Festivals
Primavera Club 2018
A slew of brilliant new artists took on Barcelona’s Sala Apolo for the fest’s sister event this October.
It’s no secret that Barcelona’s Primavera Sound has become one of the major highlights of the musical calendar. Offering up an eclectic, all-encompassing bill, taking place against the iconic backdrop of Parc Del Fórum just as summer rolls around, it’s now a firm favourite for festival-goers. Not content with offering up some of the biggest and most intriguing artists around, however, it’s with the festival’s second venture, Primavera Club, that they’re showcasing some of music’s newest talents.
Taking place just a few streets from the city’s main hub Las Ramblas, 2018’s Primavera Club sees the festival take over Sala Apolo for three nights. While the brilliant Snail Mail and wonderfully charismatic Stella Donnelly close proceedings with a much more compact bill on the Sunday evening, the line-up is littered with an array of the most promising new artists who’ll undoubtedly be gracing festivals all through next summer.
Warming things up on Friday evening, London’s Tirzah is a mesmerising prospect, whose offerings often sound sparse and spacious. Despite getting off to a somewhat uncertain start, her vocals sounding a little too low in the mix, her performance soon flowers into an intricate, twinkling display. In almost complete contrast, Boy Pablo’s set is an altogether more raucous affair, as they get the entire room moving in unison with their sunshiney indie pop. Not all too dissimilar to the laid-back warmth of Whitney at times, their set is full of effortless joy which even sees them throw in a cheeky Katy Perry cover for good measure.
Opening things on the fest’s second day is left up to the gorgeous sounds of Kadhja Bonet. Flecked with funk and packed with style, hers is a rich but dreamy set, cuts from new album ‘Childqueen’ sounding wonderful. Following her is no mean feat, but New York’s Crumb take it in their stride. Blissfully woozy, the likes of ‘Locket’ and ‘Plants’ are satisfyingly syrupy with just the right amount of jazzy percussion and meandering guitar solos.
Bursting into life with 'How Simple', Hop Along are brilliant from the off. Led by Frances Quinlan, the Philadelphian band possess a tangible confidence, with their offerings sounding even more delicious live on stage than on record. With her potently gravelly vocals given even more room to roam, their scuzzed-up set is a powerful one.
Meanwhile, downstairs in the more intimate confines of La [2] de Apolo, Northampton rapper slowthai is intent on making his mark on the Barcelona crowd. A furious, high-energy display which sees him whip off his shirt about 30 seconds in, his set is a display of uncompromising catharsis which proves he's more than capable of taking on Primavera proper next year. See you in six months, then?
Photos: Dani Canto, Christian Bertrand and Sergio Albert.
Popular right now
Featuring Green Day, English Teacher, Everything Everything, Caity Baser and more!