VOLT Festival 2014 – Day 1 (2nd July)
Our contributor, Dora headed to Sopron, Hungary to spend the week camping by the feet of the Alps in Western Hungary, where VOLT festival takes place each year. Here come the happenings of Day 1 out of five days of madness.
They say there is no music festival without rain, and the first day proved it just right. Rain was pouring down soon after we set foot on site and started to explore the event. At the same time, Morcheeba, who are no strangers to the Hungarian festival life, has brought a decent audience for their late afternoon set.
Electro-pop formation Compact Disco were finishing their show under the tent when we arrived, so we chose to take a look on the punk-rockers of The Grenma instead. In some way, they remind of the early years of Paramore, with the same young energy but heavier sound.
Pop singer, Odett was on next. Her shiny, eighties pop-star look wasn’t in balance with the modern romantic pop songs she played, but the show was entertaining regardless and her unique voice is still something to watch out for.
The foreign main attraction of the day was MGMT after 7pm. Most of the music was perfect for a lazy, rainy afternoon dance-along where you just get lost in the music, but the real party was during the biggest hits, which the crowd was chanting in excitement between each song anyway. And I, for one, still do.
To put the pop music sensation of last year to the stage with the tent probably wasn’t the brightest idea, because Icona Pop from Sweden brought quite a rowdy crowd. Whether it was due to the now popular music or the much heavier rain people were escaping from, we will never know…It was wiser to leave before being squished to death but we still had the chance to dance a good one to the actual radio hit.
Later on, seeing a sheltered Paddy and the Rats after some friendly advice was the best decision of the day. They combine rock music with Irish folklore elements, making it like being on a Saint Patrick’s Day celebration. And we all know Irish people can party. So, Paddy’s Day organisers around the world, take that as a strong advice to book them next year!
After missing out on Quimby’s set (one of the most popular band in Hungary right now) due to staying dry in a tent where bad music was playing, it was a delight to dance to the ska/reagge music of Brains one last time before calling it a day. For a moment we almost forgot that we were out on a muddy field rather than on the sandy beaches of Jamaica. To spice up the show even more, they also had Sian Evans of Kosheen guesting on stage for a couple of songs.
That was Day One. Stay tuned for more, and apologies for no photos – it was because of the rain, rain and more rain. It is hard to believe this did not actually happen in Britain. It certainly could have…
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