Primavera Sound 2018 review: Female artists steal show at scintillating festival

Lorde, Charlotte Gainsbourg and HAIM played empowering sets during the four-day Barcelona event

New Zealand performer Lorde was scheduled to perform in Tel Aviv in June (Rex/Shutterstock)

In a festival whose headline acts were skewed towards men, it’s the women who stole the show at Primavera Sound 2018.

Quite right too for an event that had its zero tolerance for sexual harassment stamped in bold throughout, with the emphatic slogan “Party for your right to fight” greeting music-loving revellers as they entered the sun-soaked Barcelona event, now in its 18th year. This response to the MeToo and Time’s Up movements that have rocked the globe in the past half year was bolstered by the presence of several standout female acts.

The Lauren Mayberry-fronted synth-pop trio Chvrches delivered an energetic performance in the early hours on the second of four nights, the crowd overjoyed to have another packed 48 hours of music ahead of them – and for good reason. HAIM – comprised of sisters Alana, Danielle and Este – were elevated to a larger platform one year after their secret set on the Ray-Ban stage. They launched their show with an extended solo which saw all three pounding on bass drums in unison, puppeteering the crowd’s every jump until set-closer “Right Now”.

Mention must also go to the dance duo Confidence Man who kept excitement high on the very stage HAIM had performed on in 2017, their hilarious pop tracks and eye-opening costumes resulting in perhaps the most fun show of the entire weekend. Marks also for being the only act to neck plastic cups of champagne on stage before catapulting them into the crowd. The Ray-Ban stage, home to acts such as Ezra Furman, Hinds and Ariel Pink – came alongside a programme that saw the sunglasses brand collaborate with Bronx deejaying duo The Martinez Brothers for a campaign named Feel Your Beat.

The double-pronged sensation of Lykke Li and Lorde ensured the final night was one to remember. The latter deployed tracks from latest album Melodrama, which ranged from the up-tempo thrills of “Homemade Dynamite” to the lullaby hues of “Liability” with equal success. It was “Green Light” that sent the audience truly wild, however, its opening chords not so much an invitation than an instruction to dance. She even treated the crowd – many of whom had cited the 21-year-old New Zealand star as their most anticipated act – to a foot-tapping rendition of Frank Ocean track “Lost”.

The multi-talented Charlotte Gainsbourg and Björk – both actors in their own right – sent ethereality trickling into the evening. While the latter, obscured by haunting masks throughout, stunned with squint-inducing visuals, it was Gainsbourg who truly stuck the landing. The Nymphomaniac star dealt a disco-infused set to end them all, endearingly humbled by the rapturous response which hit its peak with “Deadly Valentine”. It was a clear highlight that no doubt secured her legions of new fans.

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That her mother, Jane Birkin, played the following evening was a pleasant touch. Comfortably backed up by a full orchestra, her laid-back performance was the perfect accompaniment to the setting sun which marked the arrival of Gainsbourg’s late father, Serge, albeit in the guise of Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner, who channelled the French icon with outgrown hair, sunglasses and choreographed chutzpah.

The Sheffield rockers blasted onto the stage with new track “Four Out of Five” as the assembled rabble screamed back every word despite it being released mere weeks ago. They delivered a crowd-pleasing set which tore through the old (debut single “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor”) and more recent (six tracks from 2013’s AM – including “Do I Wanna Know?” and “Arabella”) while simultaneously proving the quality of latest record Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino to those still unconvinced.

“It’s so great to be here, Primavera Sound Festival,” a reinvigorated Turner told fans in his unmistakable drawl which also emulated the intense suaveness of Nick Cave who had brought his band, The Bad Seeds, to the same stage just two nights before.

The Australian musician launched into proceedings akin to a ringmaster performing multiple spells in song form. His set vacillated between the gloomy, thrilling and heart-wrenching. Cave invited hordes of fortunate fans on stage for an electrifying performance of 1988 track “Deanna” – a direct contrast to what had come before: a rendition of select songs from Skeleton Tree which sent silence coursing through the crowd. The tragic death of his 15-year-old son in 2016 was clearly looming large in his memory.

Music fans were also gifted the opportunity to remember Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison, who died by suicide just last month. Touching tributes were paid by fellow Scottish band The Twilight Sad and Ohio quintet The National, whose frontman Matt Berninger – clad in orange in protest of US gun laws – dedicated a sombre performance of “About Today” to the singer.

It wasn’t all about indie rock and synth-pop, either. Rapper Tyler, the Creator turned in a blistering set that featured an appearance from A$AP Rocky whose own gig arrived the following night. Fortunately for all, the Odd Future leader played hit after hit and hastened from starting a riot like he did in South by Southwest in 2014 while those who selected A$AP’s own show over dream pop sensation Beach House were treated to a breathtaking firework display which marked the end of yet another memorable festival.