Gorillaz's Primavera Sound Set Opens with Powerful Palestinian Activist Speech
At Primavera Sound, Gorillaz's set was prefaced by a compelling speech from Palestinian activist Aarab Barghouti, son of the imprisoned Marwan Barghouti, highlighting a moment of political advocacy amidst the festival's musical offerings. This event...
The virtual band Gorillaz delivered a politically charged opening to their set at Primavera Sound in Barcelona, as they were introduced by Palestinian activist Aarab Barghouti. Barghouti is the son of Marwan Barghouti, a prominent Palestinian politician currently imprisoned by Israel.
The performance, held on the Estrella Damm stage, saw Damon Albarn and his animated counterparts invite Aarab Barghouti to address the festival-goers before they launched into their music.
Marwan Barghouti, an elected legislator and often tipped as a future Palestinian leader, has been incarcerated by Israel since 2002. His conviction stems from charges related to deadly attacks during the Second Intifada, charges he has consistently denied, rejecting the legitimacy of the Israeli court.
From the stage, Aarab Barghouti delivered a poignant message: “My father is one of 10,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, but for millions of Palestinians he represents something that Israel cannot imprison: hope.”
He continued, “Hope that Palestinian children will grow up in peace. Freedom won in South Africa, in Ireland, and in Algeria, because people like you refused to look away, refused to give up. So keep fighting for Palestine, for Gaza, and for justice.”
Earlier in the festival, Massive Attack's scheduled performance on Thursday night was among those cancelled due to extreme weather conditions.
Despite the cancellation, Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja shared a backstage image with Aarab Barghouti, remarking that “The one moment of light during the Primavera storm was sharing time with our guest Arab Barghouti, who we’d invited to speak on behalf of his father Marwan to appeal for his release.”
Damon Albarn has a consistent record of advocating for Palestinian rights. Last September, he performed at the 'Together For Palestine' show in London, an event organized by Brian Eno. At the show, Albarn delivered a medley of traditional Palestinian songs alongside the London Arab Orchestra and the Juzour Dance Collective. Gorillaz later performed 'Damascus,' a track that found its place on their recent album, 'The Mountain'.
In other news from the Gorillaz camp, the band recently announced their inaugural shows in India, slated for January 2027. The country's rich musical and spiritual traditions were significant inspirations for their album, 'The Mountain'.
Beyond music, Albarn also confirmed he is set to score Luca Guadagnino's upcoming OpenAI film, Artificial, which delves into the founders of ChatGPT. Reflecting on AI's impact on creativity, he shared his perspective: 'Once it becomes easy, it’s meaningless. In a way, it’s the things you don’t see or hear that make it art. It’s a weird intuition that the listener has that picks up on the journey that the artist has been through to make that particular thing with the tone of the voice, etc. You can’t replace that.'
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