The Music
Sziget Festival Main Stage (pdesign via flickr.com)
In this day and age you can drink and listen to loud music practically anywhere so there has to be some added value to your drunken antics, right? For example, winning the competition of who can steal the most adboards from bars is pretty sweet, but when it all happens while Snoop Dogg gives a lecture on Hip-Hop in the background, that really makes it one for the history books.
Sziget for over a decade was home to domestic and international indie and alternative acts with the addition of the finest selection from world music as well as some other up-and-coming bands who are just awful it’s impossible to figure out their genre. Nonetheless, these bands tend to draw in the biggest crowd for parties, just to be fair.
In the last 4-5 years, as Sziget has reached the peak of its popularity among almost anyone under 30 in Central and Western Europe, it all had to change and the image and face of the festival was going through a considerable revamping. It is no more an alternative music festival and one of the most painful moves, discontinuing the Metal Stage, was a major sign of the times to come. Of course, indie and punk bands are still on the bill, but in relative minority to the EDM and Pop superstars of our day.
This year, for example, saw Avicii, Ellie Goulding, and Martin Garrix each performing as headliners on the mainstage, while hipsters were treated very nicely with getting Alt-J and Florence And The Machine to lead the way on other nights while rockers were left with Kings of Leon. And let’s not forget the one and only Robbie Williams. You can call it a sign of the times, namely the aim is clearly to attract a more mainstream crowd, but if you’re more of a musical snob
More mainstage action (jdubois_ via flickr.com)
like myself there are still a lot of bands worth checking out on other stages. The A38 stage (The second biggest stage) for example had bands like The Gaslight Anthem, Enter Shikari, NoFX and Dropkick Murphys. This tent was looking after rappers too, with Tyler The Creator leading the way. The line-up for the World Music Stage is still top notch, or so I was told, as I’m really not into that kind of thing so I have no idea about any of these bands and had to trust the word of people who actually are. They, however, claim it’s very good.
Last year I believe I’ve danced hysterically on a show put up by a band from Mali (or Senegal. Or Benin. Sorry I really can’t remember now), which was pretty cool. Or your thing is to rather sit back and enjoy some rather sophisticated piece of audio artistry, like Jazz, Blues, or Irish Punk? They have them too! Although I still can’t really get my head around how smooth-jazz belongs to a place like this, especially with their pale sense of humor: Who’d have thought these people won’t appreciate people playing nightcrawlers and harrassing audience members during their shows?
Romanian Jazz band Balako (yas8s via flickr.com)
There’s another feat that is a clear sign of the focus group shift from local people to wealther Pop-fans. It is that at one point, all Hungarian bands were exiled to one specific stage which only hosts popular local bands. This is changing nowadays though, almost every day there’s one Hungarian group getting a shot at an afternoon slot on the Main Stage, which is only right.
Or if your aim is to become The Ultimate Intergalactic Leader Of All Hipsters of The Multiverse, there’s the Europe stage hosting obscure up and coming groups from all over the
continent. Some of them are actually awesome, most of them are likeable at best, but this place has the best vibes at all times. And then there’s the Campfire, which is just what it sounds like: one big fire where people can play acoustic guitars and sing over them. Open for everyone, but you have to register way in advance though, organisers are making sure it doesn’t become an alcohol-fuelled musical carnage like any Karaoke bar after 2 in the morning. And then during the nights there are plenty of nightclub-like tents to feed your inner dance-beast, with acts coming from all ranges of electronic music, from trance through EDM, all the way to Drum ’n Bass and Dubstep. Naturally, most people end up here after all has been said and done.
Keep in mind that music only is one thing about Sziget Festival. It may just not be the European version of the Burning man festival, nonetheless Sziget is teeming with tons of other things to do. All ranging anywhere in between the average and the bizarre. Next up: Things to do at Sziget Festival
Leave a Reply