Smukfest day 1: Nostalgia at the highest level!
This year’s Danish SMUKfest was lightly hit by rain, but the atmosphere was perfect. People were well-dressed in tall boots and rain gear. The forest has a magical scent in the rain. There’s something cosy about the large trees that drip a little rain while simultaneously creating shelter from that same rain. And when the sun comes out, they create much-needed shade and cool places to be. SMUKfest is undoubtedly a beautiful festival.
Lis Sørensen – absolute perfection.
Amazing Lis! She shone like the sun – not just because of her fabulous pants – but she had an aura that lit up the stage. Her smile, her presence. One thing is certain – Lis Sørensen has not faded in any way! Her voice was spot on. She interacted with her band and audience. No one felt overlooked by Lis.
She started strong with the classic popular songs. Lis does not doubt that people will stick around for her entire fantastic repertoire. ‘Brændt’ and ‘Du tænder lys’ were the first songs on the Bøge stage from Lis. She finished beautifully and emotionally with ‘Stille før storm’, a Sebastian cover. Beautifully delivered – there wasn’t a soul who wasn’t moved.
Lis won’t let herself be forgotten. She persists and THANK YOU for that! It’s fantastic to hear the authenticity that the old artists can deliver. She was a brilliant start to this year’s SMUKfest, which this year delivers a series of “old” artists we at Maxazine Denmark have chosen to follow. It can only be a good year with such a solid start!
DJ Aligator – “That crocodile dad!”
Father potential or not, DJ Aligator still delivers the party like in the 2000s! The audience was ready with whistles even before Ali went on stage. ‘Blow my whistle’ sounded from the front of the stage to the very back of the stage area. People were ready to party, and it went merrily. All ages were gathered around the Hood stage. And then it kicked off!
What a session – from start to finish. Full throttle with dancing girls, DJ Aligator and his crew. The audience danced, and it was clear that Ali had understood the message! People wanted an old-school approach, and we certainly delivered that.
We at Maxazine missed some of DJ Ali’s old tracks – where did ‘Stomp’ go, among others? – but we were still left with the feeling of being sent back to the year 2000 for a while. You can only imagine how big a party it could have become if we had gotten DJ Aligator’s otherwise strong repertoire from start to finish.
But it was nonetheless a lively concert! DJs can rarely boast of being particularly good entertainers, but DJ Aligator has mastered the art. And in that cool early 2000s fashion! It’s genuine, not affected. It’s raw, not staged. Just like a good party should be! It was hard to stand still, but we’ve also become 25 years older. If we had sat down during a sit-down, we wouldn’t have gotten up again…
TV2 – Steffen Brandt has something..
TV2 surprises again – the concert was solid, Steffen is sharp – both dressed and in his performance, but that’s not surprising. TV2 has always managed to deliver the same great concert experience every time. The surprise was in the audience. So many young people gathered in front of the stage! And they knew every word to every song. But maybe it’s actually our above conclusion that makes TV2 popular, even among the very young.
They started well with ‘Lanternen’, the audience sang so loudly that Steffen stopped. The audience was with him. All the way. Fantastic ‘Toyota’ was next on the setlist, and once again, the audience was almost louder than Steffen and the band! TV2 delivered yet another cracker of a concert. And the Stjerne stage area was black with people. There was life and joy, and even though it was getting quite cold everywhere else, we could easily keep warm in front of the stage.
The same authenticity we mention with the other good “old” artists, we also find here. The audience can rely on a good experience, filled with soul. During ‘Alt hvad hun ville var at danse’, people danced all around. A lively concert right out to the side of the area.
Photos (c) Morten Holmsgaard Kristensen
