It finally happened, I went to Primavera, and I saw the big three. The Powerpuff Girls of pop came in full force, with Charli xcx, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan – the headliners of my dreams. Add Troye Sivan to the mix and it was an all-out party, as he and Charli xcx brought the Sweat tour to Europe for the very first time. While I was prepared to go it alone, I was more than grateful to tag along with Matt from uni, who was attending as somewhat of a Primavera veteran, along with his fiancé Holly and their mate James. I loved having these three “Prima Pals” to enjoy the festival with, even if at times I did run off into the crowd without them. We were all pretty happy with going with the flow of it all and their company made Primavera that bit sweeter.
For all the gigs and live events I’ve been to, festivals are still fairly new to me. While I have never camped in a field for a festival, I have been to the odd few long weekenders where I have then retreated back to my own bed in between days. Primavera offered more of the same, this time travelling back to a hotel in Barcelona. I opted for being closer to the city centre, which admittedly did make travelling back from the festival each night (or morning) a bit of a trek, but it was so worth being in the midst of the city when I woke up ready to wander around like the big old tourist I am. Having stayed at SM Hotel Sant Antoni, I feel like I have spent a lot less on hotels that have offered a lot more, but I can’t fault the location and the comfy bed. Not to mention the reception staff were always friendly, even when I was rocking up at disgusting hours of the early morning. It was close to Sagrada Familia, and only a few minutes’ walk from both the tram and metro station, so all in all, I would definitely recommend if you don’t mind missing out on a rooftop terrace with a pool – Barcelona is a beautiful city to get out and see after all.
The festival had actually arranged a good few options for travelling to and from, despite the metro not running after a certain time. This year was the first time the tram, which stopped directly outside the festival grounds, was scheduled to run continuously, as well as the shuttle bus direct to Placa de Catalunya. Apart from the one night we walked (an hour, although long I would probably do it again), we opted for the tram home as most convenient. Of course with convenience comes demand, so it was a tight squeeze as everyone rammed on beyond capacity I’m sure, but it was easily the most cost effective mode of transport. I had bought the Hola travel card for all things metro/tram/bus etc anyway. Primavera had offered a discount on the ticket which could cover a max of 5 days, and it absolutely made travelling from A to B far less stressful as I knew I was sorted for anything and everything, all I had to do was hop on with my ticket.
Once we got to Parc Del Forum my first thought was that this probably a lot bigger than I had anticipated, from stage set up to all the extras such as radio booths and sponsored stalls throughout. It really did feel like they had thought of everything. Admittedly the toilet situation on the first night was a little ropey, but in all fairness, it did seem to settle after that. Though it still felt fairly dire at the time, on reflection they were actually better than I had expected, even with the queues. Besides, the only reason I had to visit them so frequently is because my period came literally on opening day of the festival, so I think in all honesty a lot of my frustration came down to that – perfect timing body, thank you.
Moving on, there were plenty of incredible food options, from delicious burgers, to dumplings, noodles, pizza – the list goes on. All you had to do was time it right to avoid long queues. I definitely got hangry on night two when deciding to go to the toilet before getting food, only to see the queues and give up – but honestly for all the food there was, it absolutely would have been worth the wait. I guess I’m saying embrace every part of the festival, not just the music. My only real complaint of the whole weekend would be the limited access to free water given the heat, but I guess that made me even more grateful for Primavera’s timetable starting a little later in the day and going into the early hours of the morning. I saw a lot of advice saying to take a jacket for when the sun sets, but honestly while it did cool down, I was personally fine without, even when I stayed until 6am. That could just be down to the constant dancing however, so if you’re more of a static festival goer then maybe an over shirt would come in handy. It may even be down to being lucky with the weather, so who knows, if you are planning to go in the future it may well pay to be prepared.
As for the music itself, we kicked things off a day early by making it down to the festival for Caribou playing the opening day. A swarming set saw the band take a slow burn into the biggest hits new and old. The perfectly timed lightshow was the idyllic backdrop to the magic musicianship on stage. They performed in a compact set up which shot waves left right and center into the crowd, particularly once the set hit Odessa and beyond. A booming drum solo kicked things up a gear and along with the pure joy emanating from all of the band, was the perfect taste of what was to come.
Day 1 – Thursday 5th June
Having braved the busy tram, we arrived to Parc Del Forum around 7:30pm, so made a beeline for the main stage. There we found beabadoobee setting off our day with good vibes in her sweet pop sound that came with touches of something heavier. It wasn’t long before we were moving on down to Cupra stage for CMAT. It may have been too early on in the festival to be pinning down the highlights, but honestly, CMAT was absolutely one of my favourite performances of the whole weekend. While that largely comes down to the Ciara and the band leading the way on stage, I have to shout out the crowd. I had ventured down on my own while my mates stayed up in the seats, but no matter, because everyone in that crowd played their part in the show so well. From TikTok choregraphed dance moves, hand waves and two stepping, we were all absolutely lapping it up and in it together. There is something insanely therapeutic about being in a crowd of people belting “I’ve been having a horrible time of late” and “I just can’t do it!”. CMAT played in to the sunset, coming to the stage with both a strong sense of sincerity and fun-loving attitude, easily one of the best live acts out there right now.
Then it was off to Amazon Music stage for the pop mystique of Magdalena Bay. Their sound shimmered across the park. I feel like I would have immediately been enticed over to their set even if I had never heard of them before. It was pure fun, with cute costume changes and a wistful energy on stage. Definitely a band I will be seeing again. Faced with the first big clash of the weekend, we did cut their set short to catch the end of FKA twigs. I do wish I had been able to see more of twigs but not quite at the expense of missing Magdalena Bay entirely. Having thoroughly enjoyed Eusexua as an album, I am just grateful I at least managed to catch Girl Feels Good. I then took a seat to rest as she closed on Two Weeks and Cellophane, set perfectly against the moonlight.
Jamie xx followed on the opposite main stage, mixing crazy new life in to Gosh, and blending new interludes into tracks from both albums. I do keep thinking I should have taken a small break from this set to catch Kelly Lee Owens because I know I would have loved her set, but I was very much in a Jamie trance. Even on my way back to my mates towards the end, I was pulled back by the sound of Baddy on the Floor. I may have seen him numerous times before, but every set is a little bit different and having watched the stream back, I am so glad I was there for every bit, even if in part queueing for the loo.
As the crowd was filling up and I was getting more dehydrated, I decided to stay further back in some open space for Charli xcx and Troye Sivan. My only regret is not at least standing on the other side so I could catch some proper glimpses of them on stage. That said, their whole show was choreographed for the screens so well that it barely made much of a difference. Besides, by this time of night I was happy to have the air and room to dance freely to the sweatiest show of all. There was a certain thrill to hearing 365 blast across the field, as well I Love It getting its moment after all these years. Troye Sivan was celebrating his 30th birthday on stage and for me Rush has to be the top moment for his part of the set. Picking one for Charli is really hard but getting Chappell Roan to be the Apple girl was iconic. Definitely a party set, primed for festivals, this was a great way to close the main stage off for the night.
While my pals had departed at this point, I stuck around to see The Dare with a quick pitstop at Brutalismus 3000 on the Amazon Stage. The beats were being laid on thick and even from the other end of the park I felt very much in it. Which is handy given that I had to spend a good chunk of time figuring out how to make it down to the Schwarzkopf stage for The Dare. Who by the way, I am so glad I stuck around to see. I very nearly left it, but no, this was a big name on my must-see list and he did not disappoint. Whether playing his own hits like new release LCA and old favourite Girls, or covering I Can’t Escape Myself, it all sounded so big and fully made staying until the early hours more than worthwhile. I particularly enjoyed his light set up which at the time felt like it took an age to set up, right down to the last second before he appeared on stage.
As the sun rose I did make my way over to Cupra for the tail end of Armand Van Helden’s set which looked like an absolute belter. Unfortunately, being alone in the light of a new day did not quite hit right, and the thought of battling all these people on the tram home was not appealing. So I made my departure, exiting the tram near my hotel just as a guy was on his morning run. If I wasn’t already pretty much sobered up by this point, that certainly would have been the moment.
Day 2 – Friday 6th June
Today was very main stage heavy. Again, some regrets over not taking time out of these sets to see some other acts (particularly Fcukers) but nevertheless, a grand old time was had.
We got there relatively early today, catching the tail end of feeble little horse’s set. We heard them announcing in unison a warning for the next song “otherwise something bad will happen” before thrashing into pure noise in the best possible way. I do wish I had heard a little more of them beforehand and so on the list they go for more time to be spent listening to them in future. We then saw Yoasobi, who came from Japan equipped with a full-on tour set up, and were equal parts sweet and hardcore as hell.
Then it was my little bonus addition of Wolf Alice who were announced not long after Clairo pulling out. Safe to say their presence more than made up for Clairo’s absence for me. Although given the festival’s late stage times, the 7:30 slot for Wolf Alice seemed a little rogue. That didn’t take away however from an incredible set. The band have been away from touring for a little while and it is good to see the momentum building on these festival performances in the run up to their arena tour at the end of this year. Formidable Cool is a long time favourite of mine so kicking off with that was killer and it is remarkable to see seamless transitions from indie-pop-rock anthems, into the thrash of Yuk Fook and Greatest Hits, then blending out immaculately into Silk. I don’t know how they make it work but they just do and Ellie tore across that stage with a confidence never seen before.
Now, when I wrote about Primavera before, I didn’t even mention HAIM. I then went on to tell people out and about that I wasn’t too fussed about whether I saw them or not. Well slap me silly and call me a convert because my GOD, this trio of sisters know how to do a live show. They are fun, pure performers and the narrative of bad dates stories on their screen just added to the entertainment. I feel like I have committed a sin in previously being a naysayer, I guess I just never got caught up in the hype until now.
Beach House in between HAIM and Sabrina Carpenter was in some ways a fairly odd choice. It is no secret that I adore the dreamy duo, but it did leave the Sabrina side of the stage sat on the floor for the most part. That’s not to take away from a beautiful set as always, it just felt a little odd after the energy of HAIM. It seemed like the crowd had been primed for Sabrina, only to then be lulled into a dream state. I would never be one to complain about this and seeing Beach House once more was pure bliss, however I can’t shake that the placement was a little odd.
Sabrina put on a very lively, highly produced show. I did sometimes find that the talking segments seemed a little slow, but then again, I’m not sure if that is down to some issues with sound maybe not travelling to the crowd well. Nevertheless, she nailed her performance, even when choking on a shot during Slim Pickings, and the transition from Bed Chem in to Ginuwine’s Pony was so smooth. I loved being in the first crowd to hear Manchild live for the first time and I have since had the song on repeat, a highly comedic song released exactly one year after Please, Please, Please – absolute petty perfection. A cover of It’s Raining Men went down a treat with us hearing some of Carpenter’s lower vocal range which is something I’d like a lot more of. It was a super sweet show which I think was needed after the (wonderful) chaos of the day before.
Unfortunately, we did not make it down to Wet Leg’s set although we did hear from afar. Had they been on a bigger stage I might have more of an effort but Cupra was absolutely rammo and as I mentioned before, pretty cranky by this point. As gutted as I am to have missed them, at the time I was just about ready for bed and I know for sure I will see them in the near future.
Day 3 – Saturday 8th June
So we managed to get to the main stage just in time to hear Kim Deal (formerly of The Pixies) perform Gigantic which was pretty special. Then we chilled out to Glass Beams, taking in the sun with their eastern style music. Some of it was bliss, some of it hit a little harder, and I loved every bit. I was pretty much just watching people dance around us and it was just the vibey start we needed for the final day.
Fontaines D.C. played next, one of the bands I absolutely had to see no matter what. We decided to stay on the opposite stage side ready for Chappell, however made sure we could still see Fontaines in all their glory. Their music blasted out with intensity, a poignant message of “Free Palestine” during I Love You, and an epic close on Starburster. They were simply impeccable and have only cemented the need for me to see them again soon, and this time to get right up in the crowd.
Now let’s talk Chappell Roan. I knew this was going to be immense, but I don’t think I considered quite how much of a core memory this performance would be for me. Everything down to her stage presence, and the crowd’s interaction was such a joy. I have watched the show back since and despite having been there, I am still in awe of just how much of us in that crowd were there singing every word back and making every move to Hot To Go. It was a little gut wrenching to see how just how emotional Chappell got, repeatedly saying I love you, I love you and the cover of Barracuda was a great insight into another side of her. As expected, Pink Pony Club was just huge, the pinnacle of her set and the only way she could have closed that down.
The night was not over yet. I was battling the clash of LCD Soundsystem and Confidence Man in my head, but had a good idea of how it would turn out. In the meantime we spent some time at Cupra stage with Aminé, a great showman with feel good vibes. I then made my way over to main stage one last time to catch the start of LCD. I got to hear them play oh baby and that was good enough for me, off I ran to catch Confidence Man. I could hear the countdown to their set, and was reunited with my prima pals just as their set kicked off. They partied on and on, we danced on an on, it was possibly the biggest highlight of the entire festival, and just the perfect note to end it on. LCD were still playing as we left and although I felt a pinch of FOMO not feeling the last few songs right there in the crowd, I could not have been more satisfied with Con Man as my final act of the weekend. I did not stop dancing or smiling throughout their whole set, it was honestly like the most enjoyable workout on the planet.
With much of my year spent in anticipation of what Primavera would bring, the big question is this – what on earth am I to do with my life now that it is over? While the early bird tickets for 2026 call my name, I do feel like this year pretty much had it all for me. So, I will have to wait for those first line up announcements before making any firm decisions. That said, I enjoyed the overall vibe of the festival so much that I would happily go again purely on the basis of exploring new acts and making the most of all those stages big and small. This year might have been about seeing my favourite acts of all time, but I do somewhat regret not taking some time out to explore others. Then there is having to recover financially from this one. I don’t know if I necessarily want, or can afford to make it a yearly thing, but this definitely won’t be the last Primavera I attend. Although leaving me pretty much broke, I feel like I’d be a bit more equipped to manage finances next time and would probably recruit a hotel buddy to save some money there. I would consider staying closer to the festival this time to limit the travel panic, but I also wouldn’t mind waiting it out down at the beach during sunrise next time. We will just have to wait and see.
As for what I do until the next time, I have considered the fact that the money spent on this one weekend, could easily cover a number of individual shows across the year. It is not to say that I value those one night shows over the festival, more that I have a new perspective on what I thought my limits were with live music. I think it has taught me that sometimes I just need to bite the bullet and get the ticket, because these experiences are so much more valuable than any amount of money. There may have been times during Primavera, specifically queueing for those toilets or squeezing against sweaty strangers on the tram, that I questioned whether it was worth it. Having come away from it with memories to last a lifetime, spent with friends new and old, I can absolutely say it was 100% worth every second.
SAMANTHA MAE 
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