RobbieG of Belters Only

I remember seeing Annie Mac on the Main Stage at Longitude '16. I think she played ‘House Every Weekend’. That memory always stuck in my head – that feeling of being in the crowd with my mates, and the whole buzz around the day itself…

When I’m watching from the crowd at a festival, I’m the same as any other DJ – thinking in my head, ‘I would’ve played this or that.’ But being in control, and having the confidence to know what you’re going to play next... That feeling is just untouchable.

We’ve had a lot of unbelievable moments, but the one that really stands out to us would have to be the first time we did the tent at Longitude. There was a big buzz around that show, and a big buzz going on around Dublin at that time. The energy in that room from start to finish was like nothing I ever experienced before – especially being the one on stage, and being part of that with Bissett and the lads.

I wouldn’t describe playing a festival as pressure – it’s excitement, knowing that new people are going to hear us. A lot of times when we’ve played in tents, especially in the beginning, we’d get people after our sets saying, ‘I just walked by and saw the energy, and saw the madness’ – and then they became fans. It’s exciting to know that that’s a new audience out there.

We’re in a couple of new spots this year. We’re in Malta, and we’re in Croatia for Hideout. That’s going to be a sick one, because a lot of Irish people go over to Hideout.

There’s a lot of big shows we’re looking forward to, but the main ones are our headline shows in Ireland. And we’re making a full day out of those – with the likes of Jazzy, Obskür, Route 94, the Afters Only lads, D.O.D., and Jax Jones. We're really excited about those line-ups.

• Belters Only play Punchestown, Co. Kildare (June 2); Belsonic, Belfast (14); Virgin Media Park, Cork (21); Longitude, Dublin (29-30); and Galway Airport (August 11).

Belters Only at Longitude 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring.

Read the full Festival Special in the current issue of Hot Press: