I had already planned my travels by the time Nos Alive announced Arcade Fire as one of only two shows in European festivals in summer 2016, but after M83, Radiohead and the rest of the lineup, I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t imagine being able to see them this year, so I made some changes and added Lisbon to my trip -and by extension, Barcelona where I spent an amazing day!
Nos Alive -formerly Optimus Alive- is a music festival held in the suburbs of Lisbon, by the Tage. It’s not big in size, but it surely had the best lineup in Europe last summer, and for what price? 109e the 3-days pass to be able to watch The Chemical Brothers, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Tame Impala, Foals, Pixies, M83, Band of Horses, Ratatat… In one of the most vibrant city of Europe!
6th of july 2016! I arrive in Lisbon from Amsterdam and head directly to the Decathlon then to Lisboa Camping. They had a special deal for NOS Alive punters so we had free shuttle bus between the campsite and the festival grounds. I buy my camping gear, arrive to the campsite, pitch my tent with Camp Unknown (going global!) and start meeting with people. We were a group of 15 or something like that so you really get to know everybody. The festival doesn’t start until the next day so we take it chill and only go out in the afternoon to watch the semi-final of the Euro, Portugal vs Wales. We went to the city and had a good dinner watching the game. Portugal won as you know and we were very excited to know that we’ll be there for the final three days later. But first, the festival.
7th of july! First day of the festival. We reached it fast enough with the shuttle bus. You are welcomed by a band playing -litteraly- above your head as you pass the entrance. I remember the third day we were passing and everybody was dancing or doing something silly. That’s a good introduction. Then, you see how beautiful the arena is: very sunny, with grass on one side of the main stage -like Sziget, I like to stay at the left so it was nice. You could sit there and chill while watching a band and waiting for your favorite band. That’s what we did at first with The 1975, the band introducing the main stage on the first day. They’re not « bad » but I never got into them. The next band was more exciting: Biffy Clyro. I love some of their songs and they have a good live reputation. It wasn’t probably the best time to watch them (Sunny, 4th down the main stage; would’ve been better with them headlining the main stage at a big UK festival) but I did enjoy it a lot, especially the songs I knew.
That was just the introduction; I went around the festival site, had a few beers, ate something and saw how small it is compared to Sziget for example: there’s one big stage and two tents (one electronic and one miscellaneous), as well as one road -very beautiful!- where there was a « cafe » with singers inside. It’s no problem for me, I came for the bands and they delivered. Next on the main stage was Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters. He’s a great guy, communicating with the crowd and the songs were nice, but I was standing there waiting for the Pixies to start. Pixies were good, not great, but I was very happy to hear « Where is My Mind?« . There’s always that special song that will make a concert great or at least give you something amazing to remember. But this was just a warm-up for one of the best concerts I saw in my life: The Chemical Brothers.
Trippy visuals -some even creepy-, great lightshow and of course the hits that follow them made it a great show. I even liked it more than when I saw them at Sziget one month later, because of the effect of surprise. You don’t really know what they will do -well, I didn’t- and they blew me away! Swoon was a special moment obviously, but they also played Go, Star Guitar, Do it Again, Escape Velocity, Galvanize… Lots of energy, great crowd!
That was my last concert of the day. I stayed on main stage then, for practical reasons, but I’m gutted to have missed Wolf Alice and both Soulwax and 2manydj’s. But it’s okay, it was a tiring day, and tomorrow is amazing-crazy. Best lineup for one day I ever saw. We head back to camp.
8th of july! When we wake up, we take it chill and go to the swimming pool (Yes, there’s a pool at Lisbon Camping! amazing), we relax a bit and go to the festival. That’s the day I’ll see Radiohead. That’s also where I’ll see one of the worst concerts I’ve ever seen… Years and Years. It was just horrible. A bit before that, I joined a lebanese girl friend and we got inside the tent and watched a bit of Soulvenir. After that, we went to the main stage, on the grass trying not to hear Y&Y but having to keep our spot. It went quick, and then Foals came in. I was very excited for them, ’cause I saw them last year at Sziget and they were phenomenal, and I really liked the new album. I was a little bit disappointed after the concert but it was still very good. Two reasons though: the lack of darkness from the beginning to the end, and the fact that most of the people were there for Radiohead.
Tame Impala didn’t have this problem though, I guess a Radiohead fan is more likely to listen to them than to Foals. The Aussies did great. They didn’t have a long set but it was very intense. From Let it Happen to Feels Like We Only Go Backward, everything went so fast. They blew up some confetti for these two songs, and ending the concert in the dark with New Person, Same Old Mistakes. Currents was probably my best album from 2015, and still ongoing -even better than Junk for me, so I was really happy. The crowd was crazy, lots of girls showing their boobs on the screen, one guy doing the same and everyone laughing, Kevin Parker noticing it… It was crazy. Let it Happen was probably my best moment.
And then, the moment everyone was waiting for: Radiohead. Right after the concert, I knew I had attended an historical moment in my life. I was happy, ecstatic to have had the chance to watch them live. The setlist was amazing, with two encores; the crowd went quiet when they had to (Daydreaming, Decks Dark…) and went crazy some other times (Paranoid Android, Idioteque…). The singalongs were the best I ever sang to… « Rain down, rain down
Come on rain down on me » for the latter, « For a minute there I lost myself, I lost myself » for the last song of the set, that ended in Thom playing acoustic and the crowd singing (Karma Police). What else can I say? They played fucking Creep! As cheesy as it sounds, I went mad when they started it -well, I knew in advance, because Flo, from Camp Unknown, knew which gear belonged to which song. That’s also the beauty of Radiohead. Multi-instrumentalists, sometimes they even play with two drummers, and they play the whole set with a Jonny Greenwood. Thom seemed to enjoy it a lot, as he was dancing a lot.
After starting with the first 5 songs of the new album, like they did since the beginning of the tour, the game began! Radiohead have a big back catalogue, and they use it positively, changing sets at every concert. Most of their songs are amazing so you’re never disappointed, just happy. Their rendition of Everything in its Right Place was phenomenal, followed by a magical Idioteque; My favorite moment was probably when they played Reckoner, or Nude, but I was also happy to hear lesser known songs like Street Spirits (Fade Out) and Exit Music (For a Film). Here’s the complete setlist, and a complete video of the show. And this is Karma Police with the acoustic singalong.
After all this emotion, I found a little energy and went with the group watch Two Doors Cinema Club. It was very crowded, we couldn’t even enter the tent but it sounded very good. I hope to catch them back at Sziget next year. Then, Hot Chip had to play but I missed them being too tired. Apparently they put on a great, great show! I’ll also try to check them as soon as I can.
9th of july! And the best is yet to come. I didn’t know I would live something so surreal, only the next day. But M83 and Arcade Fire proved me wrong. First, we decide to go to the beach. Lisbon is an amazing city, and also has beautiful sandy beaches… but too cold! I’m used to beaches in Ivory Coast and Lebanon to be warm, at least in summer. But no, it was crazy cold. It’s only the second time in 5 summers in Europe that I go to the beach. Anyway the beach itself, Carcavelos, was really beautiful, not too crowded for that day. We had some beers, tried to tan a bit but really just went for some water on our body because the days were very hot and sunny. Anyway; we come back, quick shower and get to the festival. I bought my ticket primarily to watch Arcade Fire but I didn’t think it would top up the night before.
The day started with Band of Horses. We sat at the back, next to a big screen. I think it’s the moment where almost all of Camp Unknown was there, + my lebanese friends. It was a great moment, we were talking, the sun was almost completely down and they played The Funeral. That « one song ». I really like it so we went to the crowd and started singing. Then, Arcade Fire came on stage. and something even more magical than the night before happened. They are SO GOOD live!!! And if you know, and love the songs, it’s just crazy! The Suburbs, (continued of course), Sprawl II, Reflektor to begin with, back to back. I finished going crazy on one song that they started another one even more beautiful. Lots of energy, jumping, singing, shouting… and their stage show is impressive, with the lights like the stars, the mirros… you have to see it to understand. I really hope they’ll tour in 2017. The middle part of the concert, I don’t remember well. I didn’t know all the songs but I didn’t stopped enjoying. Then, an impressive « last 5 songs », to go crazy for 25 more minutes: Neighborhood #1, then #3, followed by Rebellion (Lies), where I almost lost my voice but knew was was coming next so I managed to save it: a chilled Here Comes The Night Time followed by the best song you could play to end a set: Wake Up. Here’s the complete setlist, but it doesn’t give them justice as Radiohead’s setlist. Because yes, Arcade Fire were as good, if not better, as Radiohead.
That wasn’t the end of the night. After their concert, I tried to go as close as possible and as center as possible, because even if Arcade Fire were healdining, M83 was closing the main stage. It’s my favorite band, I know all of their songs, I even have a tattoo. Maybe that’s why I was afraid, of being disappointed, or just to have a good time, not something I lived with Radiohead and AF. But then again, I was wrong. M83 was a 10/10! Outro live at Nos Alive was the best moment I had. The setlist was -almost, and that’s why M83 live at Sziget will be my best concert ever a month later- perfect, for 1h15 of concerts. The combination of the melodies in their songs, the lightshow, the stars, and my personal relationship to the band made this an unforgettable moment. Even if they didn’t play Wait, they did play Intro and Outro, most of their set was HUWD, people went mad crazy for Midnight City, and We Own the Sky was a special moment, considering the bands name. Also, they ended their set with Lower Your Eyelids to Die With the Sun, which I never thought I’ll be hearing live ever. Seriously, this song had only been played once before the start of the Junk tour, on a special occasion, at the Hollywood Bowl. I really don’t have enough word, but this was the third concert of a serie started the day before that will change forever my perception of live music. Three concerts in two days that go straight to your top…3? Live music is bliss, happiness, and with their dream-pop, M83 make it easy, you don’t have to take anything, just go along with the flow, feel the bass, feel the synths, and everything’s gonna be okay!
What do you say? The night didn’t end yet? It was almost 3am but it was the last day, and despite having lost all my energy, I went with some of the group to watch… Ratatat! We stayed outside of the tent, chatted (don’t do it inside you dicks!), and I went in for one song but ended up staying for 3 or 4, including some of my favorites (Shempi, Wildcat, Gettysburg). Some people outside formed a circle and were cheering everyone passing through it. I played the game, it was funny. It reminded me of Sziget, the craziness of the people. That lacked at NOS Alive, but I came for the bands, and I got what I came for. On the last day I missed Four Tet, Boys Noize and Grimes, but I’ll see them later. For now, I needed the best.
July the 10th. The festival is over and I can’t believe it. I had an amazing time, even if I understand that some people had some issues: with the women toilets, and with the shuttles going back to the city at night. I don’t mind anything when I’m on festival mode that’s why maybe I never see the bad things. You’ll find them on some other reviews as this is about my experience 🙂
Anyway, I leave the camp and check in at my hostel. By the time I cross the door, I already know how amazing this hostel will be. Fabio works as a receptionist there (YES Lisbon), and he is the most cheerful person I know now, even if i met him for like 15 minutes. He’s always smiling, happy and ready to give tips and help you. So I check in, rest a bit and join Camp Unknown at the big place for the final of the Euro Cup, Praca do Comercio. We had some beers while waiting, the square was full of people, some frenchies dared to bring their flag but it’s all in a good mood. The game itself is quite boring, but when Portugal scores in the extra-time, everybody and everything exploded! People shouting, kissing each other, hugging, shouting again, flares being lit up, it didn’t stop until the next 10 minutes and the end of the game. Then, every one was in the streets, cheering. I never high fived so many random people passing by with their cars, honking. I was with Portugal this night and it will mark me. Lisbon gave me so much, I have to go back as I didn’t really visit it. But I saw how beautiful those hills are, those buildings, and this festival.
Article illustrated by a picture of © luismad
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