SABRINA CARPENTER AND GIRL POWER CHAMPIONS ON PRIMAVERA DAY TWO
Friday afternoon rolled in with aching legs, lukewarm sangria, and the set I’d been counting down to: Wolf Alice, swooping in last-minute after Clairo (surprise surprise) dropped out. And honestly? Upgrade.
Back from a brief hiatus, they hit Primavera like they’d never left.
WOLF ALICE
Golden hour at the Estrella Damm stage is the festival’s holy grail set time, and Wolf Alice bathed in it like pros. After a broadcast of the band group-hugging backstage, Ellie Rowsell strutted on in silver hot pants, megaphone in one hand, drink in the other — rock ‘n’ roll if it were dipped in glitter and feelings. Her voice? Even better than we remembered — raw, commanding, spellbinding. ‘Bloom Baby Bloom‘, their recent single, hit around 15 minutes in, and it was as euphoric live as we’d hoped: destined to be a fan favourite. .
They slipped in another new one – ‘The Sofa‘ – which confirmed it: this upcoming album The Clearing is going to ruin us in the best way.
Of course, they closed with ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses‘. And if you think crowds outside the UK can’t scream those lyrics word-for-word, think again. Rowsell pulled out her in-ears, soaking it in as the sun dipped behind the Hilton, casting a gold halo over 40,000 people losing their minds in unison. A plane drifted across the coast just as she hit the final line. It was cinematic. Silly. Sacred.
HAIM
Next up, HAIM. Now, you can’t really go wrong with HAIM at a festival. It’s like sunshine in guitar form. Big riffs, smiles, and a crowd full of dancing – so American but you have to love it. The Haim sisters hit that sweet spot between crazy and emotional — one minute you’re stomping to ‘The Wire’, the next you have a lump in your throat during ‘Hallelujah’. It’s all very “9pm on a Friday after too much alcohol and sun” but it works.
After that? Food. Shout out to the vegan burger stand for keeping me alive. €13 for a burger the size of my face? The UK could never. Honestly, just missing a pop-up Co-op.
BEACH HOUSE
Next came Beach House, and it’s hard to describe the set without using the word “ethereal” at least five times. I’ve only seen them live once before, but this felt different. They opened with ‘Lazuli’, dropped ‘PPP‘ a few songs in, and by the time ‘Space Song’ closed things out under pitch-black skies and soft stage lights, I was all goosebumped out. . Victoria Legrand’s vocals took over the crowd and Alex Scally’s guitar was so alive it practically had its own feelings. A moment of stillness, just before the chaos resumed.
SABRINA CARPENTER
Enter Sabrina Carpenter, the internet’s favourite it-girl turned festival headliner, performing a “brand new show”— or so everyone under the age of 20 screamed around me. I found myself surrounded by excitable teens, well-dressed mums, and children, most of whom were fully merch’d out.
Still, you can’t deny Sabrina’s pull. Whether you know her songs, you end up singing along to almost all of them. Her set was as if Cinderella, meets a Dolly Parton Bratz doll, a 100% polished spectacle — complete with a campy ad for her new single ‘Manchild’, which got its live debut less than 24 hours after release. She also surprised the crowd with a cover of ‘It’s Raining Men’, proving she knows her gay rights.
WET LEG
The night wrapped with Wet Leg, who felt misplaced in their post-1am slot. They’re made for sunshine, not zombified crowds running on beer and willpower. Still, providing bangers, ‘Wet Dream‘, straight into ‘Supermarket’ made for a fun singalong moment. We didn’t stay for the whole thing — the gravitational pull of our beds was too strong — but hearing a Barcelona crowd yell “Ur Mum!” in unison was enough to leave on.
Legs: aching. Voices: gone. Age: definitely showing. We hobbled home knowing tomorrow would either revive us… or finish us.
