Words: George Gray, Images: Primavera Press
They say Friday night’s are made for dancing, so really was there a better place for us to be then returning to Parc del Forum for the third day of action at Primavera Sound. At this point we were deep in the festival, confident in the grooves and terrain of the site, and ready to tackle another wave of artists. On paper our plan for the day was simple, an evening of indie followed by a night of explorative electronic music.
In the run-up to the weekend a last minute change to the line-up was announced. Wolf Alice joined proceedings as a crowning jewel, fortunately for fans just as a new album was confirmed. The band have flourished as years have passed, each album representing a metamorphosis in their sound. The result is a body of work that resonates with the whole kaleidoscope of emotions, from bildungsroman ballads to blood rushing rock, it was no surprise a widely diverse crowd gravitated to their set.
Opening with Formidable cool the crowd jumped to their feet in an instant, and soon they were gliding through the set. From the soul soothing bass riff of How Can I make it Ok to the smoothly punctuated style of new track Boom Baby Bloom, Ellie Rowsell flexed her vocal prowess and punk sensibility with class. As the set drew to a close we were treated to a track that paints a picture into 21st century love like no other, an anthem for the indie rockers for tomorrow – Don’t delete the Kisses. Arms aloft and eyes wide the audience were hit by a sucker punch of instant nostalgia.
One act in and already riding high there was one word and three sisters that were about to knock things further out of the park – Haim. The American trio graced the stage with tongue-in cheek indie classics, and quick retorts with their own sentient ticker-tape sign for a joy-filled hour as the sun began to dip. Opening with The Wire before dropping into fan favourite Don’t Wanna and a laughter filled performance of Relationships, Haim certainly didn’t hold back. “Shall we stay for another week?” they posed, the audience bouncing back with cheers.
By this point the sun had set so under darkness we began to pinball across the arenas, quickfire catching alt-indie legends Stereolab and TV On The Radio belt out classics to packed out Amazon Music and Cupra stages respectively. After a couple hours we began to notice a rush. A flood of fans peppered with red lipstick marks and sparkles bolted towards the Revolut stage, Sabrina Carpenter was about to begin.
As we shuffled left of the mass of screaming pop fans, she emerged clad in sequins and glammed to the max. The star that’s revolutionised the pop scene of the 21st century with a clever confidence that’s brought back echoes of Marilyn Monroe and beyond had produced more than a gig.
This was a sharply curated show revolving around retro TV, the proclaimed Powerpuff girl of pop and once Disney Kid staying close to her roots. Hits like Taste, Juno and Espresso leaving the crowd on their knees. Even Wolf Alice couldn’t resist, spotted grooving to the smooth pop like the rest of us.
The washing machine was then flicked on as the crowd rolled through, shifting from pop lovers to house heads as dutch duo ANOTR hit Estrella Damm with their charismatic charm and bubbling synths. As the liquid vocals of How You Feel oozed across its mix of rolling riffs, dancers boogied their way forward to the barrier, arm in arm, hand in hand. The electronic half of the night had firmly begun.
Before we fully emerged ourself in the electro-world there was time for one more snippet of electro indie as we stumbled upon a packed out Cupra arena. Provocative locals, fast guitar thrashing and mosh pits a-plenty it could only be one group – the infamous Wet Leg. We danced, we sang, we moshed – all the signs of a great hard alt-rock set.
Something else was calling though, an electric storm in all its glory brewing from the Amazon music stage in the shape of Floating Points Live. An sacred opportunity for any lover for electronic music and as we wandered over we saw many a fellow pilgrim on their way. The set started subtly, melding with the humdrum chatter of the crowd before growling into life as proceedings went on.
The array of technical hardware on display was masterfully controlled with sharp precision, building each sound from the ground up, until a layered cobweb of unfiltered electrodes filled the space around us. This set will stay with us for a while, an eye-opening education on what pushing the boundaries can truly mean.
With our heads still floating themselves we needed something that’d slam us down to earth, something that was found in 4am Kru. The boys are favourites of ours here at ASBO and as we arrived at Tramline stage right by the bay they hit play on the perfect song to get us two-steppin’ into the morning – Earshots. What progressed was once again a flawless, foot-kicking set, that proves the crew may be the most potent live dance act out there.
By this time it was time to head home, but it was no lullaby that waved us home instead the unmistakeable hard techno of Amelie Lens, hammering the clock right into sunrise. At this point I’m not sure how we were still standing, talking and somehow grooving but that just seems to be the Primavera affect….
On to the next one! Stay tuned for more to come.
