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 sophom*ore 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.
