Primavera Sound festival’s Los Angeles debut is delightfully eclectic

Primavera Sound Los Angeles, the three-day festival taking over Los Angeles Historic State Park this weekend, continued on Saturday with an eclectic array of artists from as far as Chile, Norway, England and Mexico.

It’s fitting that the festival should have such an international flavor. The original Primavera Sound, of which this is the first offshoot in the United States, has a two-decade history of bringing cutting-edge acts from around the world to its annual fest in Barcelona, Spain.

The crowds were light during strong mid-afternoon sets by acts such as Georgia, an English singer who accompanied herself on the drums, and Beak>, the experimental electronic trio founded by Geoff Barrow of the much-better-know band Portishead.

More people, but still far fewer than expected for Nine Inch Nails’ headlining set after dark, showed up as the sun began to slip behind the skyscrapers of downtown Los Angeles to the west of the festival grounds near Chinatown.

Chilean-American Latin R&B singer Paloma Mami drew an enthusiastic crowd to her performance on the Primavera main stage.  And Mayhem, the infamous Norwegian black metal band founded almost four decades ago, had an enthusiastic throng for its set of — let’s be honest — unintelligible vocals by theatrically made-up and costumed singer Atilla Csihar and brutal backing by the band whose members include a drummer named Hellhammer.

A little of that went a long way, and indie rock icon Kim Gordon’s set, while challenging in its own way, was a tonic for the Norwegian terrors.

The early impression of Primavera Sound Los Angeles was positive — like a more internationally focused take on the late FYF Fest — with the diverse, mellow crowd adding to the enjoyment of the day.