It's hard to look back through past years and find a bad lineup for Primavera Sound. For decades, the Barcelona spectacle has brought an unbelievable amount of top talent to the shores of the Mediterranean and each year consistently feels extraordinarily packed with some of the best bands and artists. This year, however, the festival did something for the first time in its history, or any major music festival"s history: they booked three of the biggest pop female acts on the planet. Charli XCX (with Troy Sivan), Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan have all blown up to massive celebrity status over the past year and Primavera was ready to capitalize on the moment. They succeeded with tremendous results.
Thursday kicked off with a dreamy set from Cassandra Jenkins that helped ease into the first day of the festival as her wistful tunes radiated across the sparkling sea in the distance. Hearing "Hard Drive" over a vast festival crowd was a blissful moment and set the tone for the intensity that lay ahead. Over on the main stages, it was a heavy dose of U.K. imports that began with the raging punk of IDLES who were in prime destruction mode as they led the crowd through chants of "Free Palestine" and got into the crowd so a circle pit could form around the bassist and guitar player while the singer sang some lines to Charli's "Guess" to much applause. As the sun went down behind them, things took a turn towards clubby electronica as FKA twigs took to the stage for her Eusexua set that featured elaborate choreography that was reminiscent of Janet Jackson in her prime and highlighted the pristine power of her vocals. Pole dancing and sword fighting were all on display as she dazzled through the three acts of her set before closing in operatic fashion with remarkable renditions of "Water Me" and "Cellophane." Continuing with the heat, Jamie xx brought more rave vibes to the festival field and made the crowd get loosened up for the epic set to follow. For their first Sweat Tour performance in Europe Charli XCX and Troy Sivan served up the hottest and stickiest dance party of the weekend. Packed in tight, the crowd was euphoric and exploding with ketamine-fueled energy that had everyone turned up. Of course the obvious Brat tracks made for some epic moments, but when she revealed Chappell Roan as the night's "Apple" girl, the night hit its absolute peak. The response from the crowd was electric and it was clear that things for the weekend were only getting started. Yet just when it felt like nothing could possibly go harder, her Icona Pop collab "I Love It" had the crowd reaching hysterics. It was three non-stop sets of total rave magic and it felt like not just the biggest party in Barcelona, but the biggest thing going down in all of Europe.
On the Cupra Stage, which is an amphitheater stage set up with its back towards the sea, Waxahatchee got an evening time slot that made her classic Americana sound shine in the Golden Hour sunlight which made for one of the most perfect settings of the weekend. When she brought out MJ Lenderman for "Right Back to It," the crowd roared with joy and the two locked in for their remarkable groove. The newly cemented indie rock supergroup The Hard Quartet crushed their set as well and watching these established figures rock with such talent and ease was a total joy. It was clear that their decades of playing in some of the most important acts in indie music has made them all such prime musicians that they make it look almost too easy. Back on the main stage, Wolf Alice lashed out with more explosive rock and got things ready for the HAIM sisters to mark their grand return. Only weeks away from dropping their fourth album, the sisters meant business and were on a mission to have one hell of a time rocking out with their anthemic jams. Bringing out the hits, it was another major party that found the sisters at the top of their game. As darkness descended, Dream-Pop icons Beach House led the crowd through swirling haze as their celestial tunes covered the crowd with thick blankets of fuzz and exceptional bliss. Sounding as big as ever, they remained hidden in their shadows but when they dug deep to play old classics like "Master of None" and "Gila" it felt like a portal to the heavens opened and we were all transported into a state of Nirvana. Down at the Cupra Stage, TV on the Radio brought their hits and infectious vibes to a sweltering crowd that was ready to howl like wolves and rock out with their dancing shoes. Sounding as tight as ever, they ripped through their set with incredible dexterity that had everyone wanting more. A late night set from The Jesus Lizard opposite Sabrina's headlining moment offered a more intimate affair, but the noise rock legends still battered aware at their aggressive tracks with primal snarl and ripping guitar tones that had frontman David Yow barking with brutal intensity as he crowd surfed over the moshing crowd. A huge crowd turned up for Wet Leg's set and the post-punkers tore things up with epic bursts of energy as their angular guitar shreds had people moving with purpose. When they hit us with "Chaise Lounge," the rush of the crowd was triumphant and made for one of the best moments of the whole weekend and definitely turned some casual listeners into big fans. The big rave energy of the night, however, belonged to Floating Points who brought killer techno and slamming beats to his 3am set and had the crowd dancing hard as live art work was being broadcast behind him. It was another great dance party that had the crowd moving and grooving hard until the early morning.
Starting off the last day at the Trainline Stage, Horsegirl brought their stark and clanging rock to Spain for the first time which made for a good start to what would be another epic day. The main stage was already filling up when Glass Beads brought their worldly instrumental songs to the crowd for endless jams that felt like one long groove. Fontaines DC. Followed that with their new take on Britpop that had big guitar hooks washing over the crowd which helped to draw up big energy and got the crowd moving with a passion. More massive chants of “Free Palestine” took over the crowd and the boldest and bravest statement of the weekend came when they put up the message “Israel is committing genocide. Use your voice!” It was a daring moment yet one that resonated across the festival field as people cheered with enthusiastic support of the band. As the evening progressed and night fall finally came, the grounds were packed in pink cowboy hats as one of the most anticipated acts of the weekend geared up to bring an onslaught of hits and the biggest singalongs of the festival. The meteoric rise to fame Chappell Roan has experienced over the past twelve months feels unprecedented and when she appeared on stage the energy of the crowd reached the stratosphere. Featuring a lavish set that was straight out of '80s medieval fantasy lore, her costumes and make-up were next level and it was instantly clear that she has firmly stepped into her role as one of the world's biggest pop stars. One of the most engaging and euphoric crowds I've ever witnessed, there was truly nothing like it and it seemed like every song got a bigger reaction than the one before it as "Hot To Go" and "Good Luck, Babe!" took the crowd by storm, but when she dropped "Pink Pony Club" to close things out, it was a larger than life moment that had the crowd repeating the chorus over and over again, long after she had left the stage. ANOHNI and the Johnsons was a major vibe shift but still brought beauty to the stage with her remarkable voice and tightly executed string ensemble but it was hard to match the high of what came before and knowing LCD Soundsystem were going to follow made it all the much harder to stay calm and reserved. When James Murphy and company hit the stage, they eased in with “Oh Baby” before turning things up a notch and unloading the hits. Time and time again, this band can deliver a top caliber show and it was without question one of the highlights of the weekend. Breaking out “North American Scum” was a real treat and the forever iconic closing of "Dance Yourself Clean" -> "New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" -> "All My Friends" will forever go down as one of the best ways to end any set by any band ever. Only a day after releasing one of the most anticipated albums of the year, TURNSTILE's 3:00-4:30 A.M. set felt legendary and the energy from both the band and the crowd would never have you guessing that sunrise was imminent. Whipping through both new hits and fan favorites, it was an onslaught of high octane adrenaline that had everyone going crazy for one of the most intense sets of the entire weekend. "Holiday" raged hard and the pits opened up with a fiery intensity. When they dropped "Mystery," it felt like the entire festival could've hinged on this moment as the crowd exploded with such force that there was no way I couldn't jump in the pit to expel every last bit of energy that I had left from the pas three days. As TURNSTILE enter the biggest chapter of their career yet, Primavera served as a launching pad and they're flying higher than ever before with no end in sight.
It's hard to image a better three days of music in a more majestic setting and returning to Primavera will forever be something on the horizon. It's a truly special place and community of people and artists that fails to exist in other parts of the world. It's a global attraction to celebrate the best in music, but it carries so much more weight than that. Of course the crowds are massive and at times can be packed with fans who are ready to experience their favorite artists, but it's also a space that feels pure and safe, where one can their truest self and exist in a world of acceptance where everyone can feel valued and like they're having the time if their life.
No comments:
Post a Comment