Primavera Sounds Like AWESOME

We are having SUCH good luck with our hostels on this trip (allow me to pause to knock on wood). First there was Team Canada, then our lovely Marseille buddies, and now we´re rooming with two hilarious Brits, one from Manchester and the other from Yorkshire. The two girls are in Barcelona for this little music festival known as Primavera Sound 2008, and the moment we realized our mutual love for mostly obscure bands, we quickly hit it off (and I ran down to the computers and purchased a full weekend pass) and they kindly invited me to tag along with them and their group of festival buddies.

The group consists of more folks from all over England, plus one English guy who lives in Paris now and his Parisian friend. The eight of them were so welcoming to me, and I swiftly felt like a part of the gang as we sat around discussing indie music and insulting Avril Lavigne (turns out they hate her just as much here - nice). I arrived at the festival quite excited for the coming entertainment, and was stunned by the amazing venue. It´s a grand park down by the water, dominated by a gigantic solar panel and built on a number of levels, which allows for the various stages to be far enough apart so nothing clashes when everyone´s playing.

For those of you who, like me, have a fetish for mostly obscure musicians I´ll make a list of the artists I saw last night:

+ MGMT - as awesome as the last time I saw them, played all three of my most favourite songs off the album.

+ Notwist - atmospheric rock-ish tunes, hadn´t heard of them before but definitely want to check them out now.

+ British Sea Power - they´ve been on my list of albums to get for a while, but now I plan to snag their music as soon as I get home...they had kick ass stage presence and royally rocked (plus they decorated the stage with nautical flags).

+ Portishead - back on tour for the first time in more than a decade, pretty cool to just fall into seeing her.

+ Explosions in the Sky - instrumental chillout tunes, a little to relaxing for 2 a.m. (plus their set went on for way too long).

+ Vampire Weekend - perfect follow up to the previous band. I danced like crazy and it was fantastic.

+ Midnight Juggernaught - interesting techno-rock meld, also danceworthy.

And that was just the first night - I´ve got two more to come! This festival is out of this world, partially because it goes on so damn late. One of the bands we´re planning to see tonight doesn´t get on stage until 4:30 a.m. (but thankfully they´re a dancey-type band, which will keep me awake). Last night we got back to the hostel around 5:30, tiptoeing into the room just as the sun was rising and the birds starting to sing their morning song.

It´s such a crazy coincidence that we just happened to be here during the festival, and even more that we ended up in a room with our new friends. I guess it was just meant to be!

Also, for those of you (ahem, parents) who might be worrying that I´m going to spend all my Barcelona time sleeping and concert-going, never fear! I was awake by 10:30 this morning and Max and I went to see Gaudi´s glorious Sagra Familia (the otherworldly unfinished cathedral), then we walked down to Las Ramblas, the huge pedestrian boulevard that´s lined with creepy living statues and (to my excitement) stalls selling all manner of small pets. In my right mind I don´t approve (too much noise/heat/pollution), but seeing cages full of fluffy bunnies and miniscule dwarf hamsters and screechy budgies...my brain went to mush and I just started oohing and aahing all over the place.

Now we´re back at the hostel and it´s time for a quick siesta before me and the girls head out for another crazy night of good music (highlights of tonight´s lineup include Cat Power and Animal Collective).

I am going to be so knackered (or is it just nackered? Spending so much time in the company of Brits I´m starting to pick up some of their fantastic slang) by Sunday, but I´ll also be one happy Jess.