White face masks apart, a gig at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain, was a throwback to pre-pandemic times.

A 5,000-strong crowd enjoyed the music of rock band Love Of Lesbian after passing a coronavirus test on the day of the concert, although they did have to don the face masks provided by concert organisers.

“We were able to evade reality for a while,” said 40-year-old Jose Parejo. “We were inside our small concert bubble. And we were even able to remember back in time when things like this were normal.”

Organisers said it was the first commercial event with an audience that big held in Europe during the pandemic.