Smukfest 2026, day 2: From emotions and sing-alongs to rock and pure celebration

Smukfest’s second festival day offered great contrasts. From Mumle’s remarkable development and Lewis Capaldi’s emotional concert to Palaye Royale’s explosive rock show, Dodo and the Dodo’s’ beloved sing-alongs and Infernal’s party at the Stjernescenen showed once again why Bøgeskoven is one of Denmark’s most versatile music stages. Five concerts, five completely different experiences – and an audience that was there all the way.

Mumle – Southern Jutlander with growing pains

Julia Kathrine Hansen – better known as Mumle – suffers from growing pains. In more ways than one. The sweet Southern Jutlander has grown into what it means to be an artist. When we last saw her, she was a very quiet girl on stage who did not make much of a fuss about herself. She sang her songs, smiled a little shyly and let the music speak.

Cut to two years later.

Mumle owns the stage. She fills it. She talks with the audience, laughs, dances and seems as if she has finally discovered that several thousand people have actually come to see her. And the audience? They thought it was great! She still has the Southern Jutland charm that makes you want to invite her home for Sunday dinner. But now there is also a confidence that suits her. Not the arrogant kind. Just the kind that says: ‘I belong here.’

The voice did not disappoint either. It sounded stronger and more confident than last time, and the songs were allowed to live exactly as they should. Mumle has the rare ability to write lyrics that feel as if they have been stolen directly from your own diary. Where the young woman gets her life insights from, we would like to know.

The audience sang along, danced along and laughed along. There was a lightness over the concert that made it impossible not to like. It felt less like a concert with a pop star and more like a friend who happened to have been allowed to play on a festival stage. Two years ago we saw a talent. This year we saw an artist. The growing pains are not over yet – and fortunately for that. Because Mumle only seems to get better and better. And we are looking forward to the future.

Palaye Royale – Rock with punk undertones

If David Bowie, My Chemical Romance and Sex Pistols had a love child, the result would probably look like Palaye Royale. They call it “fashion-art rock”. We call it rock with punk undertones. And wow, how well it suits them. Palaye Royale is not a band that walks onto the stage. They arrive.

Frontman Remington Leith has so much energy that he should be registered as a renewable energy source. He runs, jumps, crawls, poses and lives through the concert as if his life depends on it. It is at once completely exaggerated and utterly impossible not to be swept along by. And then there is the rest of the band. They play with a confidence that is normally only found in bands that have been headliners for twenty years. It could easily have become arrogant. Instead, it becomes charming because they can actually back it up.

The music is a strange thing. Punk. Glam rock. Alternative rock. Emo. A little bit of “we’ll take everything and see what happens”. On paper it should be a mess. On stage it makes perfect sense. The audience was with them from the first song. Some knew every single word, others mostly stood staring with an expression that said: ‘What on earth is this?’ Five minutes later, the same people were jumping along. That kind of thing cannot be planned.

Palaye Royale does not just play a concert. They start a minor identity crisis among the audience. Suddenly you find yourself considering whether you might actually be able to pull off eyeliner and a leather jacket after all. They may not be the biggest name on this year’s poster. But they played as if they were. And honestly … we believed it too.

Dodo and the Dodo’s – Celebration for all the money

They may have grown older, but certainly not worse. Some bands are booked for nostalgic reasons. Dodo and the Dodo’s are booked because they can still get a party started, and that party came from the very first note. It is difficult not to sing along when the old classics hit Bøgeskoven. Suddenly thousands of people are standing there singing at the top of their voices, as if it were a school party at the end of the 1980s. The only difference is that both the audience and the band have gained a few more laugh lines since then.

Dodo delivered with the same infectious energy that has made her one of Danish pop’s most beloved lead singers. She has a warmth and a naturalness on stage that makes the concert feel more like one big shared celebration than a traditional performance. The band played confidently, with experience and plenty of energy to spare. You could feel that they have done this before. Many times. But they still play as if it is fun, and that joy spreads directly to the audience.

There was no need for gigantic LED screens, flames or fireworks. The songs handled the work perfectly well themselves. After all, it is difficult to compete with thousands of people singing along at the top of their lungs. In fact, our colleagues in the press area almost 500 metres away could hear the sing-along from the Bøgescenen. That says something about the atmosphere. You do not go to Dodo and the Dodo’s to have pop music reinvented. You leave with aching cheeks after smiling and singing along for an hour. And sometimes that is exactly what a festival needs.

Lewis Capaldi – Tears and laughter

Beautiful stage, fantastic sound and a voice that can both break a heart and put it back together at the same time. Lewis Capaldi is something of a paradox. He sings some of the most heartbreaking songs imaginable, but between the songs he is closer to a stand-up comedian than a traditional frontman. One song makes you want to call your ex. The next comment makes you laugh so much that you forget why. It is precisely that balance that makes Lewis Capaldi something special.

The voice was nothing short of outstanding. The raw nerve, the small cracks in his voice and the honesty that have made him a global star were there all the way through. There are no clever tricks. Just a man, a band and songs that hit exactly where they should. The stage was beautifully constructed without stealing the attention. The lighting supported the atmosphere, and the sound was among the best of the festival. Every single note was crystal clear, and that only made the emotional songs even stronger.

The audience was there all the way. Some stood with tears in their eyes, others sang along at the top of their voices, and most did both during the concert. When all of Bøgeskoven sings along to the biggest ballads, a very special sense of community arises. Lewis Capaldi has a rare ability to make thousands of people both laugh and cry within the same hour. It requires a special talent – and an even more special personality.

You leave a Lewis Capaldi concert with sore vocal cords, tired laughing muscles and a slightly lighter heart. That is probably the best review one can give.

Infernal – Finally at the Stjernescenen!

There are some bands that you simply associate with festivals. Infernal is one of them. As usual, they were filled with power and energy. Lina Rafn owns a stage like few other Danish artists do. She does not need many seconds before the audience is with her, and once the party gets started, there is no turning back.

And finally Infernal got the stage they deserve. The Stjernescenen suited them. The area in front of the stage was packed to the limit, and it did not take many minutes before the entire area had been transformed into one huge dance floor. It was difficult to find anyone standing still, and if they did, it did not last long.

It is almost impossible to stand still during Infernal. Whether you grew up with “From Paris to Berlin”, “Ten Miles” or “Self Control”, these are the kind of songs that automatically make your body move. Even those who claimed they were “just standing and watching” suddenly found the rhythm.

Lina Rafn is still an energy bundle like no other. She sings, dances and controls the audience with a naturalness that only comes from many years of experience. Alongside her, Paw Lagermann delivered the musical foundation that has made Infernal one of Denmark’s most iconic dance acts.

There are concerts where you become impressed. And then there are concerts where you simply have fun. Infernal delivered the latter in abundance. It was not a concert that needed to be analysed or interpreted. It was ninety minutes of pure celebration, high energy and sing-alongs. Exactly as Infernal should be.

Photos (c) Morten Holmsgaard Kristensen