The calm tranquility of Porto was shattered last week as the latest installment of Primavera Sound took over Parque da Cidade for a weekend of incredible music, unpredictable weather and immaculate vibes. Fans from across the country and beyond descended on this coastal town to party with an eclectic mix of artists, ensuring that there was something for everyone on this lineup. Atlas was in the middle of the action the entire weekend and these are our favorite moments from day one!
Brat Summer Takeover
Charli XCX is bringing Brat Summer 2.0 to audiences across the world this year and her stop in Porto brought out droves of fans outfitted in lime green to dance the night away. With Charli taking the stage at midnight, the audience was just getting started after a long day of music and fighting the high humidity but, as always, they were encouraged to leave it all on the field for the “Club Classics”. Her set was chaotic, risque and pure unfiltered fun and had the sweaty masses limping out of the park riding the high of the hyped up performance.
Indie Rock Revolution
There were plenty of American acts that made the jump across the ocean for Primavera Sound and the indie rock vibes dominated this lineup. Starting early on Thursday was New York group Momma, a band so nonchalant onstage that even the audience bobbed ambivalently to the quartet’s Los Angeles inspired sound. Don’t let their laidback style put you off, however- this band is passionate about the music they’re making and played the early crowd to perfection to kick off a long weekend.
Shortly after Momma’s final notes, Midwest trio Dehd commanded the main Porto Stage and turned three people into a wall of rock and roll sound. Irreverent, quirky and hugely talented, this group wove a tapestry of rock sound in real time and drew those just arrived into their sphere as the late afternoon stretched into evening.
The Weird and the Wonderful
Day one was full of offbeat acts from across the world, but it was Glass Beams and Alan Sparhawk that caught our attention during the second half of the day. Glass Beams hails from Australia and remains anonymous onstage behind their intricate gold masks- which works out beautifully as they let their music do the talking. With more instrumentation than vocals, the trio blends a vast array of influences into a soundscape that is impossible to pull away from as it’s happening. Their audience at the Vodafone Stage swayed in unison, mesmerized from the barricade to the far reaches of the field as the band’s deft musicianship captured their hearts and minds.
Blue hour was approaching as American musician Alan Sparhawk took to the Super Bock stage. Nestled among the park’s forested landscape, Sparhawk’s sound simply could not be defined and it was clear that all of that was intentional. Melding electronic sounds with the steadiness of a full backing band, Sparhawk ran, jumped and floated across the stage to the delight of everyone watching. His set was the perfect appetizer for the rest of the evening leading up to Charli XCX and more as he ushered in the sunset.
The Porto Stage was home to the coolest band in the world for the night- Fontaines D.C. Already an Atlas favorite, this Irish group is brash and political, proudly waving the Palestinian flag and flashing messages of support and solidarity on the screens behind them. Their music is inherently defiant and they had undoubtedly one of the largest crowds of the day as they got the 365 party girls headbanging along.
It was a full day of incredible sights and sounds as the Primavera crowd got warmed up for an even bigger weekend ahead. The festival boasted countless food options and libations from their Super Bock (and beyond) sponsors, ensuring that no one went hungry, thirsty or unentertained for even a second. The festivities went well into the early hours of the next morning before the grounds emptied out in anticipation of doing it all again by the afternoon- day one was an enormous success and there was even more to come!
