Primavera Sound Day 3 // Adios, Nos Divertimos Mucho

Sooner or later in life, the things you love, you lose. Musing on these wise words, Primavera’s day three denouements unfurled themselves, in grand homage to the late Mr. Hopper.  

In the setting Barcelona sun, the machine-like Florence was mystical on the main stage, while final day “come backs” The Charlatans, and a retro-barnet clad Tim Burgess, cast us momentarily back to halcyon Madchester days, circa 1990. No Euro fest is complete without random eclectic headliners, cue Pet Shop Boys, more pop hits than a 12 year-old’s mix tape, and a dancing New York City skyline*. 

A’ la Hopper, moments of genius sat amidst the curious and the cursory, and day three’s Easy Rider was The Drums, playing to a packed Vice Stage. Ian Curtis isn’t dead; he’s been hiding in Spain, waiting to reveal himself, in lead singer Jonathan Pierce, during Best Friend, and an impassioned performance, all jerky dances and grasping hand-puppetry. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the angular hook of guitar, and tense, vocal tributary, “You’re my best friend, but then you died”. Then he was gone, replaced by Cure-does-Brian Wilson, in West Coast pop anthem Lets Go Surfing, and the shadowy 50s emo-rock, falsetto-clad Submarine. Then, like the last Euro note in the wallet, we were gone too.

Farewell Primavera, farewell Barcelona, with your smurf blue sky and lego yellow sand, and farewell Mr. Hopper. You were no Brando or McQueen, you weren’t much to look at, and your film choices were, well, interesting**….But you turned us onto the joys of laughing gas, and for that, we thank you, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

*Post-festival photos and shared stories revealed this happened, and was not some Chupito-induced, lack of sleep-fuelled hallucination, sadly.  

**Waterworld: What. The. Fuck. 

Words by Simon Owen

Photos by Simon Owen & Derek Robertson

Tim Burgess searching the crowd for a hairdresser

Ian Curtis and The Drums take a well deserved bow

Jacko (Neil Tennant) wonders if he’s really seeing dancing skyscrapers