LOWLANDS FESTIVAL: Everything That Went Down On The First Day
We are halfway through August, which means for 60.000 music fanatics that it is time for Lowlands again! The Dutch festival, held on 16, 17 and 18 august in Biddinghuizen has been a massive force to be reckoned with for many, many years now and if you have ever been, you’ll understand why. Besides the incredible music that Lowlands hosts, the vibe surrounding the festival is impeccable, the foods and drinks modern and trendy and the organisation spot on. We feel very fortunate to have been present this weekend and here is what we have learned and experienced – one day at a time! If you are missing out on the festival this year or would like to tag along for the ride, please make sure you follow us on Instagram and Twitter, as we will be reporting the activities throughout the weekend.
With a very comfortable temperature and minimum amount of rain, iconic Dutch festival Lowlands took off this Friday with a diverse line-up and good vibes. With acts such as Royal Blood and Pup playing one of the many tents on this day, we got to the festival early to check out all that was happening on the festival grounds on this glorious first day.
For us, the day kicked off with the popular Garage Rock band from California: The Growlers. For us, The Growlers are a new name and we stopped by their show with no expectations, an open mind ready to be blown. The Growlers ended up doing just that. With a diverse catalog, unpolished and ragged that translates exceptionally well to a live environment, The Growlers were a pleasant act to be entertained by. The band performed a couple of songs heavy on the synths and danceability, while other songs had a more psychedelic feel to it with some unique harmonies and beats. All in all, The Growlers were the perfect act to warm up with for the rest of the weekend. The photos from their performance can be checked out in the gallery below.
The Growlers:
Where The Growlers allowed us to dip our toe in the water to feel the temperature, Pup blatantly pushed us in the water, with a musical blast of whirling guitars, upbeat drums and hard-hitting lyrics. The band played one of the smaller tents on the festival grounds, but filled it with several people standing on the edges on the outside to witness the band’s energetic pop-punk catalog. Pup recently released their new album ‘Morbid Stuff’ via Rise Records, which put the band on the map on a global scale. With songs like ‘Kids’ and title track ‘Morbid Stuff’, Pup’s performance at Lowlands 2019 truly was one for the books. The energetic force from Canada struck gold with their new material and didn’t shy away from these songs for the show – nor should they. To us, Pup’s performance was one of the highlights of the sunny first day of Lowlands. You can check out some shots from the band’s performance in the gallery!
Pup:
As the afternoon progressed and the evening just around the corner, energetic pop-star Anne-Marie took the mainstage, known as the Alpha stage at Lowlands. Opening her set with the incredibly popular ‘Ciao Adios’ had the entire Alpha tent shaking on its core, with drinks richly flowing and people dancing around. Anne-Marie continued her with set with songs varying in topic. The set took a turn for the best with the song ‘Perfect To Me’, which is all about self empowerment and self-love wrapped up in a gorgeous song with a catchy hook. Anne-Marie displayed first class of showwomanship and did an impeccable job entertaining the crowd with her charisme, dance moves and interaction with fans. If you have never seen Anne-Marie live, we definitely recommend you check her out on any of the upcoming shows. Check some photos from her performance at Lowlands 2019 below!
Anne-Marie:
Our excited photographer Eva van Kuik rushed off to the Bravo stage to catch a glimpse of Jorja Smith’s performance. Jorja Smith’s music can be best described as a mix of soul, R&B and Jazz and is very pleasant to listen to. Check out the photos of her performance right below.
Jorja Smith:
For us already the last performance of the evening was the ferocious blues-rock duo Royal Blood who took the mainstage at 19:30. While there’s just the two musicians on the stage, they give one hell of a performance. Mike Kerr, who takes care of the bassguitar and vocals on stage and drummer Ben Thatcher are both excellent entertainers and even better musicians. With impressive songs such as ‘Lights Out’ and ‘How Did We Get So Dark’, Royal Blood entertained Lowlands for a good hour. Photos from the show can be seen in the gallery below!
Royal Blood:
