on punk and indie nights. Nobody dresses up here, casual is the norm, and the minimum age is usually 18.

Tickets are sold per concert through external platforms, mainly Movingtickets and other ticketing sites linked from the venue's programme, and some shows are free entry. Prices depend on the act and usually sit somewhere between 8 and 20 euros; popular international bands do sell out, so it pays to buy in advance. Start times vary by concert, so check the event page before you go; on Fridays and Saturdays the venue can stay open late after the gig. From the old town it is an easy walk, and late at night a taxi is the simplest way home. Upcoming concerts are listed on this page.