Photo by Dani Cantó
It’s that time of the year again: Festival Time. We at NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION are happy to announce that we will be attending one of Europe’s premier music festivals, PRIMAVERA SOUND, from May 29th to the 31st, PRIMAVERA will throw one of the biggest parties of the year at Parc del Forum in Barcelona, Spain.
Not your typical music festival, PRIMAVERA offers six outdoor stages right along the ocean, which will be showcasing a diverse range of musical acts from independent groups to some of the biggest names in rock, pop and electronic.
Since 2001, PRIMAVERA SOUND has been know for curating some of the most interesting and eclectic lineups in festival history, putting them in the ring with other big names like the UK’s GLASTONBURY and Serbia’s EXIT festival. The promotors of PRIMAVERA are constantly on the look out for unique and thought provoking bands, which they seamlessly bring together year after year.
This year it is no different, as the festival has announced a lineup that is sure to pique the interests of music lovers of all styles and tastes. Not only will the iconic British shoegazers, SLOWDIVE, be making a comeback after 19 years, but other major headliners include, THE NATIONAL, GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR, NINE INCH NAILS, REAL ESTATE, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, and much much more.
This year, we got the chance to speak with Alfonso Lanza, PRIMAVERA‘s marketing and communications director and Abel González, who works in the booking department, about the evolution of the event and some of their favorite moments over the years.
Thirteen years later, since the first PRIMAVERA SOUNDd in 2001, how would you describe the ways in which the festival has grown?
The festival has grown in a very natural way, yet we still provide a program for the minority: The musically minded people. Yet, today this minority has gotten huge, because it is so much easier to have access to music. But, we try to keep preserve the spirit of Primavera as well as the festival’s roots, which basically means to have maximum respect for the artists.
In what major ways has the festival changed?
We see the change in the dimension of the festival. More stages, more shows and more people, but we are always working on a quality basis and looking to ensure a comfortable experience for festivalgoers. We are also trying to get more involved with the city, by promoting musical activity in many different spaces, not just the Parc del Forum.
As festivals grow, fans of music sometimes feel that there is a sense of intimacy that can become lost in the huge crowds. Would you say that has happened with PRIMAVERA SOUND?
We might see a less intimate setting when it comes to the main stages of the festival and with certain concerts. But we also run 9 stages and 4 of them have room for no more than 1,500 people. We usually don’t see the smaller stages full. There is also an auditorium for more intimate shows, so I really think you can attend PS without feeling overwhelmed by crowds. But, of course, if you expect to see ARCADE FIRE on a 3.000 persons capacity stage, it will be full. That is too be expected at most festivals.
In lieu of the last question, your event is known for its focus on independent music. Is it harder today to remain focused on independent acts? Or has it taken on a more mainstream element in recent years?
If you take ‘independent music’ for its usual meaning in music through the last decades, then that’s what we’re most focused on. We tend to believe our focus is inclusive, and that ours is a festival where any significant or personal language in modern music can have proper exposure. Of course, we also have our own preferences and personality, and this is what one can see when looking at our line-ups. And yes, independent music has a foot in mainstream nowadays. Wanting to be unique is a general wish, I suppose.
As an inspiration to countless urban music festivals, what advice would you give to those looking to start their own city-based festival? For example, how to pick the perfect location?
There is not a definitive location for any festival. It must be adapted to the nature of the festival. We are very lucky to have the Parc del Forum, which looks like it was created simply for PS. It is directly inside the city, by the sea, with various levels and zones to handle different capacity stages. My advice would be to think clearly about your concept for a festival, and afterwards you can start looking for a venue, as well as a city that fits your idea.
For over a decade you have been promoting new music alongside huge acts. What have been some of your favorite acts been?
I have asked around the office and NEIL YOUNG has been the artist everybody is most proud of having at the festival. Everybody also remembers their first time with bands that used to be way smaller, but are now major acts. Some of those would be LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, ANIMAL COLLECTIVE or BEACH HOUSE. They all played on small stages long ago, and we all remember those shows fondly. We have also had a lot of exclusive shows, such as SUFJAN STEVENS, DEXYS, JOHN CALE playing Paris 1919, MAYHEM and JEFF MANGUM, which will remain in my mind forever.
In what ways has the landscape of festivals changed in Europe over the past years? Did the competition become harder?
There is festival fever across Europe, and even worldwide, but is hard to appreciate the differences between most of them. It’s fine for us that people have gotten used to attending festivals, because we like to think our event is different from the others, so we don´t really feel we have a direct competitor. PRIMAVERA SOUND is always changing and we refresh our audience with people that are looking for new experiences. We also cater to a more comfortable and more mature age group, which averages about 30 years old.
This year the line-up offers some amazing comebacks, especially shoegaze legends, SLOWDIVE. Can you give attendees a little hint as to what they can expect this year?
Our only suggestion for the festival goers is: Make your own path and be curious…
Since we are called NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION, we want to know: What do those words mean to you?
Nice concept! It is kind of a guide for anything to be done in life, isn’t it?
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