Primavera Sound is the most important musical event of the year in Spain and maybe Europe. Held in Barcelona, it hosts more than 200 live acts in 4 days, but it also spreads along the city for more than a week with its programme of concerts in clubs, bars and public places such as parks. This years headliners include Pixies, Arcade Fire, The National and brazilian legend Caetano Veloso among others. As for the iberoamerican acts, which we will be covering, this is our Top 12 in no particular order. Glòria will be live tweeting from @de_risio and Pierre Lestruhaut will also be there (@pedrito_les). You can also follow us on Instagram (@gloriaguso / @prrlesmac).
Univers
Pitchfork Stage, Saturday May 31 17:400
Only a year and a half after the release of their first EP, La Pedregada (Famèlic Records, 2012), Univers are one of the spanish bands with more international ressonance of the moment. Their first LP L’estat natural (2014) has been critically acclaimed, they have toured the country presenting it and now they play in the Pitchfork stage of Spain’s most important music festival. This show is the opportunity to see how Univers works in a big stage, but also to unveil Barcelona’s musical scene connections between bands, as I am sure a lot of those musicians will be in the audience. – Glòria Guirao-Soro
Lasers
Vice Stage, Thursday May 29 03:000
Barcelona based electro trio Lasers will close the Vice stage with their Chicago Sound inspired rhythms. They are well-known for their very danceable sets for fans of the more disco-like tracks of their last album Exchange Levels (2013) but also for the more poppy chill wave of Juno (2011). – Glòria Guirao-Soro
Astro
Vice Stage, Friday May 30 18:40 & Ray-Ban Unplugged, Friday May 30 23:30
At this point we’re wondering if there’s actually any big festival Astro haven’t played yet. A sky-rocketed ascension, which started when they turned heads with their underground hit “Maestro Distorsión” and culminated in their almost universally beloved debut LP, has made the Chilean band a fixture in many summer festivals these last few years. If there’s any indication that their great eponymous album is still holding up more than two years after its release, the fact that they’re playing Primavera Sound again after being there in 2012 should be enough. – Pierre Lestruhaut
Boogarins
Vice Stage, Saturday May 31 19:35 & Ciutadella, Sunday June 01 16:00
Heirs of the sound of bands such as Os Mutantes but with a psychedelic touch, Brazilian duo Boogarins visit Spain for the first time and will present there their own version of tropical fuzz-rock music. Friends since school times, they come from Goiânia, far from Brazil’s cultural centres, and have developed a very pecualiar mixture of influences that is not to be described as exotic nor as revivalist. Their debut LP, As Plantas Que Curan, is a journey to the sixties with a contemporary soundtrack based on fuzz and sound effects that makes it an atemporal ensemble. – Glòria Guirao-Soro
Juana Molina
BARTS, Sunday June 01 21:50
Duh. I mean, if there’s any Latin act (besides Cateano Veloso) that really needs no introduction, it’s Juana Molina. She could have retired after Un día, and still be one of the hottest acts in the festival, yet with the release of her excellent Wed 21, her output has been reinvigorated, and her live set will certainly be overflowing with crowd favorites and deep cuts. She’ll have the benefit of playing a more intimate show at a local club, for what is very likely to be a haunting performance from the master of horror. – Pierre Lestruhaut
Él Mató A Un Policía Motorizado
ATP Stage, Wednesday May 28 17:55, La Seca – Espai Brossa, Thursday May 29 15:15 & La Botiga, Saturday May 31 12:30
If you’re looking for shout-along indie rock anthems to sing until your lungs are completely exhausted and your vocal chords are suppressed, Argentine indie darlings El Mató A Un Policía Motorizado are your ideal act for this edition. Granted, Primavera Sound is not devoid of indie rock grandeur, but El Mató has the advantage of 1) playing a free concert, and 2) singing indie rock en tu idioma. So there’s really no excuse to not go shout «Jenny, algún dia Jenny,» «Nuevos discos, nuevas drogas» and «Más o menos bien» at any of the three fixtures the Argentines will be playing in this edition of Primavera Sound. – Pierre Lestruhaut
SVPER
Vice Stage, Thursday May 29 21:45
The band formerly known as Pegasvs have been blog favorites ever since their debut albumcemented them as one of the most melodically accomplished acts in the brand of progressive pop music. They’ll have some heavyweights playing at the same time (Neutral Milk Hotel, St. Vincent, and Future Islands) but if you’re not a diehard fan of any of those anglo past or future legends, SVPER’s grandiose and forward-thinking pop is a must-see, even more so with the possibilities of them playing unreleased tracks. – Pierre Lestruhaut
El Último Vecino
Vice Stage, Thursday May 29 18:25 & Ray-Ban Unplugged, Thursday May 29 23:30
Cut Copy have serious competition for best synthpop revivalists playing at Primavera Sound this year. The band led by Gerard Alegre Doria made some serious noise last year in the Spaniard underground with their eponymous album (which we kinda slept on, to be honest). With a knack for instant 80s-reminiscent pop hits, this is the one local act we’re trusting will be inducing the biggest collective dancing among festival goers this year. – Pierre Lestruhaut
Beach Beach
La [2] de Apolo, Wednesday May 28 21:30
Having announced the release of their second LP in september, the Mallorca born, Barcelona based quartet just unveiled one of the tracks in The Sea (La Castanya, 2014). “Just like before” can only be described as an instant hit, it evocates the Sarah Records decade but does not forget the 90s influence of the bands last record (Tasteless Peace, 2012) and predicts a great new album. Beach Beach will be playing on wednesday in La [2] de Apolo as part of their label’s showcase, among Me & The Bees (presenting their newest album Mundo Fatal) and Aries, who released her second LP Mermelada Dorada earlier this year. – Glòria Guirao-Soro
Sangre
Sony Club PS14 Stage, Saturday May 31 18:300
There is more than one band called Sangre in Spain, but here we are talking about the girl band from Madrid that released their first EP, Sangre es Amor, in July 2013. Characteristic of Sangre are a low tone of voice and simpe melodies that recall garage pop bands from the 90s. They will be playing on saturday in the Sony Club PS14 stage, in the festival site, as part of the collaboration between Está Pasando blog and the brand, promoting young spanish bands such as Juventud Juché, Lost Fills, Ohios, Perro, Lost Fills or Los Ganglios. – Glòria Guirao-Soro
Oso Leone
Pitchfork Stage, Friday May 30 01:40
It’s not so obvious that folk and dub can be mixed, but that is exactly what Oso Leone have been doing in their last two records. Based in Barcelona, this group of artists and musicians is another of the Mallorca bands playing this year at Primavera Sound, along with Lost Fills and the already mentioned Beach Beach. The result of Oso Leone’s experimentations is a hazy ambient sound, we could say that it is even quite hipnotic, which seems clearer when they use visual effects in their live sets. – Glòria Guirao-Soro
Chicha Libre
Sala Apolo, Tuesday May 27 20:50
Who would have thought that the most Latin-folk inspired music in the festival would actually end up being played by a Brooklyn act? But you still gotta give it to the Primavera Sound curators for giving cumbia a slot in this year’s festival. Brooklyn-based group Chicha Libre have been doing a fine work in revitalizing chicha, the brand of Peruvian cumbia that brought together Latin folk rhythms with psychedelic and surf rock, and their 2012 releaseCanibalismo was the kind of non-stop dancing party that’s likely to translate seamlessly into a riveting live set. – Pierre Lestruhaut
http://www.clubfonograma.com/2014/05/club-fonogramas-top-12-must-see-acts-at.html
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