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Jun 27, 2022 By Mark Moody Photography by Christa Joyner Moody Web Exclusive

Having already spent time in Primavera Sound’s home base of Barcelona, a branch out to Primavera’s longest running side show in Porto, Portugal was a no brainer for our coverage team. The line-up of decades old surefire performers (the reunited Pavement, Dinosaur Jr., Slowdive) mixed with up and coming artists (Little Simz, Rina Sawayama, black midi, Dry Cleaning) was impetus enough to get our team to jump at the chance to cover their first festival since 2019 and have the opportunity to explore a yet to be visited country. Ultimately, our coverage team found Portugal so inviting they opted to stay on for an additional week of exploring.

Aside from a day one drop off at the wrong end of the truly lovely Parque du Cidade, which seemingly rivaled the length of New York’s Central Park with dozens of pounds of camera gear in tow, all went swimmingly for the three-day event. As mentioned in our preview article (and something for other festivals to keep in mind), NOS Primavera Sound took place from a Thursday to a Saturday night which gave working folks a day to recover from 6 a.m. (!) festival end times. The indie oriented bands tended to slot out with ending times around 2 a.m., leaving the early morning hours to primarily EDM artists and DJ sets.

Covering four outside stages and a few smaller indoor settings, there was always plenty to enjoy. Notably the Portuguese fans were fastidious about staying through entire sets before moving to the next one, presumably in part because Porto isn’t likely to get these bands through town on a regular basis—many of the artists noted it was their first performances in Portugal. Three of the four outdoor stages sat side by side, allowing for quick transitions from one act to another.

Our Day 1 coverage started with U.K. band Penelope Isles. The brother and sister (Lily and Jack Wolter) led five-piece looked to be having the time of their lives and shifted easily from shoegaze-y feedback led tunes to more straightforward pop-oriented songs. One of the most refreshing sets of the three days came from a main stage set by Australia’s Stella Donnelly, who was a last minute substitution for much-missed Japanese Breakfast. Donnelly exuded as much charm as she did salty language and quipped that even though some of her songs tended to the grumpy that she wasn’t feeling grumpy at all that day. And as far as we know, Donnellly also performed the only handstand of the performance with a bit of an assist from one of her bandmates. Sky Ferreira’s set was one of the most anticipated given she hadn’t played a set in nearly three years and it preceded her Primavera Barcelona set by a few days. Unfortunately between some technical issues and maybe a little pre-set jitters, Ferreira only had time for a six-song set but did preview some new material. Subsequent to her set here, from her social media postings, Ferreira seems to have hit her stride and is enjoying being back in the pop music spotlight.

Even though there was plenty of music afterwards, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds effectively had the first night headlining slot given a full two-hour performance. Cave’s legendary live performance dynamic was on full display, as he took to the catwalk on the first song to get face to face and arm in arm with his most ardent fans (Our photographer was one of four “trapped” on the right hand side of the catwalk, leading to some of our best shots of the festival). We caught two additional acts after Cave’s set. One of the two most punishing sets we caught over the course of three days came from black midi. The crowd on hand was whipped up by the band’s recorded introduction by a heavyweight title fight announcer and their precisely played, but equally pummeling set was a full-on knockout winner. Closing out the night (for us at least) was the one set we stayed the entirety for. Caroline Polachek’s vocals are truly otherworldly and knowing that her setlist closed out with “Caroline Shut Up” and “So Hot Your Hurting My Feelings” made it essential to stick around to the end.

With the layout of the festival figured out, Days 2 and 3 rolled seamlessly. We made a point of getting to the festival site for Day 2 opener, the Portuguese based Montanhas Azuis (Blue Mountains for the less literate). Playing as a five-piece band, with plenty of keyboards (!), Marco Franco led the way with a classic Casio sounding lead. Though they didn’t wear their patented blue rain jackets, plenty of flashy shirts were on display. And their off-kilter calliope based and nostalgic sounds reminded us of the Tenniscoats/Notwist offshoot band Spirit Fest in a good way. Next up on the main stage were American power-popsters Beach Bunny who charmed an early day crowd. One of several Day 2 highlights, Japan’s Rina Sawayama held court at the across the park Cupra stage. It was evident from the first few seconds of her set that Sawayama has considerably upped her game to rival the biggest pop/dance stars of the day. Flanked by dancers for most of her set, expect big things as the calendar gears up for her sophomore album due out this fall. Nighttime coverage started with two couldn’t be different performances. Australia’s Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever showcased an ever maturing and tighter sound from their earliest days while still maintaining a flair for a hooky melody. Attracting one of the festival’s rowdiest crowds, 100 Gecs couldn’t have been further removed from anything resembling a melody. Their blend of backing tracks, noise, and non-stop strobe effects, over which the duo vocalize something between rap and shouted word, were something to behold. The headliner of the day was the reconstituted Pavement playing only their third set in over 10 years. Stephen Malkmus and crew were in fine fettle, and not having seen them since their final album tour in 1999, Bob Nostanovich’s non-stop presence on the stage came quickly back to mind. Set highlights included an incredibly loose “Grave Architecture,” Scott Kannenberg’s lead on “Date with IKEA,” and a raggedly righteous performance of early track “Two States.” Pavement’s performance on the main stage was preceded by sets by similarly nostalgic turns by Slowdive and Beck (who didn’t allow photos this set).

The final day’s performances were thankfully graced with a third straight day of beautiful weather. Late night sets by Interpol and Gorillaz were bypassed in favor of earlier day performances. First up as the grounds opened up the day were Dry Cleaning, who along with several other NOS Primavera Sound artists have a new album coming this year. The Florence Shaw led band delivered the goods with Shaw’s monotone observations overlaying the band’s scorching post-punk palette of sounds. Shaw showcased as much showmanship as anyone else on the bill while hardly ever moving a muscle—primarily with a roll of the eyes and a shrug of the shoulders. She did find it hard not to break her cool, calm, detached demeanor given the enthusiastic crowd response. Houston-based Khruangbin (who also didn’t allow photos) brought their bottom-heavy groove to a fully packed crowd back at the Cupra stage, which proved to host some of the most enthusiastically received sets of the festival. Retro act of the day, Dinosaur Jr., performed a solid set back on the main stage even though all of the band’s gear had been lost somewhere between here and Florence (seeing J. Mascis start the set on a borrowed Jazzmaster was a bit of tipoff that something was amiss). Bassist and Sebadoh founder, Lou Barlow played eager MC while Mascis eschewed audience banter in exchange for a loose and musically emotive set that evoked Neil Young’s Crazy Horse at their most molten. The last set we caught before heading for the festival exit a little earlier than the preceding nights was London’s Little Simz. She owns up to her name, with her childhood nickname, Simbi, up on lights throughout the set. Her stature is supplanted by an enormous stage presence and a tight connection with the crowd. No doubt everyone in attendance was either won over or following Simz’s every move and command. Her breakdown of her routine for the day leading up to her set was as empowering as it was heartwarming - describing a hotel massage session that was necessary in order for her to give her fans her best.

If you are looking for a more laid back alternative to Primavera’s main event in Barcelona, but want a thoughtfully curated line-up of artists, NOS Primavera Sound may be a good bet for you. The festival is run as well and as on-time as any we have seen with seamless stage changeovers with some pretty elaborate demands. Porto is a beautiful and history laden city with much on offer for an extended stay either before or after the festival. Both Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. were spotted at our hotel and were around before and after the festival enjoying what the city has to offer. The indie rock elite at our hotel gave over to a high end performance car road rally crowd that had more than a few similarities. A great and welcoming time was certainly had along with high level performances by both newer and most established artists. Primavera is also hosting events in Los Angeles, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina later in the year.

www.primaverasound.com/en/porto

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