LIVE REVIEWS
Primavera Sound’s reputation among music fans is understandably high. Across four days at Parc del Fòrum – including a special reduced programme “Opening Day” headlined by French indie stalwarts Phoenix – punters from all over the globe gather to watch their favourite artists and new discoveries under an atmosphere that barely wavers from fun, joy and excitement. On stage, the love is no less palpable. “This is our favourite festival in the world,” Jarvis Cocker tells the crowd during Pulp’s anthem-packed set. He’s far from the only artist to utter that sentiment over the weekend. While you’ll likely hear acts saying the same at many other events around the world, not once here does it sound like insincere pandering.
There are many reasons for this positivity around Primavera. A big part of its pull is how inclusive and friendly it feels. There are signs declaring “nobody is normal” dotted around the festival grounds and shown on the screens between sets – part of the event’s dedication to providing a safe space for its LGBTQ+ audience. Primavera boasts that it is the first festival to be recognised as a queer destination, and both its audience and invited artists reinforce that.
Friday (May 31), in particular, feels like a queer celebration, not least when Troye Sivan takes to the Santander stage. The Australian pop star’s early evening set draws a huge crowd, who gleefully dance along as he shares a perfectly curated mix of tracks from his latest album ‘Something To Give Each Other’ and cuts from earlier in his career. His performance feels like a bid for future headliner status – combining subtle arena spectacle with pop hooks that get the whole field dancing – but also provides something ultra refreshing. Sivan and his troupe of male dancers’ choreography is unapologetically explicit, from the simulated sex moves in ‘One Of Your Girls’ to the full-on make-out sesh towards the set’s end. Both are liberating moments that are greeted gleefully by the crowd and that only add to Primavera’s inclusive feel.
In its line-up, the festival consistently brings something unique and strikes a balance between an interesting, eclectic undercard and big-name, top-drawer headliners. This year, the latter are – on paper – a strong mix, but some falter slightly once they hit the stage. On Thursday (May 30), Vampire Weekend put in a solid turn with god-tier indie bangers, new album selects and deeper cuts, like a full band version of SBTRKT’s ‘New York, New Dorp’. Two days later, SZA kicks off her European festival headline run with a stunning performance that brings the striking visuals of her ‘SOS’ tour – lighthouse, anchor, wrecking ball and all – to the Barcelona stage. During the set, she showcases her versatility via alluring R&B (‘Supermodel’), heartfelt pop that lets her vocals shine (‘Nobody Gets Me’) and headbang-worthy rock (‘F2F’), all adding up to an unmissable final headline performance.
Saturday’s bill-topper, though, fares less well. A throng of people covers the faux grass in front of the Estrella Damm stage, waiting for Lana Del Rey to appear. The minutes tick past her start time until, 30 later, she finally makes it on stage. Tardiness is not the last of her issues – the first part of her set is marked by an uneasiness in her energy, each move she makes seemingly apprehensive and uncertain. Things improve as she gets deeper into the performance, but it feels like much of the crowd is lost by then, more keen to chat with their friends.
Disappointments aside, this edition of the festival is particularly strong in its international breadth, bringing together artists from nearly every corner of the globe. Some are already massive in their respective home countries but are gaining fresh exposure to a wider audience at Primavera. Argentinian rapper Dillom crushes the Amazon Music stage with an invigorating take on rap-rock, bringing searing riffs in ‘Coyote’ and baggy beats in ‘Buenos Tiempos’. On the same stage, South Korean rock band Silica Gel put in one of the best sets NME sees all weekend, hopping from the chanting ‘Budland’ through the sprawling, unsettling sparkle of ‘Andre99’, to a double-header climax of ’T’ and ‘Tik Tak Tok’. Each song is electrifying and anthemic without compromising on being intricate and interesting, while guitarist Kim Chunchu serves up a series of sublime guitar solos throughout.
There’s a big theme of theatrical performances that runs through much of this year’s line-up. Opening Day local performers Stella Maris put on a curious Euro-pop set, which includes a human tower and men in trench coats and trilby hats asking “Christ, where are you?” into iPhones. L’impératrice bring sequins and strobes to the Pull&Bear stage for a big Thursday night party, while The Last Dinner Party’s first Primavera is a driven by singer Abigail Morris’ dramatic and divine stage presence.
Primavera is host to plenty of legends, too, whether that’s Freddie Gibbs and Madlib celebrating 10 years of their first joint album, ‘Piñata’, or Deftones bringing a wall of sound to the seaside. A rainy Saturday can’t mar sets from PJ Harvey – who mixes the fiery grunge of ‘50ft Queenie’ with the autoharp plucks of ‘The Words That Maketh Murder’ – or a blisteringly brilliant return from riot grrrl heroes Bikini Kill.
After a weekend in its midst, it’s not hard to see why Primavera Sound is so beloved. There are few gripes to be had here, and the main one is the several agonising clashes you have to do battle with each day – a problem that can only come with having such a stacked line-up in the first place. A fun, freeing few days in Barcelona full of great music is never something to complain about, though. Roll on 2025.
When Lady Gaga steps onto the stage at The O2, towering above the crowd on the wide skirt of a deep red crinoline dress, it’s immediately obvious that this won’t be an ordinary Tuesday night. Known for never holding anything back, the theatrical pop visionary dives straight into world-building, transforming the arena into a surreal, camp horror setting. She faces off against another version of herself, surrounded at different moments by skeletons, witches and plague doctors.
“I must sing and build the walls to cradle my own space, and my own sound will grow the fortress of a home erased,” the two Gagas declare in unison before the grand entrance. What follows feels like a powerful reflection on the refuge and sense of belonging she has carved out with her music since her breakout moment with ‘Just Dance’ in 2008.
Aside from her newest release ‘Mayhem’, it’s the songs from her early records ‘The Fame’ (and its reissue ‘The Fame Monster’) and ‘Born This Way’ that take center stage. Although Gaga has reinvented herself many times over the years, it was those early projects and eras that built the groundwork for her artistic journey and gave her the freedom to experiment however she wished.
Lady Gaga credit: Samir Hussein/Getty Images for Live Nation
Her imagination and creative drive are fully on display tonight. One moment she’s sinking into the folds of her massive skirt, bursting out from a cage as ‘Abracadabra’ echoes around the venue. The next, she’s locked in a fierce duel with her chessboard “white queen” double during a striking performance of ‘Poker Face’. When she sings ‘Perfect Celebrity’, she moves into a sandpit, using it to show the complicated push and pull between love and resentment, gently holding and then violently gripping the skeleton lying beside her.
A breathtaking rendition of ‘Paparazzi’ keeps that feeling alive, as Gaga stumbles down the runway dressed in a white lace look partially covered with metal plates and crutches, like a knight stripped of its armor. The night is filled with imagery and layers of meaning, but she never loses sight of making it pure entertainment.
She also uses the moment to acknowledge the people who have supported her along the way. A triumphant ‘Born This Way’ becomes a tribute to the queer community. Gaga speaks from the heart, saying they have “inspired me for my whole career” and tells them, “You are so precious to me and to the world.” Sitting at the piano during the acoustic segment, she is clearly touched by the audience’s overwhelming love and takes a quiet moment to express her emotions.
Lady Gaga credit: Samir Hussein/Getty Images for Live Nation
“I feel very, very lucky to be here tonight,” she says, looking back at the first time she performed in the UK twenty years earlier. “I feel so humbled that, almost 20 years later, I’m still here.” After emotional versions of ‘Dance In The Dark’ and ‘The Edge Of Glory’, she asks the crowd, “If I come back 20 years from now – I’ll come back sooner – but will you come and see the show?”
There’s hardly a soul in the room who wouldn’t say yes, especially after a night this imaginative and flawlessly executed. Returning to full theatrical energy, Gaga leans into the absurd for ‘Bad Romance’, telling the crowd to “put your paws up” and showing off her hands with ridiculously long, sausage-like fingers, as if she’s stepped into a gothic version of a scene from Everything Everywhere All At Once.
As flames appear on top of the opera house behind her, she walks offstage and reemerges for the encore without makeup, wearing a plain black outfit and a beanie over the hair hidden beneath countless wigs throughout the show. It’s a quiet nod to the person behind all the spectacle, but still part of the performance. Like everything she’s done tonight, it’s executed with complete precision and heart.
