Festivalgoers having a good whinge about the lineup is a tradition as old as warm cider and stupid flags. I was at Reading 2000 when Daphne and Celeste were bottled off stage by Gen X’s most inglorious neanderthals (I, personally, would have saved my two litres of warm piss for headliners Oasis, but perhaps that’s just me), and recent years of Primavera Sound wouldn’t have been the same if it wasn’t for some grumblings of “too much reggaeton,” “too many DJs,” or “too much [insert something my Spotify radio doesn’t play to me].” One doesn’t envy those in charge of curating a lineup that appeases all.
When a festival of 293,000 attendees sells out five months in advance, though, one senses that those curating said lineup have excelled at their job. Four nights of top tier revelry later, one can confirm.
Young Sabrina Carpenter was one of those names on the grumble list in the weeks following this year’s lineup announcement. Yes, my friends are old. Admittedly my knowledge of the former Disney star extended to the fact she was my 11 year old niece’s favourite singer. An opportunity for a Daphne and Celeste style dirty protest? Time’s have changed. And thank god they have.
Sabrina’s effortless knack to craft golden age FM pop music, her stellar ability to command a stage, the cheeky and irresistible ‘50s-meets-‘80s VHS nostalgia … I’m won over. And I only went to take a few videos for my niece.
Billed as one of Primavera Sound’s ‘Powerpuff Girls’ — the holy trinity of contemporary pop music — Carpenter was joined by Queen Brat, Charli xcx, and LGBTQ icon Chappell Roan as a trio of young female headliners that may have disgruntled some flannel-shirted shoegazers, but delivered endless glee to many more. The main stages were packed to the rafters for each, Charli — no stranger to Primavera Sound — was joined by Troye Sivan as part of their joint SWEAT tour, whilst the latter fell a little flat, the second a BRAT-green curtain unfurled, the crowd went predictably wild. Chappell Roan, who I knew absolutely nothing about, is clearly on the radar of many who aren’t a 40-something straight white male. And with good reason, her flamboyant, fantasy-laden pop rock had a gargantuan crowd hanging onto every word, as she delivered a performance that was nothing short of impeccable. The kids are alright.
Those kids, though, aren’t just here for Instagram generation pop music. From hardcore to punk to experimental electronic music, Gen Z are locked into performances much more than cynical old centrist dads would have you believe. I’m given a run for my money in The Jesus Lizard’s gleefully chaotic mosh pit by fervent rockers half my age (and a third the age of the band), surrounded by young heads in the excellent Levi’s Warehouse venue, and my favourite discovery of the weekend — ‘nu-gabber-post-techno-punk’ outfit Brutalismus 3000, who played a riotous set in the very early hours on the Amazon Music stage — were clearly already adored by many.
LCD Soundsystem’s de facto headline set on Saturday gave a respite for middle-aged men, Armand Van Helden delivered a greatest hits banger-after-banger sunrise set that went back to the mid 1990s, The Sabres of Paradise held a light for the late, great Andrew Weatherall, and Salem took us back to 2010 and the internet’s golden age. But this wasn’t just a case of us and them, this year’s edition — the festival’s 23rd — felt more united, more inclusive than ever. What has become one of Europe’s most significant annual events has really found itself, and that has created something very special indeed.
Primavera Sound 2025 Photography, courtesy Primavera Sound.
More than ever, distinct areas of the festival have become synonymous with certain sounds, the programming feels tighter, and there’s a cohesion that is impressive for a festival of 311 shows. The Plenitude by Nitsa stage brings the dancefloor to ‘Mordor,’ and sets by Nick León, Joy Orbison, and DJ Python are some of my highlights of the weekend; the latter’s eclectic fusion of Latin American sounds, European house, off-kilter electronica, and all else in between, perhaps the highlight.
Jamie XX taking tens of thousands of us to the very same place, Simo Cell experimenting live in the Levi’s Warehouse, Fcukers harking back to the golden days of DFA Records, Denzel Curry’s bouncing Miami hip-hop, ANOHNI and the Johnsons’ emotional tribute to ecological loss … highlights were many and varied. From the moment Caribou triumphed with their opening night set until Sunday morning’s sun rose, Primavera Sound 2025 delivered again and again. Classic alt-rock to the very top of the pop world, dance music’s finest and its most daring, hip hop, avant-pop, gabber, and every nook and cranny between.
With a sense of unity, generations and orientations coming together in harmony, perhaps the age of lineup grumbling can be finally put to bed. After that weekend, let’s leave it to the experts. And those at Primavera Sound HQ have proven beyond shadow of a doubt that they are them.
