Rain, raves and rap icons round out Longitude Festival in triumphant style

Longitude concluded its weekend festivities last night, with the festival's final day featuring a jam-packed adrenaline rush of conceptual rap and club music for those who made the trek to the heart of South Dublin.

Thousands were in attendance for the late-adolescence rite of passage in Marlay Park, and while the weather gave way to occasional rainy showers, the music did not disappoint. An all-star Sunday lineup featured Irish talents Travis x Elzzz and well-seasoned rappers from across the pond including Joey Bada$$, GloRilla, Lil Uzi Vert and Travis Scott, as well as some awe-inducing DJing from British up-and-comer VenBee and rap industry legend Metro Boomin.

Kicking off the Sunday proceedings on the main stage was a thrilling, cathartic drum ‘n’ bass filled set from VenBee. The DJ made the stage her own for thirty minutes, initially heralded by a wailing siren, thumping beat, and passionate cheers, from the audience.

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

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 called out "Dublin how are we fucking feeling?!", and swiftly launched into two songs.

Performing in camo attire and an iconic white pair of shades adorning her tied up hair, VenBee delivered a sonically magnificent show, playing her own hypnotic electronic hits 'Gutter', 'Low Down' and 'Die Young' while also pulling others' tracks like M.I.A.'s 'Paper Planes'.

It's crazy to think that Longitude was, as she pointed out herself, VenBee's first Dublin show. Hopefully the first of many more to come, it set the tone for the rest of Longitude's second day.

If you were lucky enough, you could also make it to TraviS x Elzzz's gig taking place a short hike away at the Heineken stage at 2pm. The Irish-Nigerian duo delivered a chest-pounding early set in the packed-out tent – as they also recently did when they headlined the inaugural Hot Press Monster Sessions.

TraviS X Elzzz performing on Heineken Stage at Longitude. Copyright: Abigail ring.

Ireland's brightest rap and drill duo, Travis x Elzzz are both natural performers, displaying their flawless synergy for all to see/hear on stage. The ante kept being upped with incredible performances of new single 'Hey U', ‘Pressure’, ‘Low Key Hating’ and ‘F**k Off’. Elzzz scaled the rafters of the stage to look over the electrified audience before introducing special guest Sello.

The rappers closed their smashing set with crowd favourite ‘BBB’, before leaving to the thundering chant of ‘Olé Olé Olé’. Travis X Elzzz’s show well and truly blew the roof off the Heineken Stage.

American rapper GloRilla was up next on the day's agenda, bringing her unapologetically empowered presence to Longitude's main stage at 3pm. With an entrance that shook the foundations of Longitude's main stage and elicited early roars from the ardent crowd, the rapper's performance promised to be impressive.

GloRilla at Longitude 2023's Mainstage - copyright: Miguel Ruiz / hotpress.com

Concert goers had already packed themselves as close as possible to the stage in anticipation, an unspoken countdown for GloRilla’s arrival. Entering with back-up dancers moving tantalisingly on stage, GloRilla popped out in a sharp pink bikini top and pants, unofficially ordaining herself as queen of the main stage under the purple overhead lights as she launched into '99 Problems'.

That rapper's energy never left the stage, transforming into an unwavering behemoth of crowd-pumping intensity throughout the rest of her set. "Where are my motherfucking raunchy bitches at?" she yelled at her onlookers. "Where are my motherfucking church ladies at?". Pulsing beats quickly took her to 'Unh Unh.'

Following her live rendition of 'Nut Quick,' GloRilla called for people to put their middle fingers up as she hit off the beginning of 'On What U On', promising the crowd she would "turn it up a notch".

Wrapping up the night with 'Internet Trolls,' 'Tomorrow,' and constant encouragement for her onlookers to "turn that shit up," GloRilla didn't leave her Longitude set or adoring fans wanting. The rapper ended her set with a popping final track of 'F.N.F. (Let's Go)'. "On the count of three, I want you all to say 'Let's Go!'"

After a short break, it was time for the familiar jaunt back to the Heineken stage, as 23-year-old Atlanta rapper Ken Carson treated us to a ferocious short set that had an exhilarated crowd gasping for breath.

Ken Carson performing at the Heineken Stage at Longitude Festival. Copyright: Abigail Ring

Carson’s music fuses rap with bass-heavy electronic production, and the musical alloy was exactly what the Longitude audience came for. Approaching the stage, Carson whipped off a black beanie to reveal his staple blonde tipped dreads, and launched into  ‘Money & Sex’, the crowd already wrapped around his finger.

Eager fans fed off his energetic performance, bursting into rampaging mosh pits on command from the rapper. Smash hit ‘Yale’ almost took the roof off the tent in Marlay Park, with the electrified Heineken Stage crowd hitting boiling point. Fans were also treated to a selection of his unreleased tunes.

Carson closed the show with ‘Freestyle 2’ and ‘Rock N Roll’. A short set, it lived up to the hype, an undoubtedly was a performance that those in attendance won’t soon forget.

Metro Boomin was up next, with a bombastic, energetic performance that was surely heard for miles from Marlay Park. Emerging on stage with the Irish tricolour draped around his shoulders, the American DJ and producer easily and instantaneously won over the eager crowd.

Metro Boomin at Longitude 2023's Mainstage - copyright: Miguel Ruiz / hotpress.com

Airhorns and explosions denoted his entrance, regular staples of a Metro performance, followed shortly by the DJ's iconic tagline scream of "METRO!".

Once the DJ launched into a rip-roaring version of Migos' ever-iconic 'Bad and Boujee', featuring fellow Longitude star Lil Uzi Vert, there was no stopping the the crowd or DJ himself from letting their collective energy out, the latter jumping around the stage to the intense beats.

Metro launched into an all-star mix of tracks, with an electric version of Drake's 'Jumpman' encouraging everyone in attendance to jump. The DJ quickly moved to ILoveMakonnen's 'Tuesday', which instantly the whole crowd "going up".

It was clear to all by this point that Metro is a far too seasoned DJ to deliver anything but a stellar performance. Coupled with the speed at which the show’s tracks were dispatched – they were truncated and segue into each other, which enabled Metro to cram a staggering amount of songs into a short 45 minute slot – it was a lot to take in.

An unfortunately short set ended with the DJ being cut off shortly after his own 2022 track 'Superhero', and thunderous cheers from the crowd quickly took over. Headliners Lil Uzi Vert and Travis Scott will truly have to bring the heat to match the intensity of this performance.

Our last trip to the Heineken Stage was an important one - Joey Bada$$, American rap icon  who proved to be one of the best rappers in Marlay Park on Sunday night. As Lil Uzi Vert lit up the main stage, Bada$$ fans bore witness to a mesmerising show, starting strong with Joey sending his admiring crowd wild to his opening song ‘Temptation’.

Joey Bada$$ performing on Heineken Stage at Longitude. Copyright: Abigail ring.

“Longitude 2023, how are y’all feeling out there,” roared Joey. “Welcome to the Joey Fucking Bada$$ show.” His bellowing exclamation was met with similar vigour by the crowd, who cheered his every word. The rapper moved on to ‘Show Me’, a spectacular tune that displays Joey’s talent not only as a rapper, but as a producer aswell.

Following ‘Show Me’ came the Kiss Cam interlude. Joey, a romantic at heart, picked out couples from the crowd for the Kiss Cam, before being caught on camera himself. His special someone arrived on stage, and Joey shared a most intimate smooch in front of the roaring Longitude crowd.

‘Love Is Only A Feeling’ was a most appropriate song to follow, and the crowd could likely be heard singing the chorus from the other side of Ireland. Ending with ‘The Rev3nge’ and ‘Devastated’, flexed his credentials at Longitude as one of the greatest rappers in the game.

In tandem with the stellar Bada$$ performance, rock star rapper Lil Uzi Vert electrified a loyal crowd at the main stage. The Philadelphia performer gave it his all in a packed-out performance - loud, proud and crowded, the rapper’s anthems were received rapturously by an adoring audience.

Lil Uzi Vert at Longitude 2023's Mainstage - copyright: Miguel Ruiz / hotpress.com

Launching straight into 'Suicide Doors', a song released only three days ago on his newest album Pink Tape, Vert already proves to be an unstoppable force on stage, running back and forth while screaming the lyrics down the mic. Vert's most loyal fans have already started singing (or rather screaming) along to the new lyrics, nothing but joy and appreciation in the young fan's ecstatic faces.

Rib-shaking bass collides with the click-clack of the drum tracks, above which hover Vert’s half-sung, half-rapped vocals for thrilling versions of '444+222' and 'Do What I want'. While Vert’s name may suggest a rapid-fire assault of words streaming endlessly and hitting hard, there’s often a slowed-down, almost groggy delivery to them.

An enthusiastic Ken Carson joins Lil Uzi Vert for one of the best parts of the performance, with the two in unison covering Carson's 'Freestyle 2' and Vert's 'POP'. "I hope you're not tired, we're gonna keep this shit going all night!" exclaims Vert, to thunderous cheers from the crowd.

The fact that the show came to an abrupt end after 'Just Wanna Rock' – there was no walk out music – was fitting for Lil Uzi Vert - the rock star rapper's performance was a short, sharp shock to the system, and it's a joy to witness.

Following Vert's electric set, the packed main stage crowd were fully charged for the final headliner, world-famous Travis Scott. This being Scott's first gig in Ireland in five years, fans swarmed to the barriers to get as close as possible, and eagerly awaited the music icon's arrival.

The barrier-huggers certainly had valid reasons for their excited anticipation, but it would slowly fade as almost fifty minutes passed before Scott emerged on stage. The extended wait for the performance cannot be attributed to festival organisers or the rapper, but it did result in many opting to leave the festival early.

When Scott finally emerged, triumphant cheers were heard across the crowd, but listeners were treated to a condensed 16-song performance due to the rapidly-approaching curfew.

Travis Scott at Longitude 2023's Mainstage - copyright: Miguel Ruiz / hotpress.com

The delayed entrance not phasing him, Travis emerged victorious, full of infectious energy as he prowled the stage. Pillars of fire and smoke accompanied the entrance of Lil Uzi Vert, who joined Travis to kick of the show with his own song 'Aye'.

The light show and intense performance had the crowd quickly back on Scott's side, who moved on to his own hits 'Highest in the Room' and 'BUTTERFLY EFFECT'. The short set list takes the crowd back and forth through Scott’s career, moving from early hit 'Mamacita' before bringing in beautiful swirling party tracks from his 2018 album Astroworld.

The stage spectacles fuelling the adrenaline rush of final anthems 'Antidote' and 'SICKO MODE', as the rapper loudly proclaims "Dublin, let's fucking rock!". Following a rendition of 'Goosebumps' during which almost all in attendance recite the words with Scott, the show comes to an end all too soon.

a somewhat underwhelming start to the final performance of the weekend, Scott gave it his all for the short setlist, fitting his greatest hits into a show filled with visual spectacle and raw rap talent.

Attendees, fans and the Hot Press team alike, were spoiled for the day by a myriad of energetic and intense performances across both stages at Marlay Park. The ecstatic sounds of a fading set, backlit by a golden Irish sky were the image of a glorious end to a successful weekend. Sunday maintained the high standards that Longitude sets itself - a tremendous atmosphere and some simply great music.