Primavera 2012 - Review #2

About 20 of us went to Primavera Sound this year and whilst the line up was not as top notch as that of 2011, I have to say I’ve had one of the greatest times of my life with some of the best people on the planet.

Not often do you come across a festival so scattered with such explosions of brilliance. It’s not only about the music, the whole vibe of Primavera is different. The sun makes everything seem alive and transient, but the crowd is different too; the people are respectful, less try-hard and generally pretty mellow in comparison to a lot of British festival goers. I guess everything looks a bit better when it’s not caked in mud and people are more inclined to chill out when they are not involved in a battle for the horrendous toilets. (I didn’t have to queue once for the toilets at PS – amazing!)

So here are my top three highlights from the festival:

M83

Having seen them back in the winter in Heaven, they were just as good, perhaps even better than I remember. The whole vibe of their set was just pure happiness and the moment of the festival was when they played ‘Midnight City’.


Beach House:

Having never seen Beach House I wasn’t disappointed when the killed it during their set; great show.

Beach House - On The Sea from Mark Lager on Vimeo.

The Walkmen

I caught these guys at last year’s Prima and I loved them so much I’ve spent an entire year listening to their back catalogue to the point where they’re now one of my favourite bands. We had a great spot for their set; it was right at the front, elevated above the rest of the audience so we could see every single thing. I’m super happy Bjork cancelled, because it meant they were added to the bill. I love the Walkmen! 

Other top moments: the hotdogs! Having a massive boogie to Justice; the Black Lips playing ‘Bad Kids’; out dancing all of the people off their faces at the Field; Chromatics cover of ‘I’m on Fire’; Laura Marling in the Auditorium; finally catching Thee Oh Sees; massive Gin-filled glasses for 7 euros; this amazing Spanish energy drink we discovered on the last day; our awesome apartment balcony; the garden for lost cats; THE BEACH. (SA)

Thee Oh Sees

Laura Marling

The Cure

M83