'Use Your Voice': Primavera Sound festival turns political platform
From Idles' pro-Palestine chants to Fontaines DC's 'Use Your Voice' messaging, Barcelona's Primavera Sound festival became a powerful platform for political expression, as artists grappled with pressures threatening the freedom to speak out on humanitarian crises and more. Amy Rose Everett reports
The atmosphere was thick at Primavera Sound Barcelona’s vast city venue Parc del Fòrum (June 4-8, 2025). Dozens of powerful performances and art installations grappled with current geopolitical conflicts that defy simple resolution; across pop, rock, indie and post-punk shows, themes of inclusion, equality and anti-censorship rang out loudly.
Headlined by Charli XCX and Troye Sivan, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, the 23rd edition sold out five months in advance. According to head of press Marta Pallares, 65% of attendees came from abroad, representing 136 countries. Most flew from the UK and US, though 80,000 locals attended at least one part of the programme.
Stepping off the metro, thoughtful fashion choices, flags and signage made it abundantly clear both organisers and ticket holders had things to say. The mood was joyful, vibrant, and cohesive, the crowd reflective of programming that balanced 40% male, 40% female, and 20% mixed or non-binary artists. “Since 2019 we’ve gone beyond just gender parity to include queer voices too,” Pallares says. The average age of attendees was 29. Fans were friendly, taking care of each other and offering good conversation. As first impressions go, mine were great.
Festival organisers around the world - and artists - must choose between avoiding controversy and using their platforms to address what they see as urgent humanitarian crises. Non-profit organisation Fundació Primavera Sound is tasked with "promoting culture as a driver of sustainable development, innovation, inclusion and social cohesion". A large installation at the festival’s entry point made one of Primavera Sound’s primary missions known, early doors: "Unsilence Gaza."
Multiple performers upheld notions of liberation around genocide and other pressing political issues. Aside from a huge statue of The Powerpuff Girls, a nod to the trio of all-female headliners and Charli, Chappell and Sabrina, pro-Palestine messaging immediately greeted fans. "When everything blows up, don't hide in the silence”.
The Primavera Sound Group’s website explains how music can provoke positive action. "We have normalised seeing war, but not listening to it. We live in a world saturated with violent images. Hypervisibility has anaesthetised us: we see, but we do not react. Sound, on the other hand, can still move us. At Primavera Sound, sound is emotion, connection, pleasure. But sound can also be the opposite: it can become a weapon”.
On Tuesday night, this theme began to emerge. Following Texan rock band Good Looks at intimate venue Laut, Midlands duo Big Special radiated post-punk positivity. Joe Hicklin and Callum Moloney railed against toxic masculinity and extolled the plight of the working class with a mic, cymbals and a drumstick. Their emotive set was punctuated by chants of “Free, Free, Palestine”, and the loyal crowd said it with their chests.By Thursday night, the Revolut stage vibrated as Idles frontman Joe Talbot led a pro-Palestine chant, a deafening echo demonstrating fan support. Fan favourite Danny Nedelko tackled immigration: "My blood brother is an immigrant, a beautiful immigrant". The Bristolian band’s approach is no-nonsense, celebrating empathy, eschewing stereotypes and condemning all violence.
Free speech for artists and musicians is particularly important at a time when the right to protest is under threat. As news cycles are dominated by violent images of immigration raids by ICE agents and marines in the USA, curfews are being enforced in Los Angeles as citizens protest forceful border control agents.
The Guardian reports that on June 6, 2025, the University of Michigan used undercover investigators to surveil student Gaza protestors. Artists like IDLES serve to remind fans that their own voices are important and everyone should fight for their own right of use - and bouncing from gig to gig, Primavera’s intention to let them do so was clear.The mood was reminiscent of Glastonbury Festival, where artists famously make use of the global platform to highlight social and political issues without restraint.
Undercover British artist Banksy joined the artists speaking out at last year’s event, designing inflatable boats released into Idles' crowd. While Danny Nedelko played, the boats were buffeted by the rough "waters" of the frenetic crowd, symbolising the often treacherous journeys made by migrants fleeing their home countries.
Banksy's work famously highlights the plight of those living in war zones, his Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem, once a fully functional art hotel, currently closed due to escalating violence in the region. Also at Glastonbury Festival 2024 was Terminal 1 (widely attributed to Banksy) highlighting the realities of the immigrant experience.Bands such as Black Country, New Road, and Chat Pile reminded crowds that weekends of fun and frivolity shouldn’t distract us from politics for too long - that in fact, music is a tool for resistance. Charli XCX and Troye Sivan serve as modern day queer icons, their work grounded in freedom of expression. Chappell Roan took the chance to encourage all listeners to embrace their sexual identities.
On Saturday night on the Revolut stage, an array of songs by Dublin four-piece Fontaines DC spanned themes of colonisation and war: I Love You and Boys In The Better Land were sung by frontman Grian Chatten as Palestine’s flag draped over Chilli Jesson's keyboard. Tik Tok and Instagram are awash with clips capturing the band’s jumbotron messaging: “Free Palestine” and “Israel is committing genocide. Use your voice'”.
Dozens of fans outwardly showed support, waving Irish and Palestinian flags, or donning a football jersey designed by the band’s guitar player Carlos O'Connell in collaboration with Bohemian FC. The shirt pays homage to Fontaines DC’s award-winning 2024 album Romance with 30% of profits to Medical Aid For Palestinians.
The corporate threat to independent expression
Political freedom - and the spaces it is typically exercised in - is under increasing threat. As I've previously reported for Globetrender here, club culture and music festivals face mounting pressure: high costs, low footfall and oppressive regulations are squeezing music venues from city centres. Companies and venues face a post-pandemic cost of living crisis, making them vulnerable to takeovers by private equity firms.
Grassroots festivals and venues, vital springboards for important and new acts, are at the highest risk. The numbers are stark: in the first quarter of 2024, 67 UK nightclubs closed, with 71% of those being independent businesses. Private equity firm KKR, with holdings in Israel, now owns Superstruct Entertainment - one of the world’s largest music festival promoters, which specialises in supporting independent festivals. London’s Field Day festival, owned by Superstruct Entertainment, lost nearly half its acts due to artist boycotts over KKR ties. Prominent music platform Boiler Room has publicly addressed its acquisition by the same company after dozens of artists cancelled performances.
Queer festival Mighty Hoopla issued a statement discussing the same situation (they became part of Superstruct in April 2023): “As an LGBTQ+ inclusive festival we take issues of complicity and transparency extremely seriously and without any knowledge, we have become caught up in something we unequivocally stand against.”
Mighty Hoopla condemned KKR's "unethical investments" in "complicit Israeli corporations," stating: "As an LGBTQ+ inclusive festival, we take issues of complicity and transparency extremely seriously." Boutique music, food and wellness festival Lost Village (which I reported on for Globetrender back in 2024 - find my thoughts here) - shared a message via Instagram regarding their partnership with Superstruct and also distancing themselves from KKR.
Doing their “cultural due diligence” organisers have invited ticket holders to share their suggestions for moving forward. They concluded: “We appreciate this is a topic that will stir the deepest of emotions, but please remember we are a team of normal people, trying to make sense of things, just like you”.
Testing the limits: the Kneecap controversy
Ongoing tensions have crystallised around outspoken Northern Irish hip hop trio Kneecap. The band’s Gaza solidarity statements at Coachella festival described Israel's actions as "US-funded genocide”. Band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terror offence in May 2025 for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag, and the backlash was swift. Glasgow's TRNSMT Festival dropped them from their lineup citing safety concerns, while other venues cancelled shows.Kneecap closed out Primavera with a typically energetic, sold-out show on Sunday night, taking place outside the main arena in smaller venue Apollo. Two banners bearing the statement “Protesting is not terrorism” were reportedly written in Irish and Catalonian and hung on the sides of the building just before the concert. Echoing the sentiment of collaborators and fellow Irishmen Fontaines DC, messaging of “Free Palestine” was beamed to the audience during the performance.
At the time of writing, Kneecap are slated to perform at 2025’s Glastonbury Festival on June 28, on the West Holts Stage at 4pm. The band’s Fine Art album producer and DJ Toddla T - married to BBC broadcaster Annie Mac - has revealed that "30 individuals from within the music industry" have signed a letter demanding their removal from the bill. A list of alleged signatories is currently making its way around the internet.The BBC will not remove Kneecap from its Glastonbury coverage, telling the i paper it “doesn’t ban artists” so long as they meet editorial guidelines. Gloucestershire festival 2000trees still lists Kneecap as headliners this July.
Current threats to freedom of speech and expression are real and continue to grow. In this context, Primavera Sound Barcelona's importance can’t be understated - their determination to spotlight acts that champion freedom and equality, while refusing to be silenced, is commendable. The festival boldly suggests that the discomfort of confronting difficult topics is preferable to the discomfort of not doing so. Music and people can move us, if we stay committed to listening.
Where to stay during Primavera Sound Barcelona
Generator Barcelona hits that sweet spot for festival-goers juggling Primavera Sound madness with sightseeing ambitions. Prices spike during festival weekends (a universal reality in Barcelona come June), but this design-led hostel near Gaudí's Casa Batlló delivers good value. The shared rooms are perfect for meeting fellow music lovers (with relatively few worries about volume control), while the bar and lounge offers essential pre-exploration coffee and post-festival recovery drinks.
Budget-conscious travellers should snag the apartment options with kitchen facilities – ideal for splitting costs and reheating your tapas at 4am. Stylish terraced King rooms provide blessed privacy when you need to recharge between sets and sightseeing. With that winding spiral staircase and Catalonian-inspired tiles, Generator proves budget doesn't always mean basic.
Where the beautiful people decompress between Primavera sets. This L'Eixample stunner on Gran Via attracts a chatty millennial crowd from Australia, the UK and the US, nursing astrology-themed cocktails poolside, or taking in sweeping views with thoughtfully placed binoculars. A twist on the classic espresso martini (from the "Gemini" menu) and a mayo-laden club sandwich became a daily staple (as did time in the sauna after a cheeky 10k in the basement gym - it’s all about balance). Staff are phenomenal, carrying backpacks and flagging taxis when festival fatigue renders guests immobile. Beds are cloud-like, facing massive flatscreens ideal for streaming live shows from your favourite acts while mustering energy to step back into the arena. The breakfast spread rivals any European capital, essential fuel for navigating Barcelona's endless delights. Modern luxury, zero stuffiness.
For deep-pocketed travellers demanding absolute luxury during Primavera Sound, El Palace delivers legendary five-star splendour. Recognisable by a facade draped in red curtains, the Ritz-affiliated palace boasts ornate decor befitting Barcelona's oldest hotel (1919). Unwind by the rooftop pool, book in at the outdoor cinema or fuel up during an exquisite afternoon tea service. The crown jewel? Amar restaurant, the scene of a personal trip highlight - sampling iconic El Bulli-style crayfish carpaccio.The largest of the resplendent Suites feature a personal butler service so attentive they'll unpack your entire wardrobe wearing gloves, then share their WhatsApp for round-the-clock ice and caffeine delivery. One last tip - the hidden basement jazz speakeasy pulses with atmosphere. It’s all surprisingly rock 'n' roll; Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood maintains his own dedicated Art Deco-style suite, designing the music-themed, bookable space himself. If it's good enough for rock royalty, it's perfect for discerning Primavera Sound punters.
Image credits: Jessie Leggo; Eric Pamies; Silvia Villar; Gisela Jané