- Two hours into Byron The Aquarius's set at Brunch In Barcelona on Sunday, the 5,000-strong crowd was soaked by intense tropical rain. But what should have been a downer became a moment of joy, as bar staff distributed canary-yellow ponchos to the masses. In the blink of an eye, Poble Espanyol's Plaza Mayor was transformed into a blob of happy yellow shapes, swaying to the music like sunflowers in a summer storm.
Brunch has become a Barcelona institution over the last four years. In 2018, the party series expanded its musical remit to include names like Actress, Mount Kimbie and Lone. "Last year, we sold out every event with some names that weren't so risky," explained Brunch's booker and director, Loïc Le Joliff. "So this year, I decided we should take a more risky approach." As part of the rethink, Joliff booked a number of dance music legends, including Robert Hood, Lil' Louis and Omar-S. But there were none more legendary than the man who headlined the season's closing party: Larry Heard, AKA Mr Fingers.
Following Byron The Aquarius's smart, jazzy warm-up, Heard's live set was electronic music at its most life-affirming. Accompanied by the vocalist Mr. White, he wove a path between acidic gnarl, soulful beats and digital emotion, toying with snippets of the classic tunes that made his name—"Mystery Of Love" and "Can You Feel It" both made brief appearances. But the set peaked with his more modern work, including "Qwazars," "Virtual Emotion" and an immaculate take on his 2006 hit, "The Sun Can't Compare." "We are so grateful!" shouted a young woman clinging to the rail on my left. A silver-haired raver, who could have been the young woman's mother, nodded enthusiastically in agreement.