A Primavera Festival guide to the reunions of the summer

Don’t call it a comeback — As one of Europe's most respected festivals Primavera calls in more 'specials' than most. 2016 is the year of old favourites getting back on it. Here's the lowdown.

Primavera is one of those festivals that brings people back together. Famously British shoegaze band Slowdive played there for the first time after a 19-year hiatus and it’s consistently been a treasured spot on many artists’ return-to-form tours – Pixies, Replacements, Ride, to name just a few.

This year is no exception. With a line-up that continues to exceed itself every year, Primavera is back – for the fifteenth year – with a couple of surprise performances. Here’s the ones not to miss.

LCD Soundsystem
If you went to uni in the 2000s the chances are this band was the soundtrack to your filthy, microwaveable pizza experience. You probably tried class As to All My Friends and pumped your Vitamin D-deprived fists to Daft Punk is Playing At My House. And you’ve probably mourned their untimely 2011 split ever since. That is until THIS YEAR (or arguably December of last year) when they publicly announced their reunion and signed up to some festival appearances. One of which, of course, is sunny Primavera. Get ready to cry.

The Avalanches
Remember these beauties! The crazy geniuses behind erstwhile hits ‘Frontier Psychiatrist’ and ‘Since I Left You’ are back from the abyss to play their first live shows in 15 years – at Primavera! I feel like The Avalanches were really ahead of their time. The new album boasts guest spots from contemporary greats Father John Misty, Danny Brown and Ariel Pink, and looks set to cement them back at the forefront of weirdo pop.

Air
Air’s debut album Moon Safari is such a coming-of-age record. I remember it being passed down from my sister to my brother and then eventually me. Probably 6 years too late. But as the French duo kind of owned the 90s – famously composing the music to Sofia Coppola’s debut film The Virgin Suicides in 2000 – it’s easy to forget they’ve been working hard, in different iterations, ever since that period of dominance. At Primavera this year, however, it’s a trip down nostalgia lane as they reunite – with the original two members – and give us all the classics.

Unsane
I accidentally got labelled an Unsane fan for sometime in comp because I borrowed my brother’s hoody and didn’t understand the cultural relevance. It resulted in some awkward exchanges and also some accidental respect because Unsane – the Primavera website tells me – are the “link between metal and hardcore, the junction between the most violent of noise and New York avant garde”. To me they will forever be known as the band behind the most iconic bail video of all time (see below) and are coming to Primavera for a rare live show after putting out an unexpected album of new material in 2012. Hold on.

Primavera Festival 2016 runs in Parc Del Forum, Barcelona, June 1-5. Make sure you don’t miss out on a ticket for next year.

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Written by: Isaac Muk