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Primavera Club 09
Once again the Primavera Club exploded upon the city with 4 days of independent music performances. This time maybe the most exciting of line-ups of the last editions were the sound of anti-folk, electronic pop, psycodelich rock, were presented simultaneously between Madrid and Barcelona. The festival that was born in 2006 is getting bigger every year and the audience expectations are growing as much as with the bigger brother Primavera Sound.
This edition was different because the organization set up the festival in several venues around the city, some of them really small but perfect for the proposals they presented. The previous years we arrived to the big Forum Auditori and it was easy to move in such a big space, but this time the music lovers have to mark down the shows they preferred and run to the venues as the capacities were often very small. So many times the venues hung "Capacity Full" signs on the door leaving many people outside.
The first day was the easiest one, as it was a midweek day (wednesday) and was at the Apolo, with a joyful atmosphere. The night started with the soft elegant pop of the Scottish veterans The Pastels, followed by the dark and melancholic folk rock band, The Black Heart Procession.
The soft core part of the night ended with a 180º change of tone with noise experimentation from the Californians HEALTH. After the soft sound of the first two bands they seemed the loudest band ever.
Thursday was a day to go to one of the most important independent and underground venues in the city, the charming and smelly Sidecar to hear the dream pop melodies by the Baltimore duo (trio this time) Beach House, Ii was to close to the stage taking pictures to really hear the sound of the band but I think it was a fantastic gig and the audience was seduced by Victoria's charm.
Right after was the garage pop and acid rock sound of the Philadelphia songwriter Kurt Vile together with The Violators which closed a brilliant second day of the festival.
Friday started by letting the people discover that a band like Health is not the loudest, because blowing out ears and bleeding noses of the audience came for the psyco-gazed sound by A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS. The Brooklyn band who are best known for making the pedals effect Death by Audio showed why they are (self-proclaimed) the loudest band in NY. The band's guitars ended up broken on the floor...a beautiful Red Fender Jaguar was sacrificed for the show, yeah!
Next, the Jamboree Club was a perfect place to listen to the young road veteran of punk attitude Ted Leo together with The Pharmacist blowing up the place. It was fantastic to see that Ted Leo still playing and sounding as abrasive and crude as they did at the beginning of the band career at the end of the 90's.
At the Apolo on the same day the headline of the festival, Devendra Banhart with The Grogs presented their weird magic folk. It was impossible to be there because I was jumping with Ted Leo faraway but I arrived just as they finished playing and there was a stampide of people coming out the Apolo so I guess that it was a crowded and good show.
That night I really excited to see the Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard show. One of the things he said to the audience was that he assumed that everyone was going to leave the venue after Devendra, but everyone stayed and he gave to the Festival one of the best shows of this Edition. The music of J.L&TJ is normally qualified as anti-folk most of the time, but I don't know if its true, its more a storytelling garage folk rock that this time was supported by some drawing animation films that Jeffrey did. Really a great show.
That same night Beach House repeated the set at the Apolo(2), the organization wisely program some of the most expected artists, so they play twice to allow the audience to get the most our of the festival. Something like a more intimate show first and then the same performance in a bigger room. This time I want with my nose right up to the keyboard and I must say that Beach House are a exquisite band to see live.
Early on Saturday the small Sala Monasterio was seduced by the magnetic and innocent charms of the delicate Scout Niblett. this was a perfect time and perfect place to see her playing and she captivated the space with her special voice and guitar playing. She also play some songs at the drums.
Once again a crowded Sidecar put the "Full" sign up, for the night where one of the new sensations, the american super young, Cymbals Eat Guitar. Their first album has been acclaimed as the heritage of bands like Pavement, and they presented their debut " Why There Are Mountains" with the power and energy of a teenage rookie. It would be great to see this band in a bigger venue in the future.
And right after that in Plaza Real at the Jamboree another band from Brooklyn, Woods showed why this neighbourhood has been during the last number of years, a machine of new talent and maybe the most interesting independent music place on Earth. Woods and his neofolk garage rock with the use of lo-fi gadgets like tape scratching were so great to see. Of course its not a surprise for the people who already know the band and I must say that together with Jeffrey L. it was one of the best shows of the whole Festival.
For me that was it after Woods I felt that it was the first really intimate Primavera Club, having the opportunity to watch some bands on stages as smalls as the ones they are used to play in the US, and kind of reminder me of the SXSW type of fest. So I was pleased to have seen these bands so close and intimate.
The Primavera festival is something like a wonderland for us that love the independent and experimental music and to fill our hearts with some shows of bands that we grow up listening to. And the Primavera crew didnt let the us rest for a moment, always surprising us with something bigger and better. We just let the Primavera Club 09 edition and already the festival announced that for Primavera Sound 2010 we have Pavement and the Pixies... I got a heart attack (I hope to get better for the Festival) and amazing bands like Sic Alps, Dum Dum Girls, Wire, The Fall and these are just the initial names.
Long life to Primavera and Happy new Year to all of you!
Primavera Club 09
Date: December 9th - 13th, 2009
Place: Sala Apolo & La [2], Bikini, Sidecar, Jamboree, Monasterio
http://www.primaverasound.com
Text and Photos: Julio Cesar Palacio from Panopttic
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