Thursday 4 June
Just a few hours ago, we were telling you what it’s like to try to arrive in time for the start of a festival when you have children… This writer’s parental misadventures were once again in evidence on Thursday, when – a couple of months before the festival was due to take place – my daughter informed me, with great excitement, that on the afternoon of Thursday 4 June she would be performing in the musical they had been rehearsing all year at school. Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to get to the Fòrum until after 10 pm, as soon as the line-up was announced, I put aside all the hype surrounding Geese, the prospect of a massive Agriculture gig and Mac DeMarco’s return. Instead, I focused on sorting everything out so that I could make it in time for the Massive Attack concert… Despite ticking all the boxes on the plan and managing to park the car in a green zone just a few metres from the entrance, we couldn’t get through the press access point when we reached it because the threat of rain had brought everything to a standstill! After waiting for almost 45 minutes for them to open and for the situation to improve, we sadly had to head back home along the ring road.
Friday 5 June
Slowdive
After the disappointment of the previous day, our Primavera Sound 26 in Mordor got under way with a performance by Slowdive. The British band launched into a low-key set, gradually building up with their trademark distorted guitars. However, the sound faltered at times, which was disappointing. Taking a comprehensive journey through their discography, Neil Halstead took centre stage while Rachel Goswell took somewhat of a back seat. Apart from the opening track, ‘Shanty‘, the highlight of the concert was the splendid final twenty minutes or so, during which we were treated to the power of ‘Sugar for the Pill‘, ‘Alison‘ and ‘When the Sun Hits‘. Following their last indoor gig in Barcelona a couple of years ago, we were left wanting more…
Photo of Rachel Goswell from Slowdive taken by Eric Pàmies provided by Primavera Sound 2026
Ethel Cain
Just a couple of minutes later, Ethel Cain appeared on the other main stage. She was surrounded by an incredible crowd of fans who sang along to every single one of her songs and got carried away. Opening with her biggest hit, ‘American Teenager‘, is a real statement of intent, and even more so when she dampens any euphoria with the subdued ‘Nettles‘, where every line and every silence weighs on the audience like an emotional rock. Tracks such as “Ptolemaea”, “Gibson Girl” and “Crush” then formed a brilliant middle section, creating a sense of unease and sadness that reached its climax with the medley of “Thoroughfare” and “A House in Nebraska”. In Barcelona, the American artist showcased the brilliance of Willoughby Tucker’s I’ll Always Love You (2025), demonstrating that sincerity and a blend of slow-paced sludge-grunge can capture spaces usually overpowered by noise.
Photo of Ethel Cain taken by Sergio Albert provided by Primavera Sound 2026
Water From Your Eyes
Despite the long walk ahead of us to reach the solar panel, and despite our doubts about leaving Adisson Rae’s spectacular performance behind, we made our way to a stage by the harbour. However, it proved too small to contain the hype surrounding the American band Water From Your Eyes. Unfortunately, the concert did not live up to this expectation. Although decent, it was too lacklustre and lacked punch. The tracks from the recent It’s a Beautiful Place (2025) seemed to lose their impact in a quartet setting. Nate Amos appeared to hide behind the commanding presence of Rachel Brown, whose voice occasionally let her down. We can’t say their concert was bad, but they seemed to have left everything they convey on their albums backstage, apart from standout tracks such as the finale with “It’s a Beautiful Place”, “Blood on the Dollar” and “Playing Classics”.
Photo of Robert Smith from The Cure taken by Eric Pàmies provided by Primavera Sound 2026
The Cure
The headline act, the British band The Cure, took to one of the main stages to a smaller crowd than I’d expected. Just as I was thinking of heading back to see a packed stage, a large group of young people with pop star looks began leaving the busiest part of the festival after Addison Rae’s performance. I can’t deny that I was incredibly grateful for the extra space they left at the front of the stage. This allowed me to watch the concert by Robert Smith’s band in a way that I’ve rarely seen a headline act perform on a main stage.
From the first notes of ‘Alone‘, it was clear that the Blackpool-born singer was in excellent voice – a description that could also be applied to the band, which was joined by Simon Gallup’s son, Eden, on guitar and keyboards.. With a setlist very similar to that played over the last decade, ‘Pictures of You‘ was performed in the first third of the concert. Other hits performed included ‘Lovesong‘ and ‘The Walk‘, as well as rarities such as ‘2 Late‘, ‘alt.end‘ and a rendition of ‘Burn‘ that instantly transports us back to your teenage years and watching The Crow at the cinema.
‘A Forest‘ and ‘Endsong‘ ramped up the tempo before the band launched into some unforgettable encores that left no one untouched. After the break, the band chose “Lullaby” to set the tone, before launching into “The Lovecats” a few minutes later.. To conclude, “Friday I’m in Love“, “Close to Me“, “Why Can’t I Be You?” and a charming, more relaxed version of “Boys Don’t Cry” – a remarkable display of her extensive collection, with exceptional musicality. After a concert lasting more than two hours, The Cure proved that they are not a band you feel compelled to see for fear that they might disband, but rather a band whose next album is eagerly awaited and promises yet another twist on their extensive and successful career.
Photo of Laura Pleasants from Kylesa taken by Sergio Albert provided by Primavera Sound 2026
Kylesa
Still recovering from what we had just experienced, we were on our way to the Port stage to see the American band Kylesa when we arrived just in time to catch the final minutes of JADE‘s wild and frenetic performance at the Occident stage, which was both visual and musical.. She performed a medley of her own songs, which felt like a potpourri of all the pop hits from the last 40 years. Dancing and an overuse of 3D graphics on the main screen kept the predominantly twenty-something audience hooked on her performance. It was far more effective than any review could convey, and we’re sure to see her gracing one of the main stages in the coming years…
Minutes later, the complete opposite took over the lower stage of the festival in the form of a performance by Kylesa, an American band and pioneers of a genre that would become known as psychedelic sludge metal. From Roy Mayorga’s drumming (formerly of Soulfly) to the heavy riffs based on drop tuning, they jolted us awake with an unstoppable wall of sound. While it’s true that the vocal interplay between Phillip Cope and Laura Pleasants wasn’t always perfect, the two tracks from Static Tensions (2009) were incredible, especially the closing numbers, ‘Scapegoat‘ and ‘Running Red‘.
Photo of Sebastian Murphy frome Viagra Boys taken by Clara Orozco provided by Primavera Sound 2026
Viagra Boys
Our energy levels were already flagging when the Swedish band Viagra Boys took to the stage to round off the day for us. Although I was expecting a post-punk party, I still couldn’t have imagined the horde of British hooligans who took the stage by storm during the concert. With Sebastian Murphy in top form as frontman, evoking the attitude of the best punk band leaders of the 1970s (drunken antics included), Viagra Boys demonstrated their incredible talent, led above all by the formidable Oskar Carls on saxophone. At times, they were reminiscent of British acts such as Squid or Shame. Amidst mosh pits and jumping, sweat and beer flew through the air at a concert where the relentless tracks ‘Punk Rock Loser’ and ‘Down in the Basement’ were the highlights of the night.
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