This year's Primavera Sound was one of my favourites yet. Although our friends from impoverished Hackney couldn't make it, I know they were there in spirit. I also behaved myself and resolutely refused to kick any chaps in the balls, a major improvement on last year.
Partly as a result of better behaviour, and partly because Gemma and I found it easier to strike out on our own, we saw more bands this year and certainly enjoyed more of what we saw. The new system for drinks tickets, which involved buying them drink by drink at vending machines was disatrous at the beginning of the festival, but ended up being simpler and more efficient. In contrast with Summercase (which won't happen this year), the Rock Delux stage faced the stepped amphitheatre it occupies, so while sat we didn't have to crane our necks to see the bands.
Anyway, here's my breakdown of the bands we saw – graded according to my patented binary review system.
Thursday
Spectrum – 1
The Vaselines – 1
Joe Crepusculo y los Destructores – 1 (a surprisingly good Spanish band)
My Bloody Valentine – 1
Yo La Tengo – 1
The Bug – 1 (an early highlight)
Aphex Twin – 1
Friday
Tokyo Sex Destruction feat. Gregg Foreman – 1
Spiritualized – 1
Carsick Cars – 1
Art Brut – 1
Sun O))) – 1
Throwing Muses – 1
The Mae Shi – 0
Jarvis Cocker – 1
Saint Etienne – 0
Saturday
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis – 1
Plants & Animals – 0
Herman Dune – 1
Neil Young – 0
Oneida – 0
Deerhunter – 0
Ghostface Killah – 1
Sonic Youth – 1
Black Lips – 1
You'll notice very few 0s in this review. I can't say why that is, but my hunch is that I had fewer must-sees on my list than in previous years, meaning I was free to enjoy plenty of bands I'd never heard much from. My main disagreement with how the festival was organised was the way Neil Young was billed. When he started, there was a block of over an hour when no one else played on any stage, meaning that we were effectively forced to watch his show. By all that's sane, I should probably be a bigger fan of Neil Young than I am. But the truth is that he leaves me just a little cold, and this episode of dedicating the entire early part of Saturday night to him (I suspect it was a contractual obligation), pissed me off. Plus, there was a terrible artist on stage all through his set, 'creating' a two-dimensional representation of the concert as Young and his band played. Half the time, it looked like nothing more than a turd.
Despite that, Primavera Sound 2009 was, for me, a great festival. We caught up with loads of old friends, made some new ones, and enjoyed some excellent concerts. Roll on Primavera 2010!