Primavera Sound Barcelona 2024 has come and gone, leaving a trail of new music in its wake. When June rolls around, music takes over the Spanish city for a week with multiple side events taking place outside of the main festival's calendar — from smaller-scale pre-shows to surprise DJ sets, this year was no exception.
From May 30 to June 1, Primavera Sound Barcelona 2024 took place in the city's Parc del Fòrum and attracted music lovers from all corners of the world. The festival's headliners included Lana Del Rey, SZA, Justice, Pulp, PJ Harvey, Troye Sivan, and Charli XCX, and featured many smaller acts dotted across multiple stages, including the festival's now trademark dual main stage configuration. Though, for the most part, everything went according to plan, the rain did disturb some of the festival's last-day schedules, as thousands sought refuge by the food and drink stands. The show did go on, though, and the music did not stop.
The festival notably honored Steve Albini, the legendary musician and audio engineer who died on May 7, by forgoing a converted sponsorship for the heartfelt homage of naming one of its stages after him — reinforcing the notion that Primavera is truly by and for the music. Albini's band Shellac was scheduled to perform on that very stage during the weekend, but instead, band members Bob Weston and Todd Trainer turned the slot into a listening party for their latest album, To All Trains, their first original studio project in over a decade, which was released just days after Albini's passing.
If you didn't make it to Barcelona this year and didn't catch the live streams on Amazon Music's Twitch account during the weekend, fret not because we were there to catch all the action for you during all three days of the festival, from early evening well into the early morning. Below, check out Teen Vogue's favorite sets from Primavera Sound Barcelona 2024 in chronological order, and scroll through the galleries to see each photo.
Balming Tiger
To kick off the first official day of the festival, South Korean musical collective Balming Tiger brought their trademark irreverence to the Pull&Bear stage at Primavera Sound Barcelona 2024. Only five out of the 11 current members of Balming Tiger made their way to Barcelona for the occasion (specifically Omega Sapien, Seoulthesoloist, bj wnjn, Mudd the Student, and Sogumm), but they had no problem filling the stage with their presence, making the audience their honorary sixth member with interactions galore and even a successful moshpit.
The quintet mainly performed tracks from their debut album January Never Dies, including their collaboration with BTS's RM “Sexy Nukim" and crowd-favorite “Buriburi,” which came complete with an abridged live dance class. They rounded off the set by performing an unreleased track titled “Big Butt," which they had previously debuted at 88 Rising's Head In The Clouds in New York.
Dillom
Dylan León Masa, better known by his stage moniker Dillom, brought out his signature mix of punk and rap to the crowds of Primavera Sound Barcelona from the Amazon Music stage on Thursday. Clad in all black and supported by a live band, the 23-year-old Argentinian star performed a total of 19 songs, including “La Primera,” “Pelotuda,” and “220,” all standout tracks from his debut studio album Post Mortem. The heavy bass and pulsating drums definitely made the crowd's many earplugs work overtime, but it was worth it to see the young talent commanding the stage, albeit with few interactions.
Amaarae
As the sun set in Barcelona's Parc del Fòrum, Ghanaian-American singer-songwriter Amaarae was in charge of kickstarting the night from the Amazon Music stage, where thousands congregated to see the star's enthralling set, including her TikTok-viral track “SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY,” as well as newer songs from her standout 2023 album Fountain Baby. Her performance of “Co‐Star" was the highlight of her set, which came complete with a crowd-voted dancing contest. “I think I caught the Holy Ghost on stage last night in Barcelona. I don’t remember a single thing that happened, but I know it was an amazing time,” the musician tweeted after her performance.
L'Impératrice
Fresh off their success at Coachella, French indie band L'Impératrice returned to Primavera Sound (the band previously performed at Primavera a la Ciutat in 2022) with futuristic ‘fits and dance music to spare, including newer tracks like “Amour Ex Machina,” “Me Da Igual,” and “Anomalie bleue” and old gems like “Agitations Tropicales" and “Matahari,” as well as a cover of Daft Punk’s “Aerodynamic.” Whether you know all the songs or none, chances are you'll have a great time witnessing L'Impératrice live.
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend returned to Primavera Sound 16 years after they made their debut at the festival in 2008, just two years after their formation. The band's set at the festival was a mix of new — performing “Classical,” “Capricorn,” and “Gen-X Cops” from their latest album Only God Was Above Us — and a lot of old. The group closed off their set at the Estrella Damm main stage with beloved records “Diane Young,” “Cousins,” “A-Punk,” “Harmony Hall,” and a mash-up of “Worship You” into “Ya Hey,” to the delight of indie lovers in attendance. Nostalgia is not dead.
Silica Gel
South Korean indie rock band Silica Gel, consisting of members Kim Geonjae, Kim Chunchu, Kim Hanjoo, and Choi Woonghee, made their European debut on day two of Primavera Sound Barcelona 2024, and they did not disappoint. The group took over the Amazon Music stage on Friday evening, and while their introverted ways were not hard to miss, the group managed to gather a more than impressive crowd during the early slot giving fans a walk through their catalog from 2016 to today with live renditions of “Budland,” “Sister,” “Eres Tu,” “No Pain,” “9,” “Andre99,” “Realize,” “Ryudejakeiru,” and a mashup of “T” and “Tik Tak Tok” complete with a five-minute guitar solo. Not only was this Silica Gel's European debut, but it was also the band's first performance outside of Asia as a whole.
Ethel Cain
Ethel Cain brought her signature sense of community to Parc del Fòrum during her Friday set at the Santander main stage. Rocking a black shirt in honor of Palestine and waving a keffiyeh borrowed from a fan, the singer once again took a stance with the platform she was given. During her 50-minute set, the American singer-songwriter performed “Dust Bowl,” “House in Nebraska,” “Crush, ”Amber Waves," “Thoroughfare,” “Gibson Girl,” “Televangelism,” “Sun Bleached Flies,” and “American Teenager.”
The Last Dinner Party
Abigail Morris, Lizzie Mayland, Emily Roberts, Georgia Davies, and Aurora Nishevci, the members of British indie rock girl band The Last Dinner Party, took over Primavera Sound's Cupra stage on Friday with the very definition of a short but sweet set. The quintet, accompanied by a drummer on stage, played a mix of hit tracks like "Nothing Matters" and “Sinner” as well as more under-the-radar tracks like “The Feminine Urge” and “Portrait of a Dead Girl” that had the crowd swaying like sea anemones.
Omar Apollo
Omar Apollo took to the Estrella Damm main stage just as the crowds began to flock in. The Chicano artist began his set with the heartwrenching “Ice-Slippin” before teasing his sophomore album with new songs “Spite” and “Dispose of Me.” Older gems off Apolonio (like “Useless," “Kamikaze," and "Want U Around"), as well as Ivory ( “Invincible,” “Tamagotchi,” “Evergreen,” “Endlessly,” “Go Away”), also got their moments of glory. Apollo had a few vocal mishaps during the set, which he alluded to during a quippy speech, but he made up for them with spins and attitude.
Troye Sivan
After Omar Apollo, Troye Sivan took over the other half of the main stage in the Santander portion with the second performance of his summer 2024 tour, which he'd just kicked off the night before in Lisbon, Portugal. Thousands and thousands of people congregated for the Australian star, who admitted this was the biggest crowd he'd ever played for during one of his speeches.
To say Sivan made the most of his Primavera Sound set would be an understatement. Accompanied by a slew of dancers and a surprise appearance by collaborator Guitarricadelafuente for “In My Room," Sivan performed 14 songs, including “My My My," "Dance to This," his Charli XCX collab “1999,” as well as Something to Give Each Other standouts “Rush,” “Got Me Started,” “Honey,” and “One of Your Girls.” Sivan's sets included three wardrobe changes, four set changes, and countless sexual innuendos. Pride Month celebrations definitely started early with Sivan's magnetic set confirming his apotheosis.
Lana Del Rey
After Troye Sivan, it was Lana Del Rey's turn as a headliner on the adjacent Estrella Damm stage. Without a doubt one of the most anticipated acts of Friday night, the star brought the show she debuted at Coachella and later took to Hangout Festival to the Catalonian shore for Primavera Sound Barcelona. If Troye Sivan got the crowd jumping, Lana Del Rey got them sobbing. The singer tapped into nostalgia with tracks from Born to Die, Lust for Life, Ultraviolence, Norman F*cking Rockwell!, Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, Chemtrails Over the Country Club, and more. A setlist made for the fans and not the general public, Del Rey even brought back her beehive 'do for the occasion as an extra nod.
Arca
Venezuela-born, Barcelona-based star Arca was in charge of closing out Friday's festivities as one of the last acts to take over the Amazon Music stage. Starting with “KLK” and wrapping up with "No Queda Nada," going over the hit tracks “Prada/Rakata” and “Reverie,” the set was a late-night introduction to the artist for those who braved to stay until it was her turn to perform. (Those who missed her had another chance to catch her vibes during a DJ set held the day after at the Boiler Room x Cupra stage.)
Mitski
Day three of Primavera Sound Barcelona 2024 arrived with a literal storm. As dark clouds engulfed the coast of the city and rain began to pour, Mitski took to the Estrella Damm stage to make everyone forget about the deluge and live in the moment. Performing renditions of her songs “My Love Mine All Mine” and “Love Me More," the thunderous lightning illuminating Barcelona's skies felt like a welcomed guest during the singer's set, which, despite being accompanied by a live band, largely felt like an intimate one-woman show with an all-black background. After sharing more than a handful of lovely words with the crowd and thanking them for withstanding the rain to enjoy her music, Mitski closed off the show with two of her biggest songs: “Nobody” and “Washing Machine Heart.”
SZA
As Saturday's headliner, the crowd was ready for SZA, and thankfully, the rain conceded. Amid moody but dry skies, the star kicked off her European festival run at Primavera Sound Barcelona 2024. (SZA later took her set to Paris with We Love Green, and will soon take on Glastonbury.) The crowd expected a bill-topping set and SZA delivered, changing the configuration of the stage multiple times as she ran through often adlibbed versions of tracks from her critically acclaimed albums CTRL and SOS, as well as standout featured tracks like “Rich Baby Daddy,” “Kiss Me More,” and “All the Stars.” The crowd — which also included SZA's own parents from the VIP section — knew every single word, whether she was serving sultry R&B or punk-rock with her guitarist, combining choreography with smooth shredding.
ATARASHII GAKKO!
ATARASHII GAKKO! solidified their status as one of the girl groups to watch this year at Primavera Sound Barcelona 2024. On the first stop of their first world tour, quartet Mizyu, Rin, Suzuka, and Kanon took over the Cupra stage with their high-octane set, gathering viewers from all corners of the amphitheater-style setup for an hour full of headbanging and colorful visuals. Clad in their trademark school girl uniforms, they kicked off the show with the trifecta of “Toryanse," “Omakase," and “Giri Giri" and wrapped things up a bit earlier than expected with “Tokyo Calling” and “NAINAINAI" for a just under 50-minute set — though the crowd would have taken 50 more. Not content with just that, the group also debuted a new song live for the first time, “Fly High,” which will be featured on their new album releasing June 7.
Charli XCX
Charli XCX fully entered her Brat era at Primavera Sound to close out day three of the festival, performing not one but two unreleased tracks, "365" and “Everything is Romantic,” from her new album arriving June 7. The singer, who had done a surprise DJ set teasing the project at Barcelona's Barceloneta beach earlier that same day, made it known that this was her Brat introduction by performing six tracks from the 15-song project. With no outfit changes and no time spent off the stage, Charli XCX made people dance for an hour straight with her set, which included covers of Caroline Polachek's “Welcome to My Island” and Icona Pop's “I Love It,” as well as hits of her own like “Vroom Vroom” and “Boys.”
