In a country where youth employment is approaching 50 per cent, the 15th birthday of Primavera Sound is a much-needed feel-good news story. The Catalan festival is hailed as a European equivalent to California’s Coachella, but boasts an even more eclectic and exciting line up: household names such as The Strokes and Tori Amos share stages with extreme art-rock terrorists Swans, Sunn O))) and Einstürzende Neubauten.
At a PrimaveraPro 2015 talk in the spectacularly vaulted Convents dels Àngels, the musician and studio engineer Steve Albini called Primavera one of the best music festivals in the world. Never a man to mince his words, Albini also claimed – among other colourful musings – that the music industry is a parasite and the concept of copyright dead in the 21st century.
More than 175,000 people filed through the gates of Parc del Fòrum over four days to witness the first big European music festival of the summer, which offers a great opportunity to have a first look at the acts that will be coming to Ireland – especially to Longitude and Electric Picnic – for our own festival season.
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More than 300 acts played across 16 stages from sunset to sunrise. These are the ones coming to a field near you this summer.
RIDE *****
When Liam Gallagher called time on Beady Eye last year, it was just a matter of time before Ride would strap on the Stratocasters for their own lap of honour following years of persistent rumours. My Bloody Valentine played Primavera in 2009; Slowdive followed in 2014. Ride's reunion completes the holy trinity of shoegaze to grace the Catalan indie jubilee. The Oxford band blast out of the traps with Leave Them All Behind, and they concentrate on their classic debut album, Nowhere, and seminal early EPs. An elongated, feedback-drenched version of Drive Blind sounds biblical. The simple band logo backdrop and blistering light show should be magical at Electric Picnic.
INTERPOL **
Interpol have some fine songs, but they're a painfully pedestrian live act who sorely lack substance to back up their style. This is a shame, as their current album, El Pintor, is a partial return to the peaks of their early form. They started 2015 with three rapturously received shows in the Olympia in Dublin, but they don't possess the charisma to be a killer festival act.
UNDERWORLD ***
Last year's 20th anniversary reissue of Underworld's classic debut album, Dubnobasswithmyheadman, served as a timely reminder of their genius. Performing it live in its entirety is a very risky strategy for the great outdoors; while it contains stone-cold classics such as Dirty Epic and Cowgirl, slower tracks such as River of Bass just don't work in a festival environment. They redeem themselves with two crowd-pleasing encores: Rez and the perennial dancefloor anthem Born Slippy.
BELLE & SEBASTIAN ****
Once upon a time the notion that this twee indie-pop band from Glasgow would even be playing at a festival was laughable: they were dreadful live. But following the release of Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance, Belle & Sebastian have transformed themselves into a radically different live proposition in 2015. The hypnotic grooves of The Party Line light up Parc del Fòrum as singer Stuart Murdoch perches on top of a piano to deliver an unforgettable moment.
JAMES BLAKE ****
If the relentless drone rock of Sunn o))) has some people running for cover, then James Blake provides a more soothing and palatable option. His tender electronica and post-dubstep fusion was once unfairly dismissed as Blubstep, but the Londoner has grown into himself in the space of just two studio albums. Blake should provide a captivating counterpoint to the chart-topping pop rave of the Chemical Brothers on the final night of Longitude.
JON HOPKINS ****
Immunity is an electronica classic of recent years, which reached a wider audience via a Mercury Music Prize nomination. Brian Eno's studio sidekick has a posse of dancers performing an elaborate routine involving multicoloured psychedelic hula-hoops. Quite possibly the best live show in electronica since Laurent Garnier's game-changing productions of the late 1990s. Should be a must-see at Stradbally.
ALT-J ****
They’re headlining Longitude on a Saturday night, and Marlay Park should be a cinch for one of the most surprising crossover acts of the past few years, who conclusively prove it isn’t a curse or career albatross to win the Mercury Prize after all.
CARIBOU ***
Brainiac electro-pop boffin Dan Snaith also hits Marlay Park in July. His production has become bigger for the great outdoors, but not necessarily better. The overall effect is underwhelming, albeit with some beautiful moments,
VIET CONG ****
The post-punk buzz band of 2015 recently claimed they receive death threats before every scheduled show in the US. Meanwhile, Europe has embraced them with open arms, and they've already played a stuffed-to-the-rafters gig at the Workman's Club in Dublin. They sign off a terrific set with an 11-minute epic called Death, which actually makes you feel glad to be alive.
BATTLES ***
The Stradbally-bound math-rockers have been a three-piece since the departure of founding member Tyondai Braxton in 2010, but it seemingly hasn't affected their festival popularity a jot. The New Yorkers showcase three new songs in addition to their breakthrough hit single and calling-card anthem, Atlas.
JUNGLE ***
The London modern neo-soul collective boast some sparkling summer anthems such as Busy Earnin' in their repertoire and they've seriously upped their game since a disappointing and ponderous set at last year's Electric Picnic. They're third on the bill on Saturday night at Longitude. On the strength of this, they'll be a Marlay Park crowd-pleaser.
The best of the rest . . .
Sunn O))) aren't everyone's cup of menacing madness, but the legendary Seattle noise merchants put on an absolutely sensational show. Even though they wear robes and perform at a deafening volume, they aren't even the most extreme band of the festival.
That honour belongs to the experimental New York rock band Swans, who play for close to three hours in a remarkable indoor prism called the Auditori. While they're not for the faint-hearted either, they are unlike anything else I've ever seen.
Einstürzende Neubauten have been tormenting and tantalising audiences with their post-industrial soundscapes since 1980. Here, former Bad Seeds member Blixa Bargeld leads his colleagues through a set featuring some ingenious use of scrap metal.
. . . and the duds
The misses include Julian Casablancas of The Strokes sporting a new multi-coloured hairstyle, which has to be one of the most ludicrous barnets ever seen in public. The Black Keys are now a diabolical and dull pop rock act who are well past their sell-by date.
In summary
This is the seventh consecutive Primavera I’ve attended. The site, programming, weather and unique atmosphere make for an irresistible combination. I agree wholeheartedly with Steve Albini. Primavera is quite simply the best music festival I’ve ever attended, hands down.
