Festival half-time
Frequency: “It’s damn hot with you”
No end to the heat in sight - on the second day, around 45,000 visitors continued to suffer from this summer's record temperatures. Various top acts such as Apache 207, The Offspring and the famous Brit Raye heated things up musically. Today it continues with RAF Camora, Cro and Louis Tomlinson.
After the heated but musically soft start on Wednesday, many artists turned up the party level on the first official Frequency Festival day. The range now extends between hyperpop, techno, punk rock and old-school rap, which gives the traditional event in St. Pölten's Green Park a certain uniqueness. However, the mixture of all the styles and sub-styles should by no means be seen as just a disorderly mix; it also reflects the listening habits of the younger generations. Spotify playlists do not adhere to traditional consumer formulas. People listen to what they like. Ski goggles party rapper Ski Aggu fits right in with North German punk rockers Feine Sahne Fischfilet and US punk rock veterans Rise Against share the stage with German rapper Badmómzjay on the same day.
Escape from the heat
As on the warm-up day, the relentless sun remains everyone's biggest enemy. On Thursday, at least a light breeze is blowing across the gravel and concrete slopes of the Green Park, but the first acts, such as the fantastic American Upsahl or the quirky ska party collective Querbeat, are still playing almost in private. Similarly, over on the Green Stage, where the two Americans Joey Valence & Brae make their Austrian debut with a wonderful slice of old-school hip-hop in the best Cypress Hill style, but are only met by two handfuls of brave hard-boiled people. Those who can cool off in the Traisen will benefit. If you're not camping and are lucky enough to have air conditioning at home, it's better to come in the evening.
The food stands are also deserted for a long time, but the (still too few) water stations are understandably literally flooded. The musical program on this day was beyond all doubt. Kenya Grace, with her quirky laptop art, would fit better in a stuffy indoor club, while indie-electronic-punk-popper Grandson mixes styles more skillfully and nimbly than anyone else. On the Space Stage, ski goggle fetishist Ski Aggu interweaves his baller beats with German rap and Schlager derivatives. In between, there is time to suck up to the home crowd because he blames the referee for Austria's elimination in the round of 16 of the European Championships and earns thunderous applause.
Promising future
The stage prop is reminiscent of a kind of mirrored cable car - Tyrol's Member of Parliament Franz Hörl would have been delighted with it. Frequency and Ski Aggu certainly go together. "I think it's so cool here that I'll probably keep coming back for the next ten years," he says happily to the audience in a soiled T-shirt. Exciting insider tips can usually be found on the Red Bull Stage in the VAZ. Levin Liam and Domiziana could indeed have an exciting future ahead of them. German hyper-pop electronic artist Baby B3ns runs anime across the screen and relies on autotune, before British breakthrough artist Artemas pulls off his mystical pop with R&B quotes and a melancholy voice. He still needs to hone his frontman qualities, which is why he spent two days in Vienna before his first Austrian gig, as he revealed to the "Krone" in an interview beforehand. "I didn't think it would be so damn hot with you". Neither did we.
Meanwhile, the punk rock handover takes place on the Space Stage. Brit Yungblud is now an Austria veteran and even if two thirds of the Ski Aggu audience migrate towards the campsite or the nearest beer hut, those who remain celebrate their British hero like Mick Jagger. As a born stage frontman, he not only unleashes a brilliant pyrotechnic show, but also invites the overjoyed Viennese Viktoria on stage, who plays the guitar (quite expertly) during the song "Fleabag", thanks the fans for their support in the broadest Viennese and then receives a guitar from her hero as a gift at the end. That's what you call fan service. The oldies from Offspring are much more experienced, but have also long since settled down. The first singles from the album, which is due to be released in October, suggest something bad, but you still can't go wrong with the classics from the 90s and 2000s.
Significantly improved again
The Californians can be seen on domestic stages in the summer with constant regularity, just as a new day dawns in the morning. Punk rocker Dexter Holland has now become a graduate molecular biologist, and his look has changed accordingly. With an orange shirt and tie, he looks like a cross between an investment banker and Michael Douglas in "Falling Down". The punk rock factor is kept high by guitarist Noodles, who now uses tons of dye to keep his greying hair looking youthful. With the many ups and downs that Offspring have experienced live in this country in recent years, this show is definitely in the upper quality segment. Sometimes the old brooms still sweep well, but not always.
Probably the most valuable pearl of the festival, however, plays almost to the exclusion of the public on the Green Stage. British singer Raye, a vocal wonder of Ghanaian-Swiss descent, won the prestigious BRIT Award for "Album of the Year" for "My 21st Century Blues" and is quite rightly regarded as one of the island's rising stars. While the roller disco and the vodka stage about 50 meters away are blasting rough techno beats over the gravel area, Raye focuses on the most tender moments of the whole festival. The stage decoration and band are kept in pure white, a brass trio provides a big band feeling and a real piano duels with beats that are combined in Raye's mix of soul, R&B and pop.
Charisma and melodies
Although the sound is miles away from the rest of the festival and she has to fight hard against the background noise from all directions, Raye shines with thoughtful, sometimes very personal lyrics and a vocal range that impresses. There are not too many people in the audience, but the front rows are enthusiastic and sure of their words. It doesn't always have to be just guitar strumming and beat stabs, sometimes pure charisma, delicate melodies or a well-rehearsed band that isn't afraid of humorous influences despite the serious topics. A triumphal procession, but one that took place in the wrong place. Raye and band would be best enjoyed at the Wiener Konzerthaus. An esteemed colleague suggests the Arena. Quite legitimate too.
The stage themes are switched for the headliner positions. The punk rock moves towards the Green Stage, where the festival-established Rise Against quote from their extensive back catalog and mix (left-wing) political messages with brute riffs and a lot of joyful playing. So nice, so not new, but guitar bands with a punk attitude and message always work. The Space Stage is closed by Mannheim rapper Apache 207, who has recently returned to the limelight with a few singles. The Frequency performance two years ago revealed some weaknesses in the live segment, and Apache's show is still not really energetic and penetrating this year. The joy of playing the songs is often diluted by extended interludes and bumpy announcements. But after a break in the mood like with The Offspring, it's also difficult to add more. Day three brings high temperatures again today and acts such as RAF Camora, Cro, Louis Tomlinson and the hip electro collective Brutalismus 3000.
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