Live Report: Venbee kicks off Longitude's second day with a bang

The walk across Longitude's grassy fields to its legendary main stage is like the descent into the belly of an awesome, musical beast. So early on in the day it was somehow less daunting to transverse, although once people realised that the first act was set to play it did not stay that way.

Clustered around the edges of the stage, people excitedly began singing along to the queued tracks falling from the speakers, reverently looking to the empty space that would soon be Venbee's for the next thirty minutes.

Then, heralded by a wailing siren and thumping beat, the English artist's fateful arrival was met with cheers, opening the festival’s Sunday catalogue of artists with vigour. Radiating energy and bounding across the stage with a pop in her step, the rising dance artist made it strikingly evident that she was ready to raise the roof when she launched into two songs.

Through those opening tracks, Venbee quickly lit that same fire in the audience's bones before calling out to them with an enthusiastic "Dublin how are we fucking feeling?!"

The cheers that met her in return promised a fantastic second day to the Dublin-based Longitude festival.

Sporting a camo-coloured long-sleeve and short combo with a bone white pair of shades adorning her tied up hair, Venbee delivered a sonically magnificent show in less than thirty minutes while pulling tracks from both her own growing catalogue and others'.

Venbee at Longitude Festival 2023, Mainstage. Copyright: Miguel Ruiz/hotpress.com.

Said setlist included Venbee's popular single 'gutter,' which garnered a series of appreciative head bobs and moving bodies. Some of the other tracks she touched on included M.I.A.'s 'Paper Planes.'

"Longitude," Venbee adamantly cheered, "We're going to have a fucking good time."

The hypnotic electronic 'Low Down' and and the just-released-last-week 'Die Young' were among some of the other pieces Venbee played for the occasion, highlighting the strength Venbee embodies when giving voice to and raise awareness of grimmer and harsher topics.

Still, she's an act well-beloved by music fans for her work's smooth sound and tough topic coverage alike, it's no wonder that near the end of 'Die Young' people's hands outstretched towards the sky during the final verses, ravingly echoing the lyrics.

"Oh, my mother, holy water, wash away my sins-"

Venbee at Longitude Festival 2023, Mainstage. Copyright: Miguel Ruiz/hotpress.com.

She finished out with a series of blood-pumping bangers, regretfully warning the audience of the set's imminent end all-the-while keeping the energy up.

"I have two songs left: One of them is one you might know and one is one you've not heard before. We're going to play that one first and then finish off with the other one."

It was a live introduction to be remembered to the electronic artist's killer new song 'Rampage,' soon followed by the crowd favourite, UK chart number 3 hit, Ireland chart number 9 banger 'Messy In Heaven.' Known for detailing the harder paths of life and the quick pitfall they can devolve into, Venbee sang it with a self-aware and retrospective tone.

It's insane to think that this Longitude performance was, as Venbee disclosed, her first Dublin show - especially as it had the night's early crowd jumping the tips of their toes and begging for an encore. Hopefully the first of many to come, it also set the rest of Longitude's second day up to be something great.