One of the iconic events returns to Barcelona to welcome the macro festival season. Primavera Sound marks the beginning of this period one more year with its 2024 edition, offering a week full of music and activities that conquer the Catalan city. And of course, we couldn’t miss it so, without further ado, here’s our Primavera Sound 2024 experience.
Wednesday: Opening Concert
On Wednesday we kicked off our Primavera Sound 2024 adventure with the traditional free opening concert. The expectations on that evening were high, and it did not disappoint.
First, Stella Maris, the band from the successful series “La Mesías” directed by “Los Javis”, offered a mixture of Dadaism and musical humor that caught us from the first chord. On top of that, they came with surprises on their sleeve, the first being the appearance of Albert Pla, who joined the band to perform one of his collaborations. To top it off, the legendary Spanish actress Carmen Machi joined the band at the end of the performance, leaving fans of the series speechless.
Then, it was the turn of the undisputed headliners of the night: Phoenix. They kicked off with their hit ‘Lisztomania‘, claiming the attention of everyone who was having dinner or asking for another round between concerts (as was our case). The precision and energy of their performance were impressive, reminding us why their classics never go out of style. They sounded as perfect as on their albums, and generated moments of massive karaoke like when ‘1901’ was played. Their farewell in the purest rockstar style, crowd surfing with open arms and a beer “borrowed” from a fan, was the icing on the cake of an unforgettable opening night.
Thursday: Rhythm and Groove at Primavera Sound
Thursday, our first official day at Primavera Sound, was a real musical rollercoaster, starting with Chloé Caillet‘s refreshing selection at Aperol Island. This stage, which floated into the water, offered an intimate and unique concept and atmosphere with the Mediterranean Sea in the background. Chloé delighted us with a house DJ set that combined modern club weapons with nods to classics that kept the crowd, both on and off the dance floor, moving non-stop. Her session was so enjoyable that she extended her time on the decks, leaving us wanting to dance for a while longer.
Then it was time to enjoy L’Impératrice, one of the funkiest pop bands of the current scene, who showed why they are the kings of Parisian groove. Their performance was one of the highlights of the festival, not only interpreting their many compositions but also paying tribute to Daft Punk with ‘Aerodynamic‘ in a guitar solo that left us speechless. Their energy and style on stage consolidated them as one of the high points of the day.
In between, we made quick visits to Balma, the Catalan pop and electronic duo that showed they were ready to level up, and Roosevelt, who surprised us with an overflow of groove in the short time we were able to see them.
We had to listen to both Pulp and Deftones from afar while enjoying one of the many food truck options that the festival offers. One of those moments when you say “How beautiful life is” while feeding both your palate and your ears simultaneously, with these two great stalwarts of music in the background.
And with the batteries charged, it was time to make history. Justice‘s performance was, without a doubt, our favorite of the day, of the festival and, potentially, one of our favorite electronic lives in history. The French duo gave us a show in which they shined both for the light show and for their unparalleled sound. With a collage of their past and present hits, they kept us captivated for more than an hour that we wished would never end. Moments of unison karaoke with mythical vocals such as ‘We Are Your Friends‘ and the two new collaborations with Tame Impala made the audiovisual quality world-class.
To close the night, trendsetter Peggy Gou. The Korean DJ made us spend our last remaining energies on the dance floor. Her club-friendly rhythms were accelerating, compensating for the accumulated fatigue of an intense Thursday and leaving us with the promise of an equally exciting Friday.
Friday: Revelations and Musical Serotonin
Friday was a day full of surprises and emotions at Primavera Sound 2024, starting with the electrifying performance of Troye Sivan. This pop star squandered sensuality, eroticism and, boldness, which was empowering in every note. The surprise appearance of Guitarricadelafuente added a special touch to his set, creating a magical atmosphere that has led him to receive great praise even today.
And then came the most mediatic moment of the festival. Lana del Rey‘s drawing power was unmatched, gathering the biggest crowd of the week. Although we were only able to enjoy the final two songs from afar – partly due to a strategic decision -, including her iconic ‘Video Games’, her presence was enough to leave us impressed.
We took advantage of Lana’s attraction to visit a place that accumulated large queues for much of the festival: the infamous Boiler Room. The stage looked like a small coliseum of futuristic industrial aesthetics, with the novelty that the DJ was located at the epicenter of the track on a circular platform, creating a beautiful scene full of people dancing around each conductor. The first performance we saw was from El Kontessa, who had a good selection of experimental bass tracks. However, it was not her best day when it came to combining them, with certain transitions that took us out of the mood at times.
Also enjoying the urban side of the lineup, Rels B pleasantly surprised us with a powerful live performance that connected with the audience. His cast of Spanish RnB hits showed the huge amount of fans he accumulated, and his staging, combining musicians, backing singers, and a DJ, hypnotized us more than expected.
Barry Can’t Swim was our biggest disappointment, although the poor guy was not to blame. We didn’t count on the amount of people that were willing to see his live show. His drawing power was such that even the upper bleachers were packed to overflowing. Although it was a good photo op for Barry, we couldn’t dance or enjoy what was one of our most anticipated performances of Friday.
Luckily, it was then time to see another British act for which there was a dance floor big enough to accommodate all those who wanted to enjoy the live performance. We are talking about Disclosure, our second favorite performance of the festival and another that will be hard to beat on a sentimental level. Their show was pure musical serotonin, with the crowd smiling and jumping at the same time to each of their tracks.
These true house music hitmakers delighted us with such an extensive catalog that we didn’t even miss classics like ‘You & Me‘. The climax came with ‘Tondo‘, one of their catchiest basslines, enhanced by a brass ensemble who came out explicitly for that moment and made it even more epic. The Lawrence brothers, with their live show completely renewed after eight years of hiatus from the format, left us really excited.
To close the night, Arca took us to another dimension with her closing set. Eccentric both musically and in her visceral aesthetic, she combined her diva attitude with a mix of DJ set and live performance that was as mesmerizing as it was bewildering. Her unique energy and style were the perfect finishing touch to an unforgettable Friday night.
Saturday: After the Calm, the Storm Arrived
Turning what the famous saying goes, “After a calm comes a storm”. After three days in which the weather was excellent and it seemed that everything was going as planned, Saturday was a rainy one… and pouring.
The day began with 070 Shake, who fulfilled the expectations of his show, although without surprising too much. But then, the clouds began to threaten, and the rain came with a lot of force. Our already planned visit to the Warehouse was affected by an audience that was not prepared to get wet and sought refuge on that stage. It was curious to see how the first performance of the evening with Phew filled up against all odds, who found a dance floor overflowing while people -most of them not at all familiar with the work of the Japanese artist- tried to decipher the ambient electronic language she used to start her concert.
From there, we went jumping from stage to stage in search of energy to compensate for the storm. We started with Eartheater, which brought us a sensitive and intimate performance, despite the surprising amount of people who stopped to listen to it under the rain. However, we were still missing that sound caffeine, and not being able to access the Boiler Room -which had the longest queue seen in the whole festival due to Arca’s DJ set that was later interrupted and evicted because of the rain-, we headed to see one of those artists who have revived thanks to a hit that is giving them a second youth. We are talking about Princess Superstar -yes, the singer of ‘Exceeder‘-, who combined electro-house sounds with other more hip-hop and pop sounds and proved to be a real princess on stage. Her performance gave us the warmth we needed, making us jump and dance in the rain, and beyond the possible label of “one-hit wonder” she also deserves that of a performer in capital letters.
With the reopening of the Boiler Room, we were finally able to get inside to see Snow Strippers, who offered us a mix of cheeky hyperpop with a twisted electroclash. We paired their performance with the DJ set of Kamixlo who, under his gloomy mask, offered a frenetic start to the session, combining electro and bass house with a 2000s aroma, and some heavy metal and dubstep mashups. Both performances were unpredictable and intense. And we liked that.
Then we went upstairs to see Romy, whose performance made us truly feel like we were “crying at the disco”. Her tracklist full of eurodance breaks with melancholic and sensitive lyrics made her live performance a party that invites you to be mentally present while your feet take on a life of their own. What a beautiful pairing.
To close the night, after a well-deserved break, we crossed the enormous venue one last time to say a quick goodbye to Róisín Murphy in her stunning live performance. With multiple costume changes and a demonstration of how to be a timeless diva, we saved the last of our strength to see another contemporary diva. Charli XCX, with an album just around the corner, flaunted her influences from the club. Her naturalness on stage and her way of connecting with the crowd were among the highlights. We especially highlight the drums that tested the foundations of the Parc del Fòrum, especially with ‘B2B‘, one of the last previews of ‘Brat‘ that made us dance more than expected.
Sunday: One Last Dance Under the Sun
Already with our strength at a minimum, the only way to convince us to continue partying another day was to give us a revitalizing sun and contagious rhythms. Seeing that the weather contributed to the cause, the rest of the responsibility fell on the lineup that Brunch Electronik put together to close the festival for another year.
To that end, they made sure there was dynamism both in the booth and in what would come out of the speakers. First up for our visit was TikTok sensation Mochakk. With an immovable smile under his mustache and dances that spread the euphoria with which he DJs, the Brazilian took the first bars of our evening by storm. With the occasional wink to show that he does not only speak the language of tech house, Mochakk pulled off a session that fulfilled its function and dazzled an audience much less “Primavera-like” and much more “Brunch-like”.
Next on the menu, ANOTR took control of the decks. Their DJ set was much more tech and less groovy than we expected, and although little by little they were unveiling their funkier side, the Dutch duo made to be begged until they unleashed their hit ‘Relax My Eyes‘. They lowered the volume during the chorus to hear the audience humming in unison, proving that, indeed, they have indeed created an anthem.
And to top it all off, a very familiar face for the locals: The Blessed Madonna. She was in charge of closing the door of the festival to the rhythm of her housier side. Although little can surprise those who have already coincided with her on more than one occasion in recent years, she’s such a veteran behind the CDJs. Her savoir-faire allowed her to keep the dance floor full and moving until the final beat, closing Primavera Sound 2024 with an energy and joy that left us wanting to repeat next year.
Primavera Sound is an experience for all audiences, paying tribute to the heroes of the past, inviting the stars of the present, and betting on the hitmakers of the future. All this while leaving room for experimentation and alternative sounds, creating a conglomerate of different influences both in the public and in the lineup, always with quality as a common denominator.
In addition, all this without forgetting what they bring to the city during the whole week, with concerts in the main venues with international artists, as well as a range of conferences, workshops, and networking activities encompassed under the already recognized Primavera Pro. This event once again brought together industry professionals from all over the world, both in the panel talks and among the attendees. It is an experience “Made In Barcelona” that recovers its good feeling with the city and mimics it, demonstrating that the Catalan capital is part of the DNA of Primavera Sound… And vice versa.
