Being far too lazy to construct a proper write up, here’s a hastily-written summary I copy-and-pasted from UKK. Moi? Effort? Don’t be silly.
Set ratings:
10/10
Ponytail (Missed the end of MBV for this, totally worth it. Absolute triumph of a set, possibly the best I’ve seen this year)
9/10
Michael Nyman (went on a complete whim, he was superb! 11-piece orchestra, high-tempo compositions…perfect fit for the Auditori)
Andrew Bird (the man’s a genius, what can I say?)
Dan Deacon (audience participation fell embarrassingly flat due to the language barrier, but the moshing at the front was UTTER. FUCKING. INSANITY)
The Mae Shi (missing a guitarist, scrappy as ever but the atmosphere was amazing- plus the whole band ended up crowdsurfing during the last song)
Oneida (I had a headache before I saw them, I didn’t when they’d finished. There’s genuinely no logical explanation for this.)
8/10
Lightning Bolt (THEY PLAYED ON THE STAGE! WHAT IN THE NAME OF FUCK??????? Still, one hell of a show.)
My Bloody Valentine (think I’ve had my fill of them now, and their outdoor performance was a bit underwhelming but watching/feeling the whole Auditori shake during You Made Me Realise was epic)
Zu (Math-rock/metal/free-jazz genre-smash; more baritone sax for your buck than any other band this weekend)
The Jesus Lizard (David Yow sure loves to crowd-surf)
Flow (The only act I caught at the MySpace tent, but they were really good- think a Mexican Bishop Allen fronted by Colin Meloy.)
Plants And Animals (Fantastic Sunday evening set surrounded by palm trees)
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart (only caught 4 songs before MBV, but they sounded great)
7/10
Sleepy Sun (Black Mountain but better)
The New Year (slow but LOUD. Would like to see them again in a more alert state)
Damien Jurado (surprisingly enjoyable for an acoustic guitar type)
The Drones (Quality Ozzie rock, shame I was too hyper about Dan Deacon to see much of their set.)
Sonic Youth (too tired to really appreciate, but I quite liked ‘em)
The Bad Plus (Jazzy covers band. Exceptionally talented and their take on Lithium was fun, but 15-minute meandering solos got old pretty quick.)
Stanley Brinks (Like regular Herman Dune, but with a female vocalist. Has only two melodies, but somehow manages to hold the attention)
Black Lips (3am, last night of the festival- just what you need really. Nothing epoch-defining, but good fun.)
6/10
Neil Young (neither engaged or offended me, although the mix sounded fucking atrocious from the back)
Dalek (raucous hip-hop act, did an ace collaboration with Zu on their last song)
Lemonade (like Animal Collective-meets-Gang Gang Dance-meets-Ratatat, without being nearly as good as that sounds)
Spiritualized (fell flat in an outdoor, daytime setting)
Kimya Dawson (like injecting pure twee into your veins)
Magnolia Electric Co. (pleasant enough fare for a early-evening set)
5/10
Bat For Lashes (third time round, and she still comes across as a fourth-rate Bjork wannabe. Clearly very talented, but oddly uncharismatic.)
Yo La Tengo (Look, if you’re going to start your set with a interminable 20-minute jam, I’m going to walk off.)
The Horrors (They’re alright, I suppose although Faris Rotter’s still a douche of Kilroy-Silkian proportions)
Maika Makovski (a local act, I think. She was quite hot.)
David Gedge (some guy from some ancient band called “The Wedding Present” playing stuff on an acoustic guitar in the back of a trendy clothing shop.)
4/10
Marnie Stern (disappointment of the weekend. Sound was *abysmal*)
Women (Still unimpressed by them live, although the sound problems didn’t help their cause)
Crystal Stilts (Competent but dull)
Bowerbirds (BORING-birds more like. The musical equivalent of chintz wallpaper)
Aphex Twin (not in the mood for it at all)
The Right Ons (bland support band fodder, very MOR)
3/10
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti (gets one extra mark for the almost tolerable Yeasayer-esque song they were playing as I left)
2/10
Magik Markers (They played the same song twice in a fucking row. And it was SHIT.)
WAVVES (http://pitchfork.com/news/35459-wavves-self-destruct-in-barcelona)
(Photos: scannerfm_flickr; Emma Liensa (Flickr))
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