Third day of Sziget was a big party

On the third day of Sziget, some very big names were again scheduled. With a bright blue sky and blazing sun, the festival got underway again.

Mimi Webb

British singer Mimi Webb performed on the Main stage last Saturday. This in itself was quite an achievement. Webb released her first singles in 2020 and her debut album was only released last March. Why she has made it this far in a relatively short time soon became clear. She sang all her songs flawlessly. With her dance-pop music, the audience was quickly conquered. Almost all the songs from her first album came along.

She had saved her two biggest hits for last. After “Good Without”, which caused her breakthrough, she played “House On Fire”. The mainly English audience went wild and sang along to all the lyrics.

TV girl

A little later, a completely different show started in the Freedome. American group TV Girl started their set there. With the song “Pantyhose”, they entered the stage. TV Girl’s music could be described as hypnotic pop, with subtle techno beats, lots of samples and a relatively monotone voice. Hypnotizing it did. No one in the audience seemed to be dancing; instead, everyone just rocked back and forth a bit.

The band’s lead singer, Brad Petering, talked the set together. He had a monotone and cynical way of talking, which constantly made it seem like he was making jokes that you, as a passer-by, did not understand. With a bottle of rosé in his hand and sunglasses on, he stood there looking very ‘casual’. For the real fans, this was apparently not a problem. The large crowd that had gathered around the stage cheered at every song.

Niall Horan

Meanwhile, on the Main stage, one of the biggest artists of the festival had started. Niall Horan entered the stage with deafening screams. Impressed by the size and enthusiasm of the audience, he started the song “Nice to Meet Ya”. A very appropriate song, as he had never been to Budapest before. After the first few songs, he expressed his regret that it had taken him so long to come here. Immediately, he promised that this would not be the last time either.

In the song “This Town”, he got very emotional. Although this song was another big hit a few years ago, it was sung along at the top of his voice. This touched him. The noise from the audience peaked when he launched into the song “Story of My Life”. The One Direction fans in the audience savoured it and shouted along.

There were also many Irish flags in the audience. Noticing this, he thanked his Irish fans an extra time. He even called this audience his favourite from his past tour. The last song he played was “Slow Hands”. This mega-hit from his first album was a perfect ending to his set.

Jungle by Night

At a quarter to nine that same evening, Jungle By Night was at the Freedome. This Dutch act consisted of seven men and a hundred thousand instruments. As the band members walked onto the stage one by one, they started playing one by one. The all-analogue and instrumental music made by the band managed to whip up the entire audience to move along nicely.

With the beats of the different percussion instruments and the melodies of the synthesizer, they created a very varied sound. The various brass instruments that were used throughout their set also provided plenty of variety. Still, all these different instruments made a great whole, which made the tent turn into a party tent. Despite the fact that the main act of the evening had started in the meantime, the Freedome remained busy throughout Jungle By Night’s set.

David Guetta

The main act of this Saturday night was none other than David Guetta. The French DJ attracted a huge crowd; the area in front of the Main stage was completely packed. This promised to be a huge party.

He started his set with the song “I’m Good (Blue)”, which he released together with Bebe Rexha. This immediately set the mood for the rest of the performance. Everyone knew this song and jumped and danced to it. During the first chorus, the fireworks and flamethrowers surrounding the stage erupted. All the lights and lasers on the stage also gave a show. So, although Guetta remained calm behind his turntable throughout his set, there was plenty to see on stage.

Less pleasing was something that the DJ, unfortunately, liked very much. During the first few songs, he would stop the music for a few seconds each time at the chorus, so you could clearly hear how loud the audience was singing along. A nice idea in theory, but it was quite confronting to hear yourself and the people around you blaring along. It was also fun after two times, but he kept it up for two whole songs.

Although Guetta has had an awful lot of hits over the years, these were not the only songs that passed by this evening. Besides his own songs, he also played a song by Calvin Harris (“One Kiss”) and by the Black Eyed Peas (“I Gotta Feeling”). With his varied set, he made sure the island turned into a big club. After the song ‘Without You’, his set unfortunately came to an end.

Two Feet

Just as David Guetta ended his set, the next performance at the Freedome began. The singer-songwriter/producer Two Feet (Zachary Dess) started his show. His slow, electronic rock music attracted a lot of attention. Within a short time, the whole tent was full. With the success people in the audience described his music as ‘real sex music’. Thanks to the slow tempo and the many guitar solos, this was certainly understandable. After playing for more than 75 minutes, his show finally came to an end.

Photo’s (c) Wyona Latupeirissa