Review of Aircraft live at Theodora Extra, Barcelona · February 21, 2026
Last night at Theodora Extra, we witnessed something that started almost like a theatre piece and ended as a proper dancefloor moment. The Ukrainian project Aircraft, founded by Daniel Merkulov back in 2011 in Kyiv, brought their live set to Barcelona under the umbrella of Palaï.
The room felt calm at first. The crowd — stylish, attentive, with a strong Ukrainian presence — stood still as Daniel took the stage. There was no rush, no immediate explosion. The opening track unfolded slowly, almost like an introduction to a story rather than the start of a club night. It genuinely felt like the beginning of a play.
Everything shifted at the start of the second song.
Daniel invited everyone to move closer, to step onto the dancefloor — and we did. That small gesture changed the atmosphere instantly. What had started as a quiet, almost observational experience became something physical.
The set moved between more synth-driven, danceable tracks and others rooted in shoegaze textures, supported by solid guitar work. The balance worked. The rhythmic parts never felt forced, and the more atmospheric sections didn’t lose momentum. There was a clear sense of control over dynamics.
Several tracks from the recent album Death Is Around The Corner were part of the set, including “Orphan.” Aircraft also revisited earlier material such as “Tonight” and “My Baby’s Got To Go,” which blended seamlessly with the newer songs. We were also able to hear a forthcoming single scheduled for release in March, already sounding fully integrated into the live dynamic rather than a standalone preview.
What stood out most was how the night evolved. It didn’t start loud or spectacular — it built. By the middle of the show, the floor was active, the energy had shifted, and the initial distance between artist and audience had disappeared.
In the end, it was a very solid concert and, for many of us, a real discovery. Credit where it’s due: this is exactly the kind of booking that makes following collectives like Palaï worthwhile.
