NOS Alive! 2022: The Report

“The best music festival in Europe” is the slogan for the 14th edition of the NOS Alive! music festival in Lisbon. It’s a bold claim. But they might just be onto something. If you want to pair your world class music with a stunning city break, maybe it is? The lineup is varied, in ways that make us scratch our head – do Metallica, Phoebe Bridgers, Jorja Smith, Jungle and Imagine Dragons really belong together? 

In short, no, not on paper, but in action it very much does, and across the festival's four days we easily create our own (practically clash-free) festival within the festival. At the same time, however, it needs to be highlighted that each day does feel remarkably different to the next, like they could be four standalone headliner shows pieced together under the umbrella of NOS Alive!, and maybe that's what the organisers wanted? It's certainly reflected in the majority that show up each day as The Strokes' infamous logo peppers the tees of the crowd on day one, while it's Metallica shirts as far as the eyes can see on day three.

It also needs to be said that NOS really feels like a festival that puts people first. Lisbon is HOTTTT while we’re here, but just through the arrival gates, there are myriad people doling out free scooshes of suncream, there are water taps onsite and, as far as we can make out, the bar queues never get out of hand – bar drinks include 50cl beers and large glasses of vinho verde for just 5€. There are also some lovely shaded spots on the site too – a food area surrounded by trees with everything from Argentinian fare and churros (with 1.50€ croquettes and 3€ sweet potato fries found elsewhere onsite), and another with vintage arcade games and possibly the most foosball tables we've seen in one place.

The site is also right next to the beach, so it's easy to go for a dip before the festival if you want; it’s also within walking distance of the best pastel de nata in the world, which you’ll find at Pastéis de Belém, although we do find some on site (in a wee shop counter on the pastel coloured street which houses the Fado stage), which certainly rivals the world famous bakery. 

Furthermore, the festival is much more compact, in terms of crowd and site size, than festivals like Primavera Sound in Barcelona, meaning it all feels very relaxed, despite it still pulling crowds of up to 55k a day; NOS Alive! is by no means a 'small' festival, but you can easily bounce between the festival’s modest six stages (only three of which are actual proper big stages) with ease, getting from the main stage to the next biggest in around ten minutes, rarely missing at least some of everything you want to see. And that’s essentially what we do for the four days we’re here. 

Wednesday 6 July

Our musical wanderings begin on day one with Belgian indie-pop group Balthazar who sound mega on the Heineken Stage, especially on the bass-driven Fever, while Jungle provide a suitably summery evening set on the main NOS Stage. We arrive back at Heineken later and catch Modest Mouse playing the epic Float On, before witnessing frontman Isaac Brock playing guitar with his mouth – ouch! Back on the main stage, The War On Drugs provide a gorgeous sundowner soundtrack to the first of the festival’s equally gorgeous four sunset hours. Back at the Heineken stage, the energy is ramped up somewhat by Dublin City’s Fontaines D.C., frontman Grian Chatten prowling the stage and singing ferociously at an adoring crowd, it’s not long before a circle pit is in full swing.

Later, tonight’s headliners The Strokes play a somewhat lacklustre set, once again refusing to play their biggest hit, Last Nite. They also arrive on stage almost 20 minutes late; frontman Julian Casablancas is dressed like he’s on a hunting holiday and regularly talks utter nonsense between songs. Their only saving grace is a very sweet Clairo interlude due to Clairo’s flight being cancelled and her not being able to make the festival. That, and when they do get things right, hits like Juicebox and Reptilia bang. For those who manage to stick out the night, rewards are plentiful from Belgian rapper and pop sensation Stromae who wins day one; his Kraftwerk-esque band, outfit, dance moves, light show and visuals are second to none and it sounds brilliant too.

Grian Chatten, Fontaines D.C. Photo: Hugo Macedo

Thursday 7 July

On day two, we catch some questionable choices early on at the Heineken Stage, namely Bono’s son’s band Inhaler and the robotic Alec Benjamin who delights in wistfully telling us he simply can’t believe that people are singing songs back to him that he wrote in his bedroom, and also that he swam in the ocean today (note: Lisbon is not by the ocean), but it all sounds scripted and weird, and the less said about his music the better.

It’s the ladies who steal the show today, however, with a one-two-three punch of huge names on the main stage, from the heart-wrenching soul of Celeste, to the alt-pop, R’n’B and garage of Jorja Smith and the epic Florence and the Machine; Florence Welch telling us all to live in the moment and put our phones away during the euphoric singalong of Dog Days Are Over is an easy highlight. We then finish our night back at the Heineken Stage with the lo-fi alt-indie stylings of Nilüfer Yanya, who tells us on more than one occasion that she’s hot (dear reader, it was 39 degrees earlier today, so it’s warranted). Sadly the tent is almost empty when she starts due to Florence currently playing to thousands of people at the same time, but that doesn’t stop Yanya and her band from sounding epic as they glide through a series of lo-fi bangers which hit hard.

Celeste at NOS Alive. Photo: Joao Silva

Friday 8 July

Before day three even starts, we have an accidental tumble down some marble stairs so sadly don’t manage to see much, but what we do see is mostly worth hobbling for. Today is the first official sold-out day of the festival and we can feel it from the minute we arrive onsite; the crowd is noticeably different today, here in their droves to witness the kings of heavy metal Metallica play one of only a handful of shows on the continent this summer. 

Reports of T-shirts helicoptering above heads in the crowd for Don Broco’s set, followed by a weird energy for AJ Tracey (a last minute addition in lieu of Stormzy’s cancellation), are sent our way on arrival before we catch a few songs from the, quite frankly, forgettable Royal Blood, before we limp over to the Heineken Stage for Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, who has brought her full Daddy’s Home tour to NOS. 

As she riffs off her band, and trio of backing singers – 'Annie's Angels' if you will – from the off it’s clear that Clark means business, and her set is as playful as the candyfloss pink Adidas x Gucci playsuit she’s sporting onstage. Older songs like Digital Witness are given slowed down funk makeovers to fit in with current era-Clark, who always manages to effortlessly reinvent herself on every album. “To after two years of fucking insanity, we’re able to be back together again,” Clark toasts before delivering a heartfelt rendition of New York, buoyed by the front row of the crowd, before turbocharged and joy-filled renditions of Slow Fast Disco and Sugarboy get everyone in the tent dancing. It’s the most fun we’ve seen Clark have onstage and we’re sad to leave, but rock royalty awaits.

AC/DC’s It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock’n’Roll) is the cliché first piece of pre-onstage arrival music for Metallica tonight, which we get in its entirety, followed by Ennio Morricone’s The Ecstasy of Gold accompanied by visuals from The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, sadly in landscape orientation when the festival’s screens are in portrait. “Whether you know it or not, you are now part of the Metallica family” frontman James Hetfield states early on in their set, and it’s a nice sentiment, although we’re a bit creeped out by the visuals featuring people trapped in coffins which swiftly follow. Do we want to be in that family? Mega hit Enter Sandman makes a surprisingly early appearance in the set, landing only three songs in, with Nothing Else Matters and a cover of Thin Lizzy’s Whiskey In The Jar not far behind. 

While Metallica are every rock cliché going – flying V guitars, gothic visuals, sparkly jeans and lots of fire (insert rock hand emoji here) – the crowd are less so with only the front third seemingly lost in the mosh while the rest of the 50k strong crowd seem more interested in filming the show on their smartphones; it’s the biggest sea of phone screens we've witnessed all week, and perhaps the least rock’n’roll thing to be happening right now. Regardless, the show sounds and looks great and those who are into it are really into it, which is lovely to witness.

St. Vincent. Photo: Hugo Macedo

Saturday 9 July

The final day finds us refreshed and sporting a rather supportive bandage which helps us take on the night in style. Early on Canadian rock troupe Mother Mother vow to “burn all our problems” as we burn in the early evening sun before frontman Ryan Guldemond later declares that they’re going to play a song (Verbatim) about wearing women’s underwear; it’s a truly jarring rap/rock/hoedown hybrid moment from a band that are quite simply, not for us.

We leave and head for the Heineken Stage and catch a bit of Valencian party band Los Invaders, arriving at a very bizarre medley-fuelled moment which ends with the band playing a mashup of White Stripes' Seven Nation Army and Justice vs Simian’s We Are Your Friends. It’s weird, but it works and it certainly gets people up on their feet. We don’t stick around for too long, because it’s back to the main stage for LA sister trio Haim, who nail (and want to be nailed – Este in particular, it would seem) the early evening sunshine set.

There’s a playfulness to the show with them getting sax player Henry Solomon out in the crowd for a solo before playing Summer Girls, which follows a rather raunchy skit earlier in the set from Este who “receives a phone call” before they play 3AM: “Oh, it’s Dominic, the guy I fucked in a porta potty at Mad Cool yesterday,” she says, matter-of-fact. And during the next song her sisters ask: “Who’s single in the crowd for Este? Any takers?” The trio bring a truly horny energy to the final day of NOS Alive! and we’re here for it. Antics aside, there’s a real effortless cool to the Haim sisters as they play through a set which leans in favour of latest record Women In Music, pt. III with aplomb.

While reunited Portuguese hip-hop/rock troupe Da Weasel play the final sundowner set of the week on the main stage, we’re more interested in catching Phoebe Bridgers over at the Heineken Stage, and like with most shows in this tent over the past four days, it’s not hard to get a comfortable spot and a good view. The sound in here is second to none, but it’s hard to hear Bridgers over the screeching throngs of superfans who are nothing short of hysterical from the moment she steps onstage; at one point she even has to restart a song due to spotting that someone in the crowd has passed out.

Late in the set, the faint wum of the WTF Clubbing Stage can be heard over the crowd-requested boygenius number Me & My Dog, but it’s weirdly comforting. “This has been a great first show here, thanks for the warm welcome,” Bridgers says before launching into her final song, and as Bridgers and co play, the crowd are still losing their shit, screaming and singing along at the top of their lungs – "This is never not crazy for me," Bridgers states at one point, which adds up. The screaming doesn't let up from the moment the walk-on music starts (Disturbed’s Down With the Sickness, btw) to the final notes of I Know the End. It's a lot. 

Leaving Bridgers, a huge crowd has formed at the main stage for today’s headliners Imagine Dragons, but we quickly head back to the Heineken Stage to catch a bit of Berlin-based Aussies Parcels, who’s upbeat electropop is met with a warm welcome and huge singalongs. It’s a perfect precursor to Dan Snaith’s tight three-piece Caribou, who sound exemplary tonight in the 2:30am slot – big beats, double drummers, euphoric vocals, hypnotic visuals and lighting being the perfect recipe for a festival closer. Mining evenly across his last three albums, highlights include Odessa, an extended version of Sun and the euphoric I Can’t Do Without You, which closes out the night. The whole thing is perfectly balanced and by the end we're thankful we kept going until the end.

Haim at NOS Alive!. Photo: Arlindo Camacho

NOS Alive! is a real jewel in the European festival calendar, and while we wouldn't dare camp (yes, there's camping available) in the 36+ degree temperatures, we can't think of much better than pairing this festival with a gorgeous city break in Lisbon. Plan a holiday around your favourite day, or go the whole hog and do it all. Whichever you decide, though, do as Florence says and live in the moment.

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NOS Alive! returns to Lisbon, Portugal in 2023 from 6-8 Jul

nosalive.com