Five LGBTQ+ acts not to miss at Primavera Sound 2025
It's not just Primavera Sound's so-called Powerpuff Girls headliners who will be delighting queer festival goers this June
By Gary Grimes
With festival season now officially under way, it can be hard to keep track of where you need to be – but one stop which is an absolute must on every queer festival goer’s calendar this year is Primavera Sound.
Located just a stone’s through from the beach in Barcelona, Primavera Sound has been carving a name for itself as one of Europe’s premiere festivals for pop fans in recent years. However most would agree the 2025 line-up really takes the biscuit, thanks in large part to its so-called Powerpuff Girls headliners – Charli xcx, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter.
Taking place over 5 days (4-8 June), the line-up also boasts a number of other exciting queer acts, and so we’ve taken the liberty of highlighting five performances you won’t want to miss if you were lucky enough to nab a highly coveted ticket.
Chappell Roan
Let’s kick things off with one of the main events. Continuing her victory lap following her Best New Artist win at this year’s GRAMMY Awards, Chappell Roan will take to the Primavera main stage on Saturday 7 June. Roan, who is fast making a name for herself as one of pop’s most antagonising forces, has already established herself as a formidable live act, pulling in record breaking crowds as she toured US festivals last summer despite being at just the beginning of her ascent to the pop mainstream.
No doubt her Primavera debut will be a similarly thronged affair so we would advise getting in early to ensure your spot to witness this spellbinding ingénue do her thing.
HorsegiirL
Although little is known about HorsegiirL’s true identity, thanks to her committment to wearing her signature yassified horse mask on stage, what could be more queer and transgressive that a eurodance-spinning DJ who considers themselves to be half human, half horse? The Berlin-based artist told Vogue in 2023 that her influences range from “the extra-ness of Lady Gaga, Dolly Parton and the heavy hardcore genre that rose from the Netherlands and Belgium.” She always brings the party, whether she’s delighting crowds at Homobloc or getting down and dirty in Berghain, and we are certain her Primavera set will be no exception.
Charli xcx and Troye Sivan
As if the presence of Charli xcx as she continues her extended brat summer is not enough, the pop princess du jour made queers everywhere squeal with excitement when she announced that her gay BFF and tourmate Troye Sivan would be joining her for a co-headlining slot at Primavera. The pair will bring their iconic Sweat Tour to Europe for the first time on Thursday 5 June. As Troye himself suggests on the pair’s remix of Charli’s brat cut ‘Talk talk’ (which we named one of the best queer songs of 2024): “We could pop our shit to Charli?”
Sherelle
Former Attitude cover girl Sherelle is ready to take Barcelona by storm following the surprise release of her debut album With A Vengeance earlier this year. The album was preceded by the single ‘Freaky (Just My Type), a collaboration with the star’s friend George Riley who described the song as a “bisexual anthem”. With influences including Kode9, Scratch DVA, Machinedrum, Lone and SBTRKT, this set is a must-attend for queer partyers with a keen ear for the 160 scene.
ABSOLUTE.
London-based DJ and producer ABSOLUTE. is also set to hit the decks at El Fòrum, playing the Club Revolut stage on Thursday. Hot off the heels of his collaboration with close pal Bimini, the stomping club banger ‘Keep On Dancing’, the artist’s belief in the power of the dancefloor is paramount to his art. “When we keep on dancing, we have the ability to empower each other,” he wrote of the song earlier this year. “That feels more necessary than ever in these uncertain times, both in nightlife and the wider world.”