Primavera Sound. Ring a bell? Probably the fuck not, but it soon will. Ever dreamt of experiencing some of the best music around, in a foreign country, with the Mediterranean Sea as your view? Barcelona Spain is the location, Parc del Fòrum is the site.
People aren’t just drawn to this festival because of the nearby ocean breeze, although its a pretty big plus, they come from near and far because of the kick ass line up that Primavera never fails to give. Ranging from different styles, genres, style and status there was someone you knew and could singing along with. With a total of 11, yes 11, stages there was music playing every second of the roughly 17 hour festival. Noted for its focus on independent music and international acts the sounds of this festival include alternative, indie, electronic, hip hop, dance, jazz, experimental music, and metal.
Walking up to this venue with hundreds of other excited music lovers, the local skatepark just two steps away, and hundreds of people posted out side the gates sitting and enjoying the beer of Barcelona, (Estrella Damm). Locals that couldn’t afford to actual get into the festival are more than welcome to hang out and enjoy the music from where ever they can find a spot on the ground. You could easily mistake this place for a regular hang out spot, but once you walk through the gates, the dream becomes real. The stages are scattered out perfectly where the sound from one stage doesn’t interfere an other artists set. As every festival goes, you wont get to see everyone you want because of set times, but you sure as hell can try to catch a piece.
Roman Flügel kicked off the night for me at 2100, also known as 9pm, at the Bowers & Wilkins Sound System domain. This whole festival was put on with their audio equipment and it was not a let down. Big names on night one included Tyler the Creator, who performed at the Pitchfork stage, The Black Keys at the Primavera stage, Chet Faker who killed it at the Ray-Ban stage, Simian Mobile Disco, Electric Wizard, Tales of Us & again with Roman Flügel to end the night.
Julian Casablancas + The Voidz got things started for day 2. The sound and performance they bring can go from a tropical rhythm to an industrial darkness. They did a cover by The Strokes that had the crowd going insane. Just a teaser. All in all the guys did not disappoint. I sat in the VIP section for Run The Jewels set, it was the farthest VIP section from any stage but i was still blown away. El-P and Killer Mike were running shit, bringing the house down, you wouldn’t even guess that Mike was rocking the stage with a broken shoulder. Let that sink in for a second. At about 3 am I found myself being swayed by the sounds of Movement. Their set was surrounded by tons of fog and i felt like I was in a really really sexy music video.
Mac Demarco hit up Primavera again this year for his 3rd time but on the main stage Heineken. The goofy Mac D along with his band put on yet an other classic show. Not even missing a beat when Mac’s guitar string broke and Piers had to step in and do his own version of “Yellow” by Coldplay. The band and Mac are expecting a new album to drop August 07, make sure to check it out. Mac Daddy you amaze me.
Interpol and The Strokes played back to back. The 2000s made a fat ass come back by getting these two bands together. You heard all the classics from The Strokes, and then all the new stuff from Interpol. I could go on and on and how each of these groups killed it but let me just say this is one of those moments you’d have to be there to really understand what I’m talking about. To close out the night we had Thee Oh Sees gathered quite the crowd and creating a mosh pit I would defiantly take an elbow to the nose for. A round of applause for those guys.
If any of you are reading this article and got nothing from it let me tell you one more thing. Discovering something new is like magic. Music is out there to be heard and I am of the opinion that as many people as possible should hear it. Because music is powerful it connects people. French, Dutch, German, music is phenomenal even when you have no idea what they’re singing about. Festivals like these should be greeted by as many people as possible. Make your way out of your comfort zone and reach out to the music. Until next year Primavera.
