THE FLAMING LIPS, THE RAPTURE, YANN TIERSEN E RUFUS WAINWRIGHT AMONG THE NEW CONFIRMATINS FOR OPTIMUS PRIMAVERA SOUND
Optimus Primavera Sound revealed the morning of 15th of febrary the details of its first edition, to be held in the coming month of June, in the city of Porto.
The Parque da Cidade hosts the main performances of the festival starting on Thursday, the 7th of June, and until Saturday, the 9th of June. On Sunday the 10th, the spirit of Primavera Sound travels into town to celebrate the last day of shows.
The list of important manes of the indie landscape doesn’t end here: the premiere of Spiritualized’s new songs, veterans Yo La Tengo, Beach House’s pop dream, Bradford Cox’s solo project, Atlas Sound, the danceable post-punk of New Yorker’s The Rapture, the stripped-down rock of The Walkmen, the return to the stage of slowcore kings Codeine, the band led by Warren Ellis (Bad Seeds) Dirty Three, the modern garage rock of the irresistible Black Lips or the new solo adventures of Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) will also visit the Parque da Cidade.
For the first edition of Optimus Primavera Sound a complete line-up without gaps was chosen, with bands that carry an exceptional weight within the music of the last few decades. So, the city of Porto will host from the presentation of Britain’s Saint Etienne’s new record to a concert by Frenchman Yann Tiersen, alongside a visit from Shellac, one of the staples of the Barcelona festival, or the American rock of The War On Drugs.
In the artistic department, within the long list of confirmed names, we highlight the presence of Icelandic artist Björk, showcasing “Biophilia”, a work that surpasses the limits of traditional records and becomes a multimedia package, alongside The Flaming Lips’ show, they who put on explosive gigs and are always a sure value of the art of performing. The modern crooner Rufus Wainwright’s concert, in which he will showcase his pop-iest record of the last few years, and international pop-rock heavyweights such as Jeff Tweedy’s band Jeff Tweedy, Wilco, Death Cab For Cutie, Explosions In The Sky, the reborn Afghan Whigs, The xx or the Neutral Milk Hotel frontman, Jeff Mangum, are other of the many stimulating elements of the festival’s Portuguese edition.
As per usual in Primavera Sound, the festival will host all kinds of styles and sensibilities: form the hedonistic pop of The Drums, to the blackmetal of Wolves In The Throne Room, form the punk pop of Wavves to the chillwave of Washed Out, from the shoegaze of I Break Horses to the psychedelic rock of Sleepy Sun, from the hip-hop- hardcore fusion Death Grips to the indie-pop of Veronica Falls, along with current bands such as Thee Oh Sees, Neon Indian, Other Lives, Baxter Dury, Siskiyou, Tall Firs or Tennis.
Electronica will also have its space at Optimus Primavera Sound: the popular and hyperactive British dj Erol Alkan, a showcase by the Numbers record label with Jackmaster, Oneman, Deadboy and Redinho, the live show by the Barcelona native John Talabot (currently one of the most respected electronic artists, thanks to his recent debut album), Forest Swords and Demdike Stare will be in charge of covering this area.
Also part of the line-up in the first edition of Optimus Primavera Sound will be Portuguese bands Gala Drop and WE TRUST and Spaniards Bigott, Mujeres and Esperit!, that show the good period that music made in the Iberian Peninsula is going through. During the next few weeks more Portuguese and Spanish names added to the festival’s line-up will be announced.
The production has revealed the location of the four stages, which host the main bands on the 7th, 8th and 9th of June at the Parque da Cidade. The main stage will be called Optimus and will share the big performances with the Primavera stage. The ATP stage will be commissioned by the British promoter All Tomorrow's Parties, known for producing the eponymous festivals. The fourth stage will combine new successful bands and will focus, on the last hours of each day, on the main djs and shows where dance is clearly the common denominator. On the 10th, the last day of the festival, Primavera Sound spirit will travel to the city of Porto.
With the goal of providing the festival audience with a global experience of the event, the production will devote an extra effort to the scenography of the grounds in the Parque da Cidade. So, the ideas for the scenography project which were developed by the artist João Paulo Feliciano, who will be in charge of art direction for the first edition of the festival, will also be presented. His project will surely be a differentiating factor, making aesthetics one of the main attributes of Optimus Primavera Sound.
As main and naming sponsor, Optimus has already begun to prepare its presence in the festival in a way that will provide those present with an absolutely unforgettable experience. On the other hand, within its brand actions, Optimus shoes its concern with the environment and tries to make the audience enjoy the festival in a sustainable manner.
In its brand activation actions, Optimus had a special concern with the surrounding environment and the protection of the space. So, Optimus will encourage the use of the bicycle as the mode of transport of choice to access the festival, specifically creating a bicycle parking facility in the grounds and offering a gift to all those that go to the festival by using this mode of transport.
At the same time, and so that the audience can enjoy a unique experience in nature, while enjoying the world’s best independent music, Optimus recreates the setting of traditional picnics in the park, making blankets available so that the audience can relax on the Parque da Cidade’s lawn, during all the days of the festival.
Optimus Primavera Sound presents itself as one more Great event in the city, which will reinforce the trajectory of the Porto brand in both the national and international stages, leveraging the investment that has been made by Porto’s City Hall in attracting events of Great quality and notoriety, able to differentiate their offer and with a high potential for tourist attraction.
This investment on a music festival of such high regard, actually represents another step in the strategy that has been followed, in which Tourism is seen as a deciding and strategic factor for the city’s, the region’s and the country’s competitiveness. Optimus Primavera Sound will certainly allow for the activation of the city’s touristic resources and the making of new associations and added value for the Porto brand, contributing in this manner to the progressive consolidation of its image as a destination in the international tourist landscape. Its setting in Porto will certainly be seen and experienced as a unique and unrepeatable event. And for that reason as well, Porto’s City Hall believes that many won’t want to miss this opportunity to experience this event, in this city.
