Primavera Sound 2024: A musical experience like no other.
Primavera Sound 2024 was like no other. Hosting artists from all over the world at Parc Del Fòrum, we had never experienced so much unique and powerful live music in the same place at the same time. For everyone who attended, it felt like an escape, soundtracked by the most impressive tunes of the year.
The first day started with the amazing Nieve Ella, whose set consisted of her latest singles, some deep cuts, and an unreleased song ‘Sugarcoated,’ which we enjoyed discussing with her afterwards.
Dillom then played at the Amazon Music Stage, describing it as:
“A crazy experience with hardcore fans and curious people searching for new music that surpassed his expectations.”
He live-debuted some songs from his new album ‘Por Cesárea,’ “eager to play new material after performing his debut album ‘Post Mortem’ for almost two years.“
It was his first time playing Primavera Sound Barcelona, and he smashed it.
Afterwards, Yeule delivered a show-stopping performance of their new album, and the night ended with Vampire Weekend headlining the main stage, Justice making everyone dance, and A.G. Cook bringing everyone together at 5 in the morning.
Before starting day two, we already knew it would be a case of sprinting between every stage. The number of top-class artists playing was overwhelming, with too many clashes for us to comprehend. Even though we missed out on The Last Dinner Party, Faye Webster, and BADBADNOTGOOD, we were rewarded with some of the weekend's best performances. On arrival, we saw the mesmerising Ethel Cain, with her atmospheric, eerie, and powerful ballads from ‘Preacher’s Daughter’. The sun was blinding as the crowd belted along with her to ‘Sun Bleached Flies’. Back to back, on the stage to the left, Omar Apollo brought his playfulness to the occasion—dancing around on stage as he does effortlessly, yet failing to impress as much as we thought he would.
Troye Sivan then gave his all, affirming his status as one of the most iconic pop acts in the game. With his unapologetically expressive and sexual routines, the crowd loved every moment–gasping at moments throughout the set.
Since the festival is committed to being a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community, these moments with Troye on stage felt so freeing. We were lucky to witness that.
The iconic Lana Del Rey arrived at her headline set fashionable late (which we loved to see), and even though we couldn’t believe our eyes, the performance left us wanting more.
The third day delivered an outstanding array of music from the world’s biggest stars. Starting with The Lemon Twigs playing their 70s-like hits and Royel Otis, who made us go crazy with their ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ cover, it was a chill start to a show-stopping night. 070 Shake brought some fantastic energy, opening up a mosh in what felt like every single song, and PJ Harvey cast some spells backstage to bring a storm to Barcelona right amid her performance–the timing and atmosphere were immaculate.
The real stars of the main stages were Mitski and SZA. Mitski gave a powerful set of her new album and the most loved songs of her discography. With the rain, quietness of the crowd, and night sky above, there was no better time for her to grace the stage. And then, of course, SZA blew us away with a set filled with CTRL and SOS songs and some of her most prominent features, such as Rich Baby Daddy, All The Stars and Kiss Me More. It was made to satisfy both her major fans and the general audience. The most beautiful part of the night was when she returned for an encore of 20 Something, a song we were wishing for that brought the entire crowd to tears.
Yet, the biggest set of the entire festival was undoubtedly Charli XCX. She closed the Amazon Music stage, and the energy of both her and the audience was indescribable; it felt like her own festival. Brat season started at that moment… and she made sure to let us know that it wasn’t going anywhere.
Overall, Primavera Sound was a liberating experience filled with top-class performances. Everyone who attended felt like they were living their best lives, carelessly dancing to whatever music played. The bookers get it right every single year, having undeniable taste and the best idea of which artists in the industry have the biggest productions. These few days under the sun in Barcelona can simply be defined as a festival made for real music fans, by real music fans.