Primavera Sound 2016 Day 3

Cass McCombs 7/10
The Californian played at least three sets during the Festival; I was happy to have caught him at the smallest stage, though his music is slightly less to my taste than Hiss Golden Messenger's last year.

Joanna Serrat 7/10
Unusually, I chose to watch this Catalan folk singer from afar, in order to preserve some remaining energy for the night ahead, but her easy going, melodic music was perfect for a relaxed early summer afternoon by the Mediterranean.

Pajaro Jack 5/10
Another local Barcelona band, but whom impressed less in what was a slightly slow start to the final day of Primavera; early evening at Primavera is the equivalent of a midday slot at other festivals when atmosphere can be lacking amidst thin crowds.

U.S. Girls 8/10
Meghan Remy presented one of the more experimental and unpredictable sets of the Festival with eclectic influences including 70's disco, which owed something to theatre too. It made heavy use of a backing tape, but the acting and sheer creativity won me over.

Jenny Hval 8.5/10
The Norwegian trio came on stage in blonde wigs, and proceeded to undress to reveal flesh coloured underwear. The tuba player later cut Jenny's wig with scissors, and they smeared lipstick on her. There were multiple surprises, and layers of symbolism in this performance art. After being exposed to creative talent for almost three days, I was in just the right state of mind to be open to this eccentricity, and I found something of the zany, rebellious streak that is so evident in St. Vincent's work. As Jenny explained near the beginning of this amazing journey, she was there to 'make things complicated'.

PJ Harvey 9.5/10
Understandably heavy on tracks from her recent Hope Six Demolition Project record, PJ Harvey was totally committed, moving around stage with inspiring energy, alternating between vocals and saxophone. Her sizeable band's contribution was almost as important, almost amounting to an orchestra, and the impact was far greater than you might have expected. Given that the last time I was able to see this artist was 2011,  I'm immensely grateful for this opportunity.

Sigur Ros 10/10
One of the first dates of the Icelandic post-rockers' 2016 tour when they performed as a trio for the first time, this set was absolutely transcendent. Notable for the explosive visuals, more than Radiohead, the large stage added rather than detracted from its live power. The highlight of the entire festival.

Roosevelt 7/10
The German producer played with a band and attracted a sizeable, enthusiastic crowd, despite playing until 4am (which by Primavera standards, isn't particularly late). The style combines elements of Caribou's electronics with disco, and proved to be an upbeat end to my Festival.

Introduction
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

Primavera Sound 2016 Day 2

Shura 8/10
The English synth pop artist and producer impressed me greatly with her enthusiasm, opening Day 2 on what became one of my favourite stages, for its intimacy.

Ben Watt Band 6/10
Influenced by jazz and folk, the British artist disappointed somewhat, only serving to emphasised the lack of roots and Americana artists at this Festival.

Moses Sumney 8/10
One of my most exciting discoveries this  year, the LA singer songwriter made imaginative use of vocal effects (with no fewer than three microphones) and loops, yet he also takes in folk influences. If you enjoy Bon Iver, I'd strongly suggest investigating this artist.

Savages 9.5/10
In contrast to Radiohead's that followed, the crowd for Savages was incredibly warm and generous, and Beth ditto's audience engagement made this the highlight of my day, and it was incredibly cathartic, escapist post punk.

Radiohead 8/10
This was easily the most eagerly awaited set of the festival, and few were disappointed with the wide-ranging setlist. In addition, A Moon Shaped Pool is a return to form after King of Limbs, and will be easily one of my top albums of 2016. That ultimately I came away with some disappointment partly reflected Primavera security's attempt to sabotage the set for VIP customers just before it started, but also the difficulty of presenting such nuanced music to a crowed of 50,000. Near the front, the low volume levels were less of an issue than for others, and the refusal of the band to be filmed conventionally wasn't a concern. Yet, their act is uncompromising: there was little attempt to engage the audience, other than of course within the music, and little concession to the fact that they were not playing at the 1700 capacity Roundhouse on this evening. Ultimately, I've had more moving Radiohead experiences sat listening at home, or travelling with headphones, than stood in Barcelona.

Animal Collective 9/10
Coming directly after Radiohead, the smaller stage quickly became over-crowded, due to an exodus away from the Last Shadow Puppets who have received mixed reviews. Yet, these masters of electronics exuded a playfulness and sense of life that had been lacking over the past two hours.

Beach House 7/10
The Baltimore dream pop group closed my Coachella this year, and for the first time I felt I really appreciated their escapism. Yet, on a larger stage, without the backdrop of palm trees and with a less sophisticated lighting setup, they entranced me less here; perhaps I was still perturbed by the Radiohead situation.

Introduction
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

Primavera Sound 2016 Day 1

Andy Shauf 8/10
The Canadian singer songwriter performed in the Parc del Forum's indoor auditorium, to an attentive, seated audience. The folk inspired set perhaps lacked variety of mood, but it was exceptionally tender and sensitively delivered.

Julien Baker 9/10
Since I first heard her album, Sprained Ankle, last year, I've been eagerly awaiting the chance to see this Tennessee singer songwriter. Performing solo, she was beautifully nuanced and hers is one of the performances of this Festival I'll look back on most fondly.

Daughter 9/10
Not to Disappear is one of my favouriate albums of 2016, and the British band happily was able to communicate their delicate, sad emotion wonderfully to such a huge crowd. My highlight of day 1.

Air 5/10
Alas, my first experienced of this French band was marred entirely by drunk, British talkers all around me; the density of the crowd made it impossible to move further forward, and as noted in my introduction, the comparatively limited volume levels exacerbated the situation.

Explosions in the Sky 8/10
The post-rock band from Texas were one of the surprises of the Festival: despite the lack of vocals, their set was absolutely thrilling, maintaining a high level of tension and great collaboration.

John Carpenter 7/10
The American film director deserves an award for the most enthusiastic banter of the Festival, and his band provided accomplished musical input. This was one of his first performances, and illustrates that Primavera is not bound to convention in its booking.

Mbongwana Star 7/10
The Congolese band put on a spirited performance, though I enjoyed the performance more on a smaller indoor stage at Coachella, when I hadn't been awake for 20 hours.

Introduction
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

Primavera Sound 2016 Introduction

This felt like a year of change for Primavera Sound: tickets sold out a month in advance, Brits made up a higher proportion of the audience, and it felt less like a private gathering of music lovers and more a party destination. This of course had much to do with securing Radiohead as headliners: the question is whether they will continue to pursue Coachella's strategy of mainstream bookings, or if it will return to 'normal' in 2017. The previous character of the Festival could still be experienced on the smaller, ocean stages, but the two facing main stages were often not environments conducive to appreciating subtle music. Inconsiderate (largely British) talkers amongst the audience seemed far more predominant, a situation made worse by the lower volume levels on the main stage than last year. This was especially evident during Radiohead's set, though they did seem to be able to command the attention of the crowd. Unfortunately though, my experience was marred by the chaos before they came on stage, when security cleared the VIP area unless (I found out afterwards) you paid them 20 Euros. As a result, I lost the place on the front rail I'd secured before Savages, but more importantly felt physically threatened as those displaced at the front became increasingly angry.

Aside from this upsetting experience, the festival remained inspiring. The line-up was still adventurous and challenging, and the site itself, main stages apart, is gorgeous. The addition of the Beach Club this year, featuring EDM music, was positive, though it increased the size of the site and time taken to move between stages, which can constrain your personal schedule. Coachella's stages are arranged so that it's entirely feasible to take in parts of sets, instead of having to commit to remaining in a section of the site. However, the climate is far more pleasant than the Californian desert's, and there's no need to drive into the festival with hotels in walking distance and an efficient public transport system. The paucity of ice cream vendors aside, the quality of food was good and about half the price of many UK or US festivals. It lacks Goldenvoice's art installations, and technical resources in areas such as video screens, but Coachella doesn't have a beach on site. I'm currently uncertain if I'll attend next year, but it's easy to understand why the secret is out about Primavera Sound.

Note that just as I post my 300th article here, this blog will be taking a break for a few weeks whilst I concentrate on my other great passion.

Index
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3