Euro Review

Nova Batida

From the minute Nova Batida’s promo videos went viral, we were sold. A new festival in Lisbon with a killer line up, there was no way we weren’t going to check it out.

2018 saw the inaugural Nova Batida in Lisbon, Portugal. The main event took place on the 14th & 15th of September across two venues; LX Factory and The Village underground. On top of that, the festival promoted pre-festival gigs, boat parties and a chilled out beach party on Sunday 16th September to close the festival.

We were staying at an eco resort in Ericeira. A little bit out of Lisbon, but with its quiet surroundings and natural pool, it made shaking off the night before that little bit easier. With the festival running until 5am, it was comforting knowing you had a little piece of heaven waiting for you at the end of the night – definitely worth the journey!

The two music venues complemented each other very well. LX Factory is a complex housing some of Lisbons’ creative industries, quirky shops and some pretty cool bars and restaurants. It’s definitely a place worth visiting outside of the festival. The Nova Batida stage was located at the back of LX Factory in a warehouse block with a rooftop terrace, where DJ’s played into the night. You could catch the sunset here, which was the cherry on top after a day of dancing!

The Village Underground, just around the corner, was a pretty striking and unique festival stage! The stage was placed right under floating double decker busses and shipping containers, and you were able to climb the stairs to walk around the large structure and watch down on the crowds. It’s a café by day, and hosts club nights on the weekends, so the setting worked perfectly for the festival.

The two venues were a short 10 minute walk from each other. The walk between venues was always a bit of craic; stopping into the local bars along the way for a beer and meeting fellow festival-goers! It was also pretty nice to take in a quick breather in between acts.

Considering it was its first year, it had a decent line-up including Maribou State, George Fitzgerald, Little Dragon, Giles Peterson, Max Cooper. Unfortunately we only got to see acts on the Saturday, but saw sets from Little Dragon and Giles Peterson, along with some heavenly sunshine beats from Mafalda, and the unforgettable LEFTO, who headlined on the terrace.

As well as the musical offerings, we took part in some surf lessons. With the weather being so great, it meant an enjoyable day in the sea and the waves were absolutely perfect.

The staff were friendly and they had an eco cup system in place at all the bars, which worked really well. It entailed paying a deposit for a cup and then re-using that cup for the night. The only downside was that when you accumulated a few cups from various drinks, you weren’t able to get a refund on the cups, so you had to carry around several cups at a time.  Other than that, overall the festival was pretty good, and certainly has a lot of potential. Early bird discounted tickets have already been released, and so the festival looks to return next September 2019.

FESTIVAL NO.6

Festival no.6 is an annual four day festival that can quite simply be described as an incredible spectacle! Located in the mesmerising Portmeirion, an Italian-style quirky little village in North Wales, we were about to embark on a new festival experience. “A bespoke banquet of music, arts and culture.” And that we did.

The journey from Dublin was long, and at times tedious, but the excitement of the unknown steered us through.  A ferry, train, taxi and bus ride later, we made it to the sensational surroundings of Portmeirion.

Our Festival no.6 experience began in the ‘park and ride’ offsite, resembling nothing of a festival site. Here we collected our accreditation, and boarded the official bus which transported us into the most magical and unique festival site we’ve ever been to.

The main festival field (Castell Park) was located on one side of the festival, and held the main stage, the grand pavilion, house of rum and a few other smaller tents to dance and drink in. As well as that, it was full of gorgeous pop up restaurants, cocktail bars, market stalls, and most of them in the same little white shacks. Who knew the trading market could look so plush?

Beside Castell park were the campsites (general and boutique). We didn’t camp, but if we were to next time it would definitely be in boutique camping. They were immaculate, and super luxurious. If camping isn’t your thing, boutique camping at festival no.6 is definitely your thing!! They had individual toilet cabins with sinks and mirrors, along with a large tent to get ready in next to the showers with large mirrors, hairdryers and plug in points to charge your phone.

We had no real agenda for the day, or any idea of who was playing exactly. We wanted to roam freely and not have any expectations of the day ahead. Once leaving the main arena we delved into village of Pormeirion to explore. We encountered forests of fun, where we found the infamous Virgin Trains Village limits. The perfect spot for a daytime boogie on floating platforms on a lake.

En route to the estuary, we stopped into the central piazza, the heart of festival no.6, to check out a pop up performance going on. It was highly entertaining and interactive but unfortunately the bucketing down rain pulled us away. It didn’t last long. We took shelter at one of the bars and thought it only right to get a quick beer in. The rain cleared off and we continued down towards the water where you could indulge in oysters at a poolside party, or dance at the stone boat overlooking the water, which we later found out you could do stand-up paddle boarding on. Standard for this festival I guess?

Musical wise - James Vincent McMorrow was the highlight of the day. His performance was captivating. Wild Beasts followed suit, and also played an incredible set. We veered away from the main stage after spotting the slide in the Old Mount Cider Kiwi Camp during Wild Beasts set. After a quick moment of adolescent fun we took up camp in the house of rum for the rest of the night where we got into the party vibe.

All in all Festival no.6 is without a doubt an exceptional festival. From the start of the day getting our accreditation to leaving in the evening getting our taxi, it’s organised to a tee! There are barely any queues on the many bars around the festival, offering every kind of drink you might want, whether it’s prosecco, a cocktail or a craft beer, you were indulged in choice. The toilets were always clean and stocked up, and again virtually no queue.

Throughout the day you’re never short of something to do whether it’s yoga, Ketel One Vodka cocktail classes, 5 star dinner at Clough’s restaurant, Paddle boarding… the list is endless! There is so much more to the festival than just music, and it is aesthetically stunning! The only downside for us is we didn’t have enough time to see it all.

Do yourself a favour and go, and experience all that Festival no.6 has to offer. It really is a place like no other.

Festival Awards Crew 2017

Bestival Festival

Eccentric temporary cities full of wild beings indulging in their alter ego’s – this is the world of the 21st century festival – A world we dove into with Bestival 2016, ‘“The Future”

As we took the boat journey to the Isle of Wight we waved goodbye to reality slowly disappearing from our sight as the boat moved towards our new home for three days. This Island has been host to Bestival Festival since 2004 and as our boat approached the shore we understood the wonder that attracted the festival to this site. This south eastern British Island is an ideal place to cast aside your humdrum worries and immerse yourself in the moment.

As with all festivals, our initiation into festival life for the weekend occurred when we met friendly strangers and collectively decided to make our travels together. Comrades on an exciting adventure into the unknown.

Bestival is known for its innovative concepts, diverse line up and attentive décor. In tandem with its décor the festival encourages their audience to decorate themselves and go all out with fancy dress. This results in a wonder-cluster of colour, sparkle, movement and general aesthetic awe.

By the time we arrived at the festival gates it was nightfall and we were greeted on a viewpoint overlooking the dancing colour and lights of the festival. The journey downwards through the festival and to the campsite is an arduous one due to the rolling landscape of the island. Although, your discomfort subsides as your attention is constantly stolen by the eclectic mix of lively tents and animated punters and entertainers.

Bestival has always had the ability to draw great musicians to its line-up, and that’s why we were here. My ears was yearning the eminent ‘The Cure’, the hauntingly sweet ‘Aurora’, alt rocks best new act ‘Wolf Alice’ and the energetic ‘Glass Animals’ in this line-up.

The festival was kicked off the right way with electronic master mind’s Major Lazer bringing the main stage to a boil on Friday night. This ecstatic show set the tone for the weekend of high energy performances ahead.

The fear of all festival fears arrived on the Saturday in the form of pelting rain. Despite this punters were still seen to be dancing and playing with the mud as their newly embraced friend. Costumes were sacrificed, but the festivities continued on. We decided to fill this day with exploration of the endless corners of Bestival. We were first drawn to the world’s biggest bouncy castle, a funky and flamboyant construction that attracted all and exhausted many.

As we waded through the crowd music drifted towards us from all different angles and ornate tents drew us in. Entering each tent was like entering a different house in wonderland. Our favourite was a Circus style tent, decorated to the nines and full of impressive circus performances. 

The festival was well laid out and the plethora of bars really made the weekend as there wasn’t too much waiting in lines despite the crowds.

As Saturday night dawned the focus was brought back to the main stage. Bringing a band who’s hay day was way back in the 80’s to headline a festival can be dicey. It can result in a ‘pension fund’ performance that lacks the energy and power their music represents. This although, cannot be said for the Cure. The Cure are infamous for their intense and long live shows, real rock n’ roll veterans, and Bestival 2016 got the full Cure experience. Their performance consisted of an energetic light show, proficient guitar playing and the illustrious Robert Smith’s vocals performing some of the greatest 27 Cure hits. Contemporary musicians could really take note of these long, fulfilling live performances that don’t leave you waiting for the scheduled ‘encore’ 

The second stand out rock performance of the weekend was London based alternative rock band ‘Wolf Alice’. Wolf Alice took the main stage the Sunday of Bestival 2016. A short but sweet performance was highlighted with the simple yet powerful guitar riff and rough vocals of their Grammy nominated song ‘Moaning Lisa Smile’ and the hauntingly beautiful and calm vocals of ‘Blush’.

As our time at Bestival came to a close our awareness of our imminent return to reality set in and we clung to every last minute. Dancing with strangers, gazing at the sights and soaking up all the music we could. Bestival provides the ultimate escape from reality and inspiration for when you have to return.

Festival Awards Crew 2016

Isle of Wight Festival, U.K.

This Isle of Wight wasn’t expecting monsoon style weather causing water logged fields, sinking stages and thick mud camping sites, but everyone that attended encapsulated the festival spirit of us against the elements. The rain caused severe gridlock in to the island, but the problems were not as bad as reported in the media and the festival provided a welcoming if very muddy atmosphere.

Friday got off to great start with Seasoned rockers Tom Petty and the heartbreakers making their first ever UK festival appearance. The style of all out proggy rock made a great evening of easy listening in the summer sun and a mix of all ages embraced the night. Over at the big top Kellis had the tent shaking with dance classics and a rare drum solo display. Feeder also provided a brand of Foo Fighter style rock on the main stage as well as Lana Del Rey performing an eerie yet captivating display. 

Saturday provided Pearl Jam, who are one of these us bands who have always failed to command the same levels of fans in the UK that they did in the US. Frontman Eddie Vedder however was mesmerising, with showmanship similar to the likes of The Boss himself Bruce Springsteen. He executed song after song, gripping the audience with his unmistakeable grainy vocals. Although IOW organisers were trying to stay away from popular pop genres, Saturday provided a great radio one mix with the likes of Jessie J and Tiny Tempah storming the main stage.

The final day provided the highlight of the festival and those who endured the weather were given their reward of three hours with The Boss, Bruce Springsteen. From opening song to encore Springsteen offered complete value for money, blasting out hits of Born in the USA and The Rising. The Boss was a great coup for the organisers and his 3 hour set defined him as the headline act. Without doubt Springsteen nailed it and with a musical career spanning five decades, it was a magical ending to a wonderful festival.

Festival Awards Crew 2012

Melt! Festival, Germany

Melt! is an indie-electronic, three-day music festival; set on the peninsula of Ferropolis, against the backdrop of giant rusty cranes, which when lit up transform the sky into rapid sequences of lasers. Not even two hours from Berlin’s centre; it is a simple train ride south from Hbf Main station. I set out from Dublin to find out more.

Security allows 1.5l soft drinks into the festival but the campsite had no such rules! Campers carry as much food and drink as they can manage to their tents; bbq’s and dj decks playing on amps kept the atmosphere lively in the campsites. The nearest supermarket being Lidl; in Grafenhainichen, provides all the essentials. I got myself a four man tent there, which turned out to be bigger than my apartment: two bedrooms and a front sitting room! It took seven of us an hour to put up and served us well; through the temperamental weather over the weekend. 

Friday was the highlight of my weekend. The Naked and Famous’ relentless hooks didn’t disappoint! Fake Blood really had the crowd jumping with his electro, endorphin-raising remixes. Swedish popstar, Robyn, bounced her way around the stage much to the enjoyment of the crowd and Housemeister’s high-strung techno-electro mixes; wowed the crowd at Desperado’s Beach. This man loves his synthesiser effects and had the crowd clueless as to what was coming next; instead we gave in and just danced!

Saturday was a scorcher. Campers were woken early to the unforgiving sun and were fortunate enough that; the surrounding lake was freezing cold and relaxing! A few warm beers throughout the afternoon had us back to normal. Beady Eye played a disappointingly average set; proving the Gallagher brothers make better music together. The Streets played their third and last ever Melt! gig. They brought their clever lyrics; attitude and crowd control techniques to thousands of adoring fans, Skinner proved himself to be a very witty and entertaining performer. Many people I spoke to; agreed this was one of the best gigs of the weekend.

Sunday was a miserable day of non-stop rain. The downpour didn’t stop the crowds making it to their favourite acts but it did put a dampener on things. Also the fact that the ATM’s had broken the previous night and hadn’t been fixed led me to be cranky, hungry and cold. I retreated to my tent earlier than I would have liked to warm up; missing Richie Hawtin for warm, dry clothes. I did manage to catch an inspirational set from Jose Gonzales and have a dance to the highly entertaining Carte Blanche. Cold War Kids pulled a decent crowd; even in the heavy downpour and their early evening set. Their bluesy, indie rock had everyone dancing and jumping in puddles. The plastic anoraks being handed out by Jaegermeister were much appreciated!

The recycling incentive implemented was very clever; upon arrival and receiving your wrist band; campers also received a recycling token. On the last day, if the token is returned with a full bag of the rubbish; then campers receive five euro back. That fiver was a godsend; having run out of money on Saturday, with no ATM’S working; I bought myself a lovely hot slice of pizza. When the time came to leave the festival grounds; there were regular buses there to drop campers to various train stations.

I found Melt! overall to be a really chilled, well organised affair. You could download your Melt App prior to the festival and have all your favourite artists and stage times stored on your Smartphone; no excuses for missing your favourite bands. The stages were set up close together but with no overspill; meaning you could walk to the furthest stage in a matter of minutes, not wasting precious music time. The lighting was out of this world and the use of an industrial museum; to house the effects made it all even more surreal. The colours and twists in the sky at night are worth a Youtube search alone if not a visit!  The crowd was very friendly; Germans mixed with the rest of the world. Everybody just wanted to dance and have a good time. Melt! has been held annually for the last fourteen years and it’s clear to see why it keeps getting more popular every year.

Festival Awards Crew 2011