It’s the third and final day of Lowlands and the stars are out in full force.
First up, Billy Talent’s Benjamin Kowalewicz means serious business (and wearing white trousers at a festival, you sorta have to) as the band kick straight into ‘Devil In A Midnight Mass’ before a loud, proud hour of charged punk. At times the vocalist leans towards pantomime force but it lightens the weight of ‘Big Red Gun’ and ‘Afraid Of Heights’. A double bill of ‘Red Flag’ and ‘Fallen Leaves’ don’t need any encouragement to snake their way through the tent though.
A few hours later on the same stage At The Drive In are also dialing up the theatrics. The band are locked in but instigator Cedric Bixler is an erratic flurry, tearing about the stage, climbing in, on and over whatever is in his way before ducking back and helping himself to a cup of tea. The band have always existed on the edge of chaos and between ‘No Wolf Like The Present’ and ‘One Armed Scissor’, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly which side they fall down on. Eyes lit up, the attention is on them for the duration.
It’s a similar story for Death Grips. More focused than rumour would have you believe, the band put in a devastating performance that dials up their industrial end of the world rave. Dancing in the confusion, the band demands a reaction and as people walk away or stand transfixed, they’re still as brilliantly divisive as ever.
With songs about taking the moments where you feel the most vulnerable and bending them into something more empowering, Halsey draws a dedicated crowd to the main stage. Gone is the wide-eyed amazement that we saw at Glastonbury and in its place, a more relaxed performance that sees Halsey switch between Radio Superstar, commanding raging pillars of smoke, and music fanatic dancing to her own beat. If she wasn’t onstage, she’d probably be in the crowd watching and the fact she is doesn’t stop her getting down in the front row for ‘Colors’. Connection reigns despite the distance.
Mumford & Sons don’t waste much time before dropping the first of their confetti laced hits as ‘Little Lion Mans’ gets one of the weekends biggest reactions. The band switch between the acoustic endear that got them here and the electric arena snarl that’s kept them interesting. Live, it’s still a little back and forth and the band don’t do much to smooth over the edges but an appearance from First Aid Kid for ‘Awake My Soul’ loosens them up and sees them sparkle before the celebratory parade of ‘The Cave’ (with yet more confetti) elevates them to their peak. It’s a slow meander from here though as the big numbers dwindle and the show just sort of ends after ‘The Wolf’. It’s a frustrating performance because there are sparks of magic to tonight’s closing set, but it’s never allowed to shine as brightly as it could so we have to settle with fine.