Lowlands has started: a sweet kick-off, except for a few mosh pits

There they walk on Lowlands again, as if not a year has passed. The groups of friends in coordinated pajama suits, the Hawaiian shirts, eighties fitness outfits in fluorescent colours, boho-chic dresses with cowboy boots. The dance fanatics, the rockers. Strolled along from the campsites where most pitching tents have already been thrown out last night and the first games of flunkyball (drinking game) have been played.

Everyone at the three-day Lowlands festival knows: don’t peak on day one. Save your strength for this three-day. The sun is shining, the terrain is large. From the entrance where the Armadillow is the 24-hour venue where it is never quiet and the party never stops, you can fan out over the colorfully decorated area with ten stages that are fairly far from each other. There are hammocks, chill spots everywhere. The water attracts swimmers and the charities hoisted into the attractions are strongly committed to involvement and engagement. Lowlands, the utopian dream paradise in the polder has started again.

So make choices, on the again creatively designed event area at Walibi, now with 65,000 visitors – 5,000 more than in previous years. Strolling through the crowd, it can be quite top sport to see your favorites. But certain trendsetters this weekend are the women’s bands. That immediately starts with the band around whom there is a little buzz: the American alto pop trio Muna. Their sugary rock, in which they playfully chase each other on stage, is definitely catchy but can still grow. The ‘I Know A Place’, dedicated to all queer people, stands out. A sympathetic moment is how the provocative singer Katie Gavin suddenly realizes halfway through the show that Muna must be the first show of the crowded festival weekend for many.

By Snail Mail until Girl in Red. The indie pop women are quirky and talented. This weekend Boygenius is still the favorite, plus Billie Eilish. Unfortunately, Florence + The Machine canceled her show for Saturday. But that a hit is sometimes not enough, is noticeable with the Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit. Although it is nice to join in with their harmonious vocals, only the closing track, the hit ‘Silver Line’, can raise the atmosphere.

Dazed impression

The duo makes a downright dazed impression Water From My Eyes. Is it quirkiness, stage fright or just plain disinterest? You won’t find out in a performance that doesn’t stick at all. That can be done differently, shows the Belgian indie sensation The Haunted Youth. In all its dreamy layering, it also has to rely primarily on a patiently waiting audience. But it is quietly carried away in those wide-winding guitar sounds until the reward: it scrapes open. It will be the best soundtrack of the music oasis.

So a sweet kick-off, these first hours of Lowlands. At least… If you don’t look at the make-up rapper who rages across the stage Josh Klein had gone. What a wild, absurd turbo show again full of craziness and hyper. At the biggest stage Alpha, it’s chopping and bouncing, and sprung all over the place mosh pits. But do it safely, Joost exhorts. “If someone falls, we help. Clearly?”

Joost is one of the many Dutch acts for whom Lowlands is a confirmation. Recognition: you came a long way, now you are here. And the same goes for singer S10 in the Bravo, a cathedral-high whopper of a tent that is initially completely full for her electropop show. The singer clearly cannot believe her luck. Although she immediately sees the disadvantage of playing early: the audience is eager and quickly moves on. A highlight will be ‘De Leven’ with pianist Joep Beving: pure, small, close by.

And also the danceable pop of the extravagantly dressed up singer Merol catching on. Especially because of her witty moments between cabaret and comedy: she even talks about losing her virginity, once at the Lowlands campsite. Her ‘Lekker met de Meiden’ sounds almost like an anthem. Just like singing along with the British Jessie Ware and the fine feel-good pop show with gems of funk and disco that she puts on. The dancers rave and Ware circles across the stage like a true pop diva. The cover of Cher’s ‘Believe’ is a bit of a shock. Help? No. Lowlands embraces classics. It is no coincidence that there is a big Spice Girls ‘Singalong’ on the program late on Friday evening: roar along.

Accepts after consultation with Lowlands NRC this year the obligatory contribution of 10 euros per journalist to be present as a press. To enable broad cultural reporting, NRC sometimes uses free tickets or review copies – if necessary we pay for accreditation or admission tickets.