Primavera Sound 2018 was again a really effective showcase of talent and new music, but also of the problems of what happens when a festival this important gets really big, with more that 215,000 attendees. But let’s focus on the music, better, Monday-to-Saturday, May 28th-to-June 2nd, in Barcelona, Spain:
The second night at the Apollo was Poland’s night. At least in the Apolo 2. Coals, a duo from Silesia, offered a mix of electronica, guitars, and dreamy pop that put them in the crossroads between 4AD bands and The xx, with a dense and mysterious vibe that was a real treat to hear.
Trupa Trupa were a revelation. Their sweet, generous mix of light shoegaze, light indie rock from the ‘90s, light post-rock, and a very simple and straightforward sense of humour made for a fun and, let’s say, digestible concert. To that, it helped that sounds like “Coffin” were about a coffin, tracks like “Wasteland” were about the wasteland, and tunes like “Never Forget” were about never forgetting. One of those bands that without realising you will be listening to for a long time.
In the main room, local freaky megaflow electronic duo ZA! revealed a new variation on their set list where the use of electronica put them closer to the Sónar Festival than the Primavera Sound. Hits like their eternal “Badulake” are still brilliantly catchy and their connection with the audience is still one-of-a-kind.
Finally, The Sea and Cake were actually headlining the main room. In this case, quartet from Chicago, fresh from the release of latest offering, Any Day (QRO review), which revisits ‘90s indie rock, had nothing new to add to everything that’s been said in the genre.
