“We haven’t forgotten anything, have we,” asks Jarvis Cocker at the end of a commanding headline set on Thursday night. Following a set stuffed to the gills with bona-fide bangers including Babies, Disco 2000, Do You Remember the First Time? and Sorted for E’s and Wizz, you might be forgiven for thinking that everything but the kitchen sink had already been thrown at us, but the crowd know full well that this is a ruse, and are already in raptures.
As soon as Candida Doyle begins the iconic synth poke of their most famous hit, those raptures intensify, and Cocker is at his flamboyant best, cavorting around the stage as though the last 30 years hadn’t happened. They follow Common People with a final encore of 1993 single Razzmatazz in honour of the famous Barcelona club of the same name; Jarvis’s love for the city is clearly not just on-stage patter. It’s not the first and last time that we’ll hear a performer tell us how much they love Barcelona, and Primavera Sound in particular, and you can feel its sincerity, such is the global reputation that the festival has fostered over its 22 years; 268,000 festivalgoers uniting for the 2024 edition alone.
And while Primavera Sound Barcelona is gargantuan in relation to countless others, this year feels much more compact than in recent times. And that’s a good thing. Following its two-weekend post-Covid extravaganza, in which it had extended into the boundaries of its neighbouring city, and the dual city trial of both Barcelona and Madrid last year, the 2024 edition felt compact and cohesive, the enlarged waterside section the perfect bridge between the main and auxiliary stages. Whilst the side-by-side stage concept leaves some areas feeling a little empty, it means there’s always something happening close by, and there was a greater sense of vibe and connection leading to a much better chance of stumbling across a pleasant surprise.
Pleasant surprises come in the shape of local DJ Anruna playing a brilliant set out of the airstream at the Sona Estrella Damm stage; UK-obsessed Tampa rappers They Hate Change performing a blistering and unforgettable 30 minutes at Boiler Room x Cupra; a four-way b2b from Berlin queer collective Herrensauna; and an impressive electrical storm that seemed to put absolutely nobody off having a lovely time indeed. We also learn that Keanu Reeves isn’t too shabby on the bass guitar.
Less surprising are Freddie Gibbs and Madlib rocking out their celebration of 10 years of their first joint album, Piñata; riot grrrl icons (led by the lady who coined the term ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’) Bikini Kill being, well, riotous; Justice pulling an almighty crowd but being a little bit meh; Los Angeles’s poppy hardcore punk band Militarie Gun being unashamedly fun; post-dubstep pioneer Joker storming a Boiler Room that could have been packed three times over; and Arca being Arca.
The Barcelona-based diva was as showy as one might expect, blasting a smoke cannon throughout in front of dizzying visuals on a stage decorated with an extravagant flower installation; the Björk collaborator now a confirmed icon of the LGBTQ+ community with which this festival has become synonymous thanks to its safe and inclusive policies.
Club music has, naturally, become a bigger and bigger part of Primavera Sound over the years, and has benefited from this more compact version of the festival; with the lines between areas more blurred than ever before. From the exuberance of Romy’s brilliant debut of her solo show in front of a packed Amazon Music crowd to an intimate set on Aperol’s ‘Island of Joy’ for Chloé Caillet, who would go on to play in front of 12,000 at the Sunday closing party; Peggy Got redefining the concept of ‘superstar DJ’ to excellent programming for the Warehouse X Dice carpark venue that included takeovers by Hyperdub and Hivern Discs, from popular to underground there was plenty for fans of electronic music to get their teeth into.
And that’s why so many people adore Primavera Sound. From global stars Lana Del Rey or SZA, to those at the forefront of innovation like Legowelt or DJ Haram, the ongoing Primavera a la Ciutat programme that takes the festival into small city centre venues, to the Primavera Pro industry events that this year were attended by 3,376 accredited professionals from 76 different countries, it’s truly a festival that has it all. That’s 2024 in a nutshell, who’s looking forward to 5 June 2025? We certainly are.
Primavera Sound Barcelona 2024 Review Photography, Sharon Lopez, Silvia Villar, Eric Pamies, Sergio Albert, Christian Bertrand, Clara Orozco.
