Tallest Man on Earth:
Middle of the afternoon, sun shining gently, first artist of the day. What an amazing debut to Saturday of the festival. Kristian Matsson’s voice sounds so incredible live, if you can imagine it better than on his albums. His energy, pleasantness and excitement to have been performing for us encouraged the audience to invest more into his set. The relaxed and comfortable vibe he presented put the listeners at ease allowing concentration on his lovely music. Later, his adorable and talented girlfriend, Amanda Bergman of Idiot Wind, for who he mentioned his head over heels love, joined him to complete “Thrown Right at Me” perfectly.
Warpaint: These four beauties from Los Angeles rocked the shit out of the Llevant stage. Each with their own attitude, their own style and their own sweet dance moves, these women put on a rad show that left not only me but my four Canadian roadies mesmerized. Being a singer myself who continues to battle stage fright, confidence and self-assurance, these girls were a complete inspiration. They performed their songs for each other. The musical and amicable chemistry amongst them was evident and all they focused on were the feelings the music produced. They smiled, grooved, closed their eyes, raised their arms and laughed between themselves, therefore putting on a rocking show. Not to mention their live version of “Undertow” kicked lots of Primavera ass.
- Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes: Huge crowd. Expected. It’s Fleet Foxes. And still how charming they were. Their first time ever in Spain, at the Primavera Sound Festival and they were as humble as can be. Similar to Kristian Matsson, of Tallest Man on Earth, the Foxes thanked the crowd over and over again for coming out to see them perform. Though amongst this large horde of adoring fans, because of the sincerity in his words, I felt as though Robin Pecknold was talk directly to me with every “Thank You”. Two songs in, they proved even further their coolness, by asking the crowd what time the game was on. This game being the Champions League Final, Barcelona vs. Manchester United. They then reassured the audience they’d be done in time for the game. Not only are they great musicians, they’re culturally sensitive
Kurt Vile & the Violators: After a lovely vegan Seitan sandwich, Kurt Vile was on the agenda. With the Violators, Vile was a bit harder rock than I expected but together with the band his hit “Jesus Fever” was beyond agreeable. He played the whole set with his beautifully thick and wavy hair covering his entire face producing a shy and mysterious look, which was not transmitted into his soft and pleasant music. Nonetheless, his music was soothing and nothing but satisfying.
- Matthew Dear : Having known Matthew Dear for a longtime now, I was very anxious to see him in Barcelona (especially with a live band). I had heard from others that his shows were much different from his recorded albums and WOW was his performance a surprise. It was radical. It was huge. Énorme! For the first time Saturday I was letting my body go, my head rock back and forth and my feet slide to the bass beats, trumpet, keyboard notes and of course, cowbell. This character Matthew Dear became on stage was at first a bit hard to realize, but with the groove of the music it all unfolded easily. His white suit, black low-cut undershirt, greasy slicked back cut, electric slides and dramatic movements created a spectacle worth letting loose. This was spot on for the entire crowd, the more I looked from right to left at captivated fans, the more I threw myself into the music.
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James Blake DJ Set
- James Blake DJ Set : One set of James Blake was just not enough, so I headed back to see his DJ set. No one has ever made Destiny Child’s “Bills, Bills, Bills” so listenable. Of course his music choices for a DJ set would be great when the tunes he produces himself are faultless.
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Animal Collective
- Animal Collective : Our group was not the only one at Primavera to be particularly excited about Brooklyn-based Animal Collective; when came to get a place 90 minutes ahead, there were already at least 50-100 people waiting. We passed the time drinking coffee and playing cards, enjoying the sensation of being surrounded part of being part of some kind ofmusic pilgrimage; we had prepared ourselves. We were ready.The excitement in the minutes before they started was palpable; Animal Collective have set a new standard for experimental pop, and they were without a doubt the most popular set of the night. Although space was a little tight, the atmosphere remainedpositive and laid back. They started gradually, with a comparatively laid-back song from Deakin. Once you see Animal Collective, their pseudonyms make much more sense (although one could say pseudonyms were always logically consistent). They seem to perform more as one synchronized, frenetic organism rather than a bunch of, you know – dudes with names. Also, Brian Weitz, aka ‘The Geologist’, wears a headlamp. Go figure. Contrary to my expectations, and perhaps those of the crowd, they didn’t just play Merriweather Post Pavilion song for song, and they completely bypassed the FallBe Kind EP. They actually spread out the set pretty democratically between all their albums. No song was played exactly as it is recorded; the songs seemed to follow a kind of internal organic logic. The effect was hallucinatory, and made even more so by the fact that Avey Tare in particular is not at all afraid to experiment with his voice. It made being there listening both more engaging and more exciting, and I suppose it is how Animal Collective can continue to be surprising live despite not having put out a full-length album since 2009 .They seem to be constantly becoming a different version of their same selves. That said, I was as excited as everyone else for ‘Brother Sport’and ‘Summertime Clothes’. What can you expect? They’re classics.
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Holy Ghost! at the Ray-Ban Stage
- Holy Ghost! Los Angeles’ electronic dance duo
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Kode9 and the Space Ape
Kode9 and the Space Ape :
As a Canadian friend describes, we sat “on the stairs overlooking the stage as the crowd pulsed in rhythm with the goosebumps being pounded out of your skin, watching the sky lighten over people still dancing like wild things. Perfectly surreal.”
Also Saturday: Cloud Nothings, tUnE-yArDs, Gonjasufi, Gang Gang Dance, Mogwai, PJ Harvey, DJ Shadow, The Album Leaf, Perfume Genius, Odd Future.