Escalating connectors (encima, es más)

Setting the scene

Sometimes, a live music event doesn't go as planned.

The festival was disastrous and very chaotic.
El festival fue desastroso y muy caótico.

Adding insult to injury with "encima"

When recounting a disastrous event, things often go from bad to worse. To express "on top of that" or "to make matters worse," use the connector encima.

The event was disastrous; to make matters worse, now it's very cold.
El evento fue desastroso; encima, ahora hace mucho frío.
We went to a chaotic concert; to make matters worse, the speaker doesn't work.
Fuimos a un concierto caótico; encima, el parlante no funciona.

Notice how encima typically links two complete clauses. It usually follows a semicolon (or a period) and is followed by a comma.

Taking it a step further with "es más"

When you want to double down on a complaint or add emphatic information, use es más. It translates to "in fact," "furthermore," or "what's more."

The singer is out of tune; in fact, the speaker doesn't work.
El cantante está desafinado; es más, el parlante no funciona.

Use es más to escalate your point, like upgrading a complaint about a mediocre band into calling out a full-blown scam (una estafa).

The festival isn't mediocre, it's a scam; in fact, I want a refund.
El festival no es mediocre, es una estafa; es más, quiero un reembolso.

Just like encima, es más acts as a bridge between two independent thoughts. Use it to pile on the evidence when filing your complaint (el reclamo).

The festival is disastrous. What's more, the manager ignores the complaint.
El festival es desastroso. Es más, el gerente ignora el reclamo.