Braving rainstorms and high winds, thousands of fans came out on Thursday, June 4, for the first full day of Primavera Sound Barcelona. With nine official stages and four secondary stages, the festival was set to showcase more than 60 artists; however, the weather had other plans for the day (for more on that, head to the very end of this article).
The day started out overcast with a “Yellow” storm warning – meaning there was a threat to life and property. However, with a message from organizers recommending rain gear, the festival opened on time and to thousands of music lovers.
Our day started with Aiko el Grupo – a punk band with bass-driven hard riffs, and yelled lyrics over distorted guitars. Frontwoman Teresa Iñesta brought head-banging energy – jumping all over the stage while moving between fellow guitarist Lara Miera and pianist Bárbara López. Their sound hits you right in the solar plexus and reverberates down your spine. With a performance that included a 90s-esque handheld camera view at one point, they put on quite the show.
Next up was Sama Yax – a tropical house DJ. Taking the stage with a slightly understated presence, they let their music do the talking. Featuring live mixing, a slow build, and sax-based underlying tracks, Sama Yax was able to build a wildly danceable mix in just a few minutes and continued to get the crowd moving for their whole set.
Blood Orange was one of our must-see artists coming into Primavera Sound, and he did not disappoint. Packing the mainstage floor, a space significantly larger than a football field, with audience members shoulder to shoulder, the artist came ready with a full band and backup singers. His music builds on Gospel and Jazz, and incorporates modern electronic production creating a sound all his own.
Blood Orange looks like a conductor on stage – bringing in instruments to a time and tempo only he seems to understand. Yet somehow they blend together to make a unified sonic experience. At the same time, his stage presence is slow and methodical. If another artist moved around the stage as he did, it would be boring. However, his methodology somehow brings your attention in, forcing you to focus on what he’s doing rather than how he is doing it. More shoe-glazey than expected, but overall a masterful example of capturing a crowd without massive upbeat hits or a wild stage show.
Brooklyn indie rock band Geese, another one of our must-see artists, drew just as large a crowd across the festival grounds. With the success of their album Getting Killed, the band has been on a hot streak, and frontman Cameron Winter is even playing a solo show at Primavera Sound in addition to Geese’s multiple performances across Barcelona this week. Their moody, in-your-feelings vibe was bolstered by the rain, which started right before their set. The water didn’t deter tens of thousands from crowding the stage and screaming along with their song “2122”. At points, the band brings in early rock piano influences like those of Elvis, building on a strong rock history while making it their own. While not very danceable, Geese will have you looking internally.
Finally, LaBlackie was the last artist we were able to see before the weather shut down many of the stages across the festival. This Spanish-based artist brings New York flow to Castellano rap. Citing Niki Minaj and New York-based female rappers as her influence, LaBlackie was able to draw a raucous crowd despite the downpour. We were actually able to catch up with the artist later in the night, so stay tuned for that full interview.
At around 8:30 pm, the weather took a turn for the worse, causing the organizers to suspend many of the festival stages for safety concerns. In addition, safety personnel removed audience members from half of the festival grounds – including rapidly, and without warning, removing press from the press tent. With the music paused and cell service limited in the areas of the festival that were still open, no one was quite certain whether shows would return or the rest of the night would be canceled.
Many headliners’ set times were canceled, including Massive Attack (originally delayed and then canceled within 10 minutes of their updated start time), Doja Cat, Bad Gyal, Alex G, and Mac Demarco. At the same time, other sets were still on in different parts of the festival. Throughout this period (~8:30 pm-12:00 am) there was limited and at times confused and chaotic communication from organizers to the press and general audience. Many audience members left the festival believing it to be canceled, while others were outright told that the night was over. As of June 5, the organizers have released a statement saying that refunds would be processed for Thursday and that more information would be released about how audience members can get a refund on Monday, June 8.
Thankfully, the weather looks better for the rest of the festival, which runs through the weekend!
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