Review: Northside Festival, Denmark

Image credit: Morten Rygaard

It doesn't get much better than rocking up to Aarhus City to be greeted by a sold out crowd of approximately 35,000 revellers and blazing sunshine.

Having spent some time squeezing my way through the lengthy lines I arrived inside the festival arena to find art installations, spacious eating areas and the most delicious food I have come across at a festival to date. With Tuborg as the main sponsor, the choice was between their regular beer or organic beer. Finding only clean, REAL toilets rather than the usual portaloos was a luxury. A unique festival, to say the least.

Friday kicked off with an array of indie bands including Bombay Bicycle Club and Reptile Youth, a Copenhagen electro/indie band worth keeping an eye on. The eagerly-anticipated James Vincent McMorrow then wowed audiences with a mixture of songs from Post Tropical and debut Early In The Morning. Considering the majority of Northsiders were Danish, his popularity was undeniable, judging by the raucous response from the crowd. Lana Del Rey and The National closed out the night in fine style.

Saturday brought more beautiful weather and The Brian Jonestown Massacre played the perfect energetic set to get Northsiders in the mood, even with singer Anton Newcombe arguing with the guitarist for most of the second half of the set – but hey what’s new? Besides, it's rock’n’roll!. Baby In Vain, an all-girl rock trio from Denmark, rocked the stage like a young Sonic Youth.

Elsewhere, Mø pumped up the atmosphere even further. No stranger to a bit of chaos, she found the time to engage in some crowd surfing. Jurassic 5, however, proved the undoubted highlight of Saturday. The LA hip hoppers were amazed by the crowd and tried their best to play on but ran out of time. There was time, though, for local heroes to shine. Danish and Swedish acts such as Turboweekend, Nina Persson, Mew, Robyn, Röyksopp and Nabiha brought a vibrant festival vibe across Northside by night.

Day 3 saw Flogging Molly bringing some Irish flavour to the Danes. White Lies and Rudimental impressed with lively turns and The Pixies banged out one hit after another. The weekend belonged, though, to Arcade Fire who delivered a magical performance with sounds that practically transported you to the Bahamas.

Ending the weekend were Californian rockers Queens of the Stone Age. A stone cold sober Josh Homme owned the stage and encouraged people to rock out a little more than security wanted. He'll do that...

Northside might just be the perfect festival; laid back, great music, beautiful people and surroundings. It might be more suited for music lovers who prefer not to camp and not to rough it at the bigger festivals. It may take two flights to get there from Dublin but for I promise it will all be worth it! Check out [link]northside.dk[/link] for more info.