British group Gorillaz lit up the main stage this Saturday at Spring Sound, delivering a stunning set that felt like a celebration of collaboration. The performance was buoyed by a lineup of guest stars who kept the energy high from the first note to the final encore.
The festival crowd could scarcely accommodate the moment when Nick Cave had just raised the bar with a bold, high-impact recital. Yet Gorillaz and their fireproof crew rose to the challenge, proving that a veteran act can still command the room. Damon Albarn, the former Blur frontman, steered a ten-piece ensemble that included five backup singers, two drummers, a keyboardist, a guitarist, and a bassist. Alongside him, a constellation of renowned artists joined in: Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def; singer-songwriter Fatoumata Diawara; rappers Pos and Dave from De La Soul; Slowthai and Bootie Brown; and Sweetie Irie, a reggae icon whose stage presence has long captivated audiences.
Mavis Staples, 58 minutes of emotional euphoria at Primavera Sound
Even though it was Gorillaz’s first Primavera Sound appearance, the group drew a devoted crowd—a sizeable British contingent singing along to every hit. The duo that started as a “virtual band” in 1998 remains a four-member project, though nothing electronic overshadowed the real energy on stage tonight. The nickname endures, but the performance proved that Gorillaz are very much a live act. The mood turned soulful and exuberant as Albarn, amid the sea of fans, expressed gratitude with a moment of raw emotion, kneeling close to the front row, kissing the audience as a sign of appreciation.
There were playful nods to their catalog, with Albarn delivering a deliberately Spanish moment through the songs “M1A1” and “Good Night,” while the crowd warmed up to “Strange Timez” and crowd-pleasers like “Last Living Souls” and “19-2000.” The show kept its focus on music and engagement, rarely lingering on words, instead letting the setlist tell the story through sound and momentum. The night stretched on for nearly two hours, driven by more than twenty songs that kept the tempo high and the mood electric.
Nick Cave bails out of his grief in Primavera Sound
As the evening evolved, Albarn returned to the keyboard with the melancholic “Or Green Earth” and other contemplative pieces that built a bridge to the night’s final wave. In the second half, a cast of guests joined in, with Yasiin Bey offering soulful vocal energy on “Stylo” and “Sweet Takes” while Fatoumata Diawara impressed with “Broken” and “Desolè,” leaving the audience a bit hoarse from sustained enthusiasm. The show escalated to a triumphant finale featuring the performance of “Boys with Guns” by a showgirl who brought visible star power to the Forum stage. The night peaked with Bootie Brown on “Dirty Harry,” Pos and Dave on “Fell Good,” Slowthai joining for “Momentary Bliss,” and Sweetie Irie returning in “Clint Eastwood.” The crowd felt the bass reverberate through the Forum as the show closed with a powerful, lasting impression.
After Gorillaz, late into the night, another headline act took the stage. The American rapper Tyler, the Creator, delivered a bold, unfiltered set to conclude Primavera Sound’s third day at the Forum, leaving a long-lasting imprint on the audience with his signature high-energy, boundary-pushing performance.