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May 31, 2022 By Mark Moody Web Exclusive

The live music and festival calendars are certainly filling up with daily announcements of new tours and events. After a nearly two year hiatus of all things live music, the current landscape is not without its challenges, but crowds are eager to get back with sold out shows and festivals a regular occurrence. Under the Radar is sending husband and wife team Mark and Christa Moody to Porto, Portugal to take in the ninth edition of the longest running offshoot of Barcelona’s multi-week Primavera Sound festival.

Taking place in Porto’s Parque Da Cidade from June 9-11 (that’s a Thursday to Saturday for those interested in such things), the line-up is a mix of key acts pulled from the Primavera Sound lineup (which partially overlaps in dates with Primavera NOS) as well as other regional and Portuguese based acts. Here’s a list of the Top 12 artists our coverage team is looking forward to catching and capturing in photos. Not having a lot of familiarity with more of the regional and local acts, we have one local pick that caught our ear on a Spotify playlist mixed with a list of internationally known artists. The list is also informed by having a chance to see artists the coverage team hasn’t seen before in lieu of some more popular artists, though we will be sure to catch some of those as well.

12. Sky Ferreira

I have a friend that claims to have never had a margarita in their life and I’m convinced they never will just so they can continue to make the claim. Likewise, it’s becoming increasingly uncertain if Ferreira will ever release the follow-up to 2013’s Night Time, My Time, in spite of all the teases to the contrary. There has been increasing chatter recently about a 2022 release for the follow-up, Masochism, so maybe there will be new material on display at this set. [Note: as this article was being worked on, new single “Don’t Forget” was released, but my friend still hasn’t had a margarita].

11. Montanhas Azuis

The Portuguese super-group of sorts, consisting of established artists Norberto Lobos, Marco Franco and Bruno Pernadas, translates their name as Blue Mountains. The trio perform in blue plastic jumpsuits, which doesn’t exactly a blue mountain make, but the near ambient sounds and manipulated vocals that emanate from their debut album, Ilha de Plástico, certainly sound alluring.

10. Helado Negro

Though the Latin inspired sounds that flavor some of Helado Negro’s best work may not have originated from Portugal, no other music sounds better suited for floating out on the airwaves towards the Porto coast. Helado Negro’s namesake, Roberto Carlos Lange, has also dabbled in the visual arts so it will be interesting to see what is made of his closing day set.

9. Khruangbin

Hailing from this writer’s hometown of Houston, I’ve never had the chance to catch this trio in a live setting. But their reputation as a wig-wearing, groove minded performers should make for a great act to catch. Their latest collaborations with Leon Bridges have been a pleasure to listen to.

8. Caroline Polachek

Polachek hasn’t let the collapse of Chairlift hold her back. A prolific collaborator, writer, and producer, Polachek’s 2019 album, Pang, was a solid one. Not having seen Polachek before, Under the Radar’s coverage of prior live sets makes for an intriguing choice. Also, our photographer, Christa, gives current single “Billions” a major thumbs up!

7. Tame Impala

Though it may be hard to tell if Kevin Parker’s project play live instruments in their sets, if you can even spot them on stage at all, there is no doubt Parker knows how to throw one heck of a party. Confetti cannons, strobe effects, and last time we saw him spookily sweeping spotlights back and forth across the crowd during the booming “Elephant.”

6. Dry Cleaning

Bracingly energetic post-punk music over which Florence Shaw intones her deadpan observations is what you come here for. Seems custom made for a late evening pick-me-up. Plus based on recent set lists seems they still believe in the “Magic of Meghan.”

5. Rina Sawayama

In addition to putting out 2020’s out of left field self-titled album, Sawayama has made a name for herself as a model, film, and television actor. Not to mention her latest live sets have been alterna-pop tour-de-force’s with full blown dance routines. No doubt Sawayama will be high up on many attendees tickets of acts to catch.

4. Slowdive

This slot was originally slated for Japanese Breakfast, but they became a late scratch on the lineup. With the festival schedule now released (Tame Impala vs Caroline Polachek is an issue), we’ll give the nod here to shoegaze pioneers Slowdive who play leadoff to Beck and Pavement on the festival’s middle day. Given their three decade plus pedigree, no doubt they will get the triple bill nostalgia set off on the right foot, or the left one if that’s where you prefer to look.

3. Little Simz

One of a handful of hip-hop acts on the lineup card along with Earl Sweatshirt, Simz’s star has been rising since the release of last year’s Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. She has also garnered a reputation as a not to be missed live artist and multi-instrumentalist.

2. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Count me among those that had tickets for Cave’s COVID-cancelled US tour. I never quite got the bug to call myself a super fan, but Cave has been a Primavera mainstay and touring with his long time band must be the way to see him. With a live set reputation like no other, it’s a definitely not to be missed headlining slot for the festival’s opening day.

1. Pavement

Well, it’s a bit hard not to go with the reconstituted Pavement as the primary act to catch at this year’s festival. When they called it quits, they meant it for a very long time - maybe something others could take into consideration when raking it in on farewell tour after farewell tour. We’ll call ten years from their last set of gigs a sufficient break and one we’re happy to see them back from. The band has been teasing practice sessions and a rotation of set lists out on the socials. Here’s hoping a play through of “Father to a Sister of Thought” is in the cards.

The Ninth Edition of the Portuguese Offshoot of Primavera Sound returns to Porto from June 9-11.