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Primavera Sound 2008
2008-05-31 Parc Del Forum There’s something special about Primavera Sound that marks it out from all the other festival’s I’ve been to. It’s not just the phenomenal line-up which combines established and admired stars with a desire to expose some of the most interesting and significant new music in the world. Nor is it the incredible venue and staging, the good attitude of the knowledgeable, friendly crowd or the reasonably priced drinks (though this doesn’t hurt.) Yes all these things are vital but, more than anything, Primavera is simply far cooler than pretty much any festival in the world. If I look back on the festival line-up six months from now I’ll see twenty great bands that I love by then and missed out seeing. And while it was the big names like Portishead, Public Enemy and Cat Power that might draw you to purchase the ticket, for me, the weekend is special for all of the new music I have encountered. Bands like Holy Fuck, Strange Death of Liberal England, Times New Viking and El Guincho. Bands that I should have known more about but didn’t. The third and final night of the festival kicked off with a brief chunk of sixties icon Mary Weiss of the Shangri-las who, whilst entertaining, did not give us much to feel we were really missing out on as we sprinted from the auditorium in search of Okkervil River. Another of my on-paper highlights it was my first time seeing the Texans who have become something of a favourite, especially since the release of last year’s “The Stage Names” LP. Invested with a dramatic energy very much fitting with their sound, their performance live surprised me with its light-hearted enthusiasm maintained throughout. Even songs like the excellent and gothic “For Real” saw the band revelling in guitar swinging joyousness, which lead to the natural conclusion of a Beach Boys cover version and the fulfilment of a long time ambition; singing their final track of the evening in pretty commendable Spanish. Buffalo Tom filled a gap for us in a way that only a grunge era band can, thrilling us with splashy drum beats and loud melodic melancholy before we slipped quietly away to another nineties hero. With the Silver Jews already having played and Dinosaur Jr still to come, it was something of a reunion night for the nineties alternative scene. I never fot the chance to see the now disbanded Pavement and so it’s nice to experience something of their sound in front man Stephen Malkmus’s continuing output. It’s a bit of a rarity in the world of music to find an artist who sustains the quality level after leaving a more famous collective but Malkmus really has. Never retreating back to the early punkier sound of his first band, his solo career picked up where Pavement left off with their last two albums. Live this sound is a contagious thing. Carefree, fun and excellently constructed indie pop songs are made all the more likable by the talented and distinctive musician delivering them. If only I had stayed to watch the end of Malkmus’s set. I wonder what it was that dragged me away at that fateful moment. Surely it was the happy memory of witnessing so many fine performances from Wainwright Jr. in the past. After all, both solo and as a band he has always impressed live. And what was it, I wonder, that forced Rufus to choose such a truly depressing list of the most melancholic dirges from his otherwise fine repertoire of songs? There was little for me to really become enthused over as tuneless misery followed tuneless misery so that even his normally thrilling cover of Cohen’s “Hallelujah” sounded flat and ill thought out. Where was his trademark wit when I needed it? Where were the show tunes? I would have much preferred a Judy Garland cover in place of half of the tracks he actually played. Apologies should go anyone who hat to stand through such an abysmal set, let alone anyone standing near me as I loudly complained about this lacklustre performance. Just like Rufus, I was off-form! Deerhunter are a group who don’t do anything so very different from many other, perhaps more canonical, bands but still do it with style. I think what I like about them most is that amidst all their experimentation with layers of distorted noise they never stray too far from what is listenable to alienate their audience. Bradford Cox’s band claim their major influences to be Echo and The Bunnymen, Brian Eno, David Bowie and My Bloody Valentine and whilst you should also include bands such as Sonic Youth, The Fall and Liars in such a list, this poppier element which they identify is certainly a significant factor in mellowing the harsher instincts of their music. They are very much a band at home in the live arena, with experimental music of their sort itself often limited by the recorded format. Cox is a good front man who is comfortable with the crowd and though there might not have been the cartwheels they had offered on previous occasions, the material that they played from their new album got me really excited for what is yet to come. Shellac seem to be the kind of band that draw a crowd on reputation alone. I’m not sure that any of our group of happy revellers had actually heard their music but almost everyone knew that we would end up watching them. Their brand of noise rock to me is quite interesting as it’s never quite as noisy or fierce as I expect it to be. Beneath the fury lies control and measure which adds a lot to their sound. Overall it’s good to see a band who are actually worthy of some rock posturing – wide legged stances, elevated drum sticks and guitars held aloft. The highlight of the weekend without doubt was the chance to see one of my all time favourite bands on my all time favourite stage at my all time favourite festival. Tindersticks are a band well beyond the status quo. Totally at home on the main stage of an alternative music festival yet completely different from anyone else here. They have crafted a career that is distinct from any movement of the last twenty years and yet remain relevant and innovative. Their melodic, orchestral sound matched with Stuart Staples’ loungey delivery perfectly contrast with the harsh guitar interludes of their earlier work. Though for many they may not have held the same draw as Portishead on the opening night of the festival, for me they were every bit as anticipated, well crafted and sublime. There is truly nothing so poignant as experiencing, for the first time, such beloved music performed live. Songs like “Patchwork” and “Travelling Light” were delivered with elegant precision and heart with the orchestration and musical talent on display a pleasure to witness throughout. Last year at Benicassim Animal collective were gifted the undesirable slot of a seven thirty in the evening performance which, with only about a thousand people there to watch it, detracted slightly from what they are capable of offering. With a two in the morning positioning at this years Primavera the signs were slightly more positive. Earlier in the evening during Deerhunter’s show, founding member Panda Bear promised to do his best to deliver what Bradford Cox promised would be the most intense musical experience of the audience’s lives. While I’m not totally sure that this was the case, you could hardly resist the challenge to find out. They are once again a band who I feel were built for touring and, as much as I like them on record, I never feel I am experiencing their music in a form that is in anywhere comparable to watching them live. One thing that the Deerhunter front man did get right was that any Animal collective performance is most definitely an experience. Building up their sound piece by piece with an array of acoustic, electric and electronic instruments it is interesting that in their recordings they have moved closer towards more familiar, vocal centred song cycles whilst live they still favour powerful, trance like and rhythmic near instrumental performances with voices merely featured as an additional instrument. The hypnotic nature of their work was in full force on the Estrella Damm stage, drawing one of the biggest audiences of the evening and playing at just the right moment to capture those in need of truly incredible and unique music which, live at least, somehow manages to be equally danceable. A lack of danceability of course cannot be levelled at Simian Mobile Disco who ventured on with a DJ set after their equipment was damaged en route to Barcelona. There few people complaining though as they ripped through their own repertoire mixing in the odd classic here including the one track that should probably played in all dj mixes ever, Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love.” And what is there really to complain about when, even if we missed out on the full Simian experience, there was a guy in a big bunny suit dancing around them for our entertainment. Then, with the faintest hint of the morning’s light just making it’s way into the overcast sky, and as if to christen this new day as the first day of the rest of our post Primavera 08 lives, the heavens opened and we all got soaked to our skins before finally submitting to some form of better judgement and seeking cover in the loving arms of Tiefschwarz’ closing deliverance. How’s a couple of thousand dripping wet festival goers crammed into a tiny roofed space, doing their very best to keep dancing and make the dying moments last, as a way to say good morning, good luck and goodbye?