Primavera Review: Brian Wilson

Past reviews of Brian Wilson’s live performances spoke of his inability to sing on stage, leading to a fairly lackluster show. For those who bit the bullet and went along to see him perform on Saturday evening, however, the decision was not to be regretted. The Heineken stage is renowned for it's bad sound, which seems to get lost somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea. Wilson and his band, which includes Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin, somehow managed to battle against this and the seaside setting was the perfect location to witness the chilled out, surfer sounds of that classic Beach Boy's album, Pet Sounds (1966).

Although helped on occasion by Matt Jardine (Al Jardine’s son), Wilson's voice was as captivating and sweet as in years gone by. They just don't seem to write songs like that anymore, lyrics that make you want to be young and in love. Closing your eyes to classic Beach Boys’ hits like ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice?’ and ‘I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times’, transports you for a moment to the swinging Sixties.

Despite Wilson’s inability to hit the high notes, the seemingly endless repertoire of instruments ensured the sound was close to perfect. Their rendition of ‘God Only Knows’ was nothing short of beautiful, bringing a tear to the eye. ‘Let's Go Away For a While’, showed they’ve still got the instrumental skills from their glory days. The highlight of the show had to be their cover of the 1962, ‘Monster Mash’, getting the whole crowd twisting under the setting sun.

Moving away from Pet Sounds for the finale, they ended on classic hits ‘I Get Around’, ‘Surfin’ USA’ and ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’. Proving they’re still got what it takes to make the crowd move.