Half-time at the festival
Lido Sounds: Decadence with a socio-political touch
The fans were spared the rain on the second day of Lido Sounds, but the 23,000 or so visitors clung to the few shady spots until dusk. The musically colorful potpourri consisted of Parov Stelar, Deichkind, Hozier and Benjamin Clementine, among others. In other words: lots of fish, lots of meat.
Friday, 1 pm. The sun is beating down mercilessly from the sky and people are slowly streaming through the entrance gates onto the heated Lido grounds. On the main stage, the local Linz heroes Texta open the official festival season at lunchtime, digging deep into their long career history. After the untimely death of band family member Huckey six years ago, appearances by the Upper Austrian institution have become rarer, but by no means worse. Laima and Flip set the pace, while DJ Dan provides the timeless beats. The interaction with the fans is wonderful at the Linz home game. Rohrbach is described as having "the best kraut" alongside Jamaica and people ask where the Mühlviertler are located on the grounds. Later on, the TTR Allstars and Attwenger take to the stage as guests. That's what you call a home win on all fronts.
Gentle timbre, rocking rides
More dignified sounds waft across the site from the "Ahoi! Pop Summer Stage" waft across the grounds. The German high-flyer Anaïs transforms digestible pop with an indie touch and multilingualism, singing in either German, English or French, but always with a very gentle timbre and a motivated band. The live experience she has gained supporting artists such as the Giant Rooks, Bastille and Nina Chuba has had a positive effect on Lido Sounds. Halfway through Anaïs' set, the main stage is already buzzing again. The Kiel-based rock collective Leoniden, led by singer Jakob Amr, combine everything from quirky guitars and electronic synths to the soccer fan anthem "Freed From Desire" to create a great atmosphere and are a staple of the rocking pop canon.
They did so with a likeable lightness and joy of playing that Amr and guitarist Lennart Eicke also exuded beforehand in the Krone interview. "We actually have very heavy and serious songs, but people don't notice that because the energy on stage is very positive." Like the acts on the warm-up day, Leoniden are also delighted with the hospitality at Lido Sounds. "German festivals like Hurricane or Southside can take a leaf out of our book. There are a lot of vegans and peanut allergy sufferers in our band - and we have absolutely no problems here, that's not a matter of course." After their set, they still had some time to watch other acts. "But we left before the electro swing," laughs Amr, alluding to Parov Stelar, "you don't have to like everything."
Out of place art
The British force of nature Benjamin Clementine struck a calmer note on the Main Stage. Accurately dressed in a white suit and sitting at the piano most of the time, he sings a colorful potpourri of jazz, soul and songwriting folk with an impressive vocal volume and a well-rehearsed backing band. The conditions on the mercilessly hot concrete floor in Linz really put him to the test. He describes the scenery as "this is fucking hell" as he takes a few laps around his piano to regain his energy. Song gems such as "Cornerstone" are imbued with such filigree beauty that one would rather see them in a noble concert hall ambience. The power of the music prevails, but every act simply doesn't fit into every festival venue.
While the satirical pop combo Roy Bianco and the Abbrunzati Boys promoted the humorous element of the day on the second stage, Gossip celebrated an Austrian comeback after twelve years. The highly anticipated performance is based on the album "Real Power", which was released in March and with which Beth Ditto and Co. put down an official exclamation mark after a long creative break. The front woman takes to the stage in a light summer dress, drummer Hannah Billie wears a shirt by the legendary German pop pope Klaus Nomi, demonstrating her taste. Ditto repeatedly announces that the band is ill and therefore cannot give their all. And it's true: the Gossip performance seems a little limp, which is also partly due to the song material. If you exclude the top hits "Move In The Right Direction" or "Heavy Cross", there's a lot of filler in the Americans' oeuvre that can't keep up with the classics in terms of catchiness. Due to the different circumstances, the gig sometimes seems half-baked and never really gets going. Low point: a completely watered-down Nirvana cover that will probably have Kurt Cobain turning in his grave.
Trash-Udo-Jürgens
The American YouTube wonder Marc Rebillet, who mutated into a superstar during the Covid years, celebrated a more than successful Austrian premiere on the "Summer Stage". Dressed only in blue underpants, he creates a dance furioso with his loop station, accompanied by volleys of fire and humorously crude announcements. Rebillet provides the most exalted party part of the day during the musically colorful hustle and bustle. It's definitely too hot for the "Trash-Udo Jürgens" to wear a bathrobe today, but the fans' curiosity about the riot maker is so great that the organizers even had to close access to the Second Stage for a short time - more than a respectable success. Banging, forward-driving rolls of sound always work. And even more so when the general mood is right and the sun is shining.
But where there is exuberance, there must also be room for the political. Especially at a festival like Lido Sounds, which is also based on sustainability and community and doesn't just focus on excessive ecstasy. After his sold-out Vienna Stadthalle show in December 2023, folk rocker Hozier takes to the Main Stage with a nine-piece band and delights the audience with gently accentuated, musically delicate songs, the coziness of which is best suited to Clementine's brilliant afternoon constellation. The fact that he only releases new albums every holy days makes the songs even more special. Although festivals are not his preferred venue, he feels very much at home here, as he tells the Krone: "There's always a great opportunity to reach an audience that doesn't know you yet."
Seriousness and lightness
With songs such as "To Be Alone", "Cherry Wine" and the hit of the century "Take Me To Church", he sings and plays his way into the hearts of his fans at the end of the day. The highlight, despite his detachment, is a several-minute political incendiary speech towards the end of the set, where he addresses the fact that voting rights and weekend leisure time are not always taken for granted and speaks out resolutely in favor of peace and the end of conflicts. Like no other, he easily manages to combine seriousness and lightness in such a way that you can enjoy the concert in a relaxed manner, but still go into the night with added social value. "Playing at a festival is always a bit special. The energy is different because of the mix of different styles and artists." Hozier can also get his message across to a party crowd.
They are then ready for the not-so-secret highlight of the evening. Hamburg electro-punk hip-hoppers Deichkind once again had to close off the area to the second stage due to overcrowding. As almost annual regulars, the Germans have long since earned their regular audience, and hardly any other act in these latitudes manages to mix hedonism with affected decadence so perfectly. Their socially and socio-critical lyrics are reinforced with moving stage elements, strange costumes and exciting lighting effects. The songs are also spot-on, as Deichkind have not lost any of their hitability over the years. Old songs such as "Roll das Fass rein", "Signale" or "Bon Voyage" are mixed with new classics such as "Bück dich hoch", "Die Welt ist fertig" or "In der Natur", where the Linz Brucknerhaus is integrated into the lyrics as a clever chess move.
Riot and remmidemmi
New elements were also added to the traditional show, such as Kryptik Joe riding on an oversized Gucci purse during "Bentley". Deichkind's subtlety is not to be found in the show, but certainly in the carefully considered lyrics. The fans thank them with exuberant applause and the message of community, openness and, above all, hope on a planet that seems doomed naturally goes down well here. For almost two hours, the northern Germans rummaged through a lavish best-of of their career and also knew how to succeed in the rather unusual daylight. "No party" or "Remmidemmi" at the end - so what now? More atmosphere is not possible. Deichkind is the programmatic final boss at festivals. Everything that comes after can only lose.
Everything except a local hero. Marcus Füreder aka Parov Stelar is the big headliner who fascinates the 23,000 or so enthusiastic fans with a special show that on the one hand refers to the 20th anniversary of his prominence (everything got rolling in 2004 with the EP "KissKiss"), but on the other hand doesn't forget the present. At the big home game, even an old hand like Füreder was a little unsettled, as he explained to the "Krone" before the gig. "There is great joy, but also great nervousness. Playing at home has its very own coloration and you have to hold your own. We've been working towards the 2024 project for a long time, both acoustically and visually, and this will be the first time people will see it here at Lido Sounds."
Young with Michael Jackson
Füreder has also been physically back in Linz for some time now, having moved home to Linz's Pöstlingberg after years on Mallorca. "There's London, Barcelona or Madrid, but Linz is Linz," echoes from the concert stage. The preparations for the biggest home concert of his life were less than glamorous. "I took my son to school in the morning and picked him up again. Then I cooked for him and hung out the washing - just as you would imagine at a big festival." At home, Parov Stelar has already seen a lot of the opening day. "It's cool, I heard the Kings Of Leon all the way up to the Pöstlingberg, which is great for Linz." When asked whether he would have been an enthusiastic festival-goer himself when he was younger, he has to laugh. "My first concert was Michael Jackson, when I was about twelve years old. I was young about 35 years ago, when there were no festivals at all."
The almost two-hour set in cooler evening temperatures and a relaxed party crowd should indeed make for a successful anniversary evening. In addition to the usual accurate horn section and Elena Karafizi's strong vocals and dance moves on the microphone, the main highlights of this special concert were the extensive lighting effects, the previously unreleased songs and the immensely increased level of heaviness, which oscillated between EDM influences and harder disco set pieces. An all-round successful event that everyone knows how to enjoy. With a forecast of 34 degrees Celsius, the show continues today with Kraftklub, Nina Chuba, K.I.Z. and the Viennese breakthrough artist and Amadeus winner Bibiza, among others.
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