tUnE-yArDs Go for Longest-Held Note at Primavera Sound

A sun-kissed set from tUnE-yArDs on Saturday, May 28, saw Merrill Garbus at her most vocal, holding a growling note for close to one minute during the penultimate song in her set at Primavera Sound 2011.

Exercising her lungs for 'Hatari,' the Oakland-based songstress stood alone center stage to hit the wild animal noises with extra force, before the audience erupted in wild appreciation for the impressively held note. Fortunately for Garbus, this made up for an earlier miss while attempting aboriginal Australian vocals and some minor technical difficulties with her loop pedal.

Performing a variety of tracks from 'BiRd-BrAiNs' and 'WHOKILL', the group -- consisting of Garbus, touring bassist and co-writer Nate Brenner, and two saxophonists -- were a suitably carnivalesque closer for the last day of Primavera, with Garbus wearing a pink, ruffled-sleeve dress, her face characteristically painted in bright colours. In what was one of the band's more raucous shows, they closed their set with 'My Country.'

Saturday's appearance at Primavera Sound marked the start of the European leg of tUnE-yArDs' tour, which sees the group play Lyon (May 30), Paris (Jun. 2), Brussels (3), Berlin (5) and London (8), amongst others.