- Leading up to the festival, I was mildly disappointed about the bill for this year's Primavera Sound, which seemed to contain less than usual to get excited about. That's not to say it wasn't a lineup other festivals would kill for, but on digging out last year's dog-eared programme and seeing circles around Nurse With Wound, Omar Souleyman, The Knife, Nils Frahm and Fuck Buttons, it was difficult to feel quite the same excitement this time around. And yet, for whatever combination of reasons, Primavera Sound 2014 ended up being one of the best editions of the festival I've been to.
There were a number of things working in the festival's favour this year. Some were planned, such as the excellent new electronic music tent, and the complete lack of stress or major queues when entering the festival or buying drinks. Others were unplannable, like the uniformly friendly atmosphere, or the generally good weather despite ominous forecasts. Indeed, the one sustained period of rain—a torrential downpour early on day two—gave rise to one of the most memorable moments of this or any festival, as a spectacular double-rainbow arced over Parc Del Forum, prompting mass delight and a sudden cacophony of camera shutters.
Geographical changes were also smartly executed. The main Heineken Stage, previously placed by the entrance, was now in a large open area down by the sea, opposite the de-facto second main area, the Sony Stage. The scheduling of artists like Arcade Fire, The Pixies, Slowdive, Nine Inch Nails and Disclosure in this area meant those who had come mostly for the big-ticket bookings could shuttle between engagements in a matter of moments, rather than facing the cross-site trek of past years. The smaller stages, meanwhile, were concentrated in a relatively compact, manageable part of the site.
Day one eased us in gently with Warpaint's well-crafted indie, which culminated in a surprising and welcome cover of David Bowie's "Ashes To Ashes." Chvrches have never seemed much more than a minor distraction to me, and their pleasant enough set at the Pitchfork Stage did nothing to change that. Moderat gave one of the sets of the festival on the ATP Stage, with the sweeping, windswept likes of "Bad Kingdom" and "Therapy" shimmering over us in the still-not-quite-balmy night air.
The second day saw a huge crowd assemble at the Sony Stage for shoegaze legends Slowdive's first show in 20 years. Classics like "Golden Hair" and "Blue Skied An' Clear," combined with the sweet interplay between Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell, ensured we got what was probably the weekend's emotional high point. Two Heineken Stage shows then garnered qualified pass marks: the weight of The Pixies' back catalogue just about trumped their profoundly disinterested performance, and !!! gave us a good time for the half hour or so it took to realize that their sound has never really evolved over the years. Better things were in store, however, as Factory Floor's ever-magnificent live onslaught battered the life back into us. Laurent Garnier closed the Ray-Ban Stage with a set that included the deep and dirty likes of Andre Bratten's "Trommer Og Bass" and finished with the inevitable but welcome "The Man With The Red Face."
For its excellent soundsystem and atmosphere, not to mention its convenient location, the Bowers & Wilkins + Boiler Room tent was a great new addition to Parc Del Forum this year. My first taste of it came on day two with The Haxan Cloak's extraordinary live set, the droning low-frequency gut-punches of which contrasted brilliantly with the straightforward house and techno that had come before it. Barcelona's Hivern Discs label took over the whole of day three in the tent, with label head and local hero John Talabot kicking things off at 9 PM. His DJ set was for me the most deeply exhilarating moment of the festival, with a gargantuan crowd spilling way beyond the tent's exits to revel in a flawless hour that pivoted on stomping disco cuts like The Skatt Bros' "Walk The Night" but also ducked down various electronic side streets. An edit of Chic's "Everybody Dance" closed the incredible set in rapturous fashion.
Also on day three, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Mogwai brought mesmerising sheets of noise to a festival already half-mesmerised by sheer tiredness, with many attendees now on their fourth or fifth day without meaningful rest (thanks to pre-festival events around the city). All that was swept away by Chromeo's boundless energy on the Ray-Ban Stage, with "Bonafied Lovin'," "Needy Girl" and the rest of their infectious, knowing electro-funk hits injecting the crowd with a new-found energy as the final stretch approached. Daniel Avery took the traditional two-hour closing DJ slot on the Pitchfork Stage, liberally peppering the set with his own cuts along with a number of recent favourites, including "Red Smoke" by fellow Phantasy signee and studio partner Ghost Culture.
And that—save for a laugh-out-loud closing DJ set from Nitsa's DJ Coco (Kelly Clarkson, Journey, etc.)—was that. This year's edition may have been short a genuinely stunning booking or two, but it's still hard to beat a weekend well-lived at Primavera Sound.
Photo credits: Eric Pamies (John Talabot, !!!), Pere Masramon (double rainbow)