With the Sziget Festival kicking off in earnest today after three years, we present the acts to look out for on opening night when Dua Lipa, the Nova Twins and Channel Tres tread the boards. Good evening, Budapest!
1/10
Remi Wolf
Californian Remi Wolf is one of the artists who
rose to prominence during the pandemic with his first EP released in October
2019 and her debut album two years later. She defines her music as funky soul
pop, but no matter what you call it, it is certain that whoever wanders in
front of the Main Stage at 4pm on the first day of Sziget will be hit with a colourful
blast of energy to set the tone for the rest of the festival. Main Stage, 4pm
2/10
Noga Erez
Israeli Noga Erez is currently one of the hottest
performers in the Middle East. In 2017, you could hear her song Dance While You
Shoot in an Apple Music commercial for her debut album, also released that
year, and since then she has also released her second LP Kids. Her hip-hop and
electronica-based songs are often inspired by events in the region, while you
can also spot the influence of Flying Lotus, Frank Ocean or Kendrick Lamar.
After appearing at festivals such as Primavera Sound, Pitchfork Paris and
Roskilde, she now appears at Sziget with her band. FreeDome, 5pm
3/10
Luiku
In the songs of Ukraine’s Luiku, traditions appear of practically every
ethnic group that has ever graced the Carpathians or the Balkans. The engine of
the project is Dmytro Tsyperdyuk, who can best be compared to Shantel. Still
popular in his country, Dmytro’s travel experiences and love of world music are
reflected in Luiku. In the shadow of war, it must be strange to hear such
life-affirming music from a band from Kyiv, but maybe this is the very thing
that’s required. Global Village, 8pm
4/10
Nova Twins
UK duo Nova Twins are coming to Sziget to promote
their second album, Supernova. The pair haven’t only toured with artists such
as Wolf Alice and the Prophets Of Rage, but according to Tom Morello from Rage Against
the Machine, they’re currently the best band you’ve never heard of. Luckily,
now's the chance to rectify matters. Their songs, leaning towards raw and
scratchy rap metal and supported by groovy bass lines, ring out with amazing
energy, and those who are otherwise averse to classic nu metal should give them
a try. Európa Stage, 8.10pm
5/10
Dua Lipa
In 2018, Sziget was the first major festival where Dua Lipa was given
the opportunity to headline, and since then, other festivals have followed
Sziget's example, many declaring her the new queen of pop. A fantastic show is
expected on the opening day, with the added bonus that, according to rumours,
almost entirely the same production will be shown here as for the solo shows on
the singer's tour. Main Stage, 9.15pm
6/10
Cleopatrick
After the Nova Twins, it will be worth hanging around at
the Európa Stage, because another exciting rock duo, the Canadians Cleopatrick,
then take over. We recommend them primarily to those who liked Royal Blood’s
first album and tend towards grunge, blues and hard rock riffs. Their first
album was only released last year but already in 2018 they were playing the
legendary Lollapalooza in Chicago, for example. Európa Színpad, 11pm
7/10
Arat Kilo featuring Mamani Keïta & Mike Ladd
Just after 11pm, you can enjoy a real treat at the
Global Village, as this French ethno-jazz group take the stage together with Malian singer Mamani Keïta and American slammer Mike Ladd. Their joint
album Visions of Selam in 2018 was a real world music sensation and, as they
rarely tour together, it’s definitely worth catching them this time round. Global Village, 11.15pm
8/10
Channel Tres
Channel Tres can’t hide the fact that he comes from
California, his light house tracks have a West Coast vibe, but being from
Compton, rap also has plenty of room in his music, with inspirations like Marvin
Gaye or Toro y Moi and contributors such as Tyler, The Creator, fellow Sziget
performer TOKiMONSTA, Polo & Pan and Mura Masa.
FreeDome, Midnight
9/10
Zar Electrik
French-Moroccan Zar Electrik takes North-African gnawa music to a new
level. The roots of gnawa go back more than a thousand years, when Islam conquered
the territory of today’s Morocco, and this is when tribal music based on
spiritual rituals was born, complemented by Berber, Jewish and Christian
influences. These days, it can even be labelled psychedelic. Zar Electrik feeds
on this, as can be guessed from their name, supplementing their traditional
instruments and singing style with snatches of electronica. Global Village, 12.45am
10/10
Tourist
Thankfully, south London solo electronica act Tourist
is a recurring visitor to Sziget. Since his performance in 2016, this producer
has also released three new albums, Inside Out, released this May, being the
best so far in our opinion. His earlier ones were more characterised by a
downtempo, melancholic atmosphere, but now this has faded into the background, without
disappearing completely. For all that, Inside Out has tracks that are much more danceable. FreeDome. 1.30am
