Live Review

Exit Festival 2022

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Honey Dijon and Blond:ish also made for a memorable weekend at the Petrovaradin Fortress.

Words: Reiss De Bruin
19th July 2022

As a European festival mainstay for over two decades now, the chances are that you’re at least somewhat familiar with Serbia’s Exit - whether it’s via word-of-mouth, enviable social media images, or the years of glowing reviews. Founded as part of a student movement demanding democracy, freedom and peace that swept the country in the aftermath of the political turmoil that ravaged the region in the ’90s, Exit - which welcomes guests from over 70 countries - is a festival that has always had something important to say and, in the polarised international landscape in 2022, its message is arguably more relevant than ever; a sentiment shown clearly across its four days. For the most part, Exit should be considered a nocturnal event. It’s a point well made as Midlands rockers Napalm Death take to the stage at 8pm. What follows is a testament to the grindcore legends’ enduring popularity. Mark Greenway has fronted the metal outfit for over three decades now, and rattles through their extensive back catalogue with a spiky ferocity that launches the festival with all the verve and vim that you’d expect. Very much welcome political interjections punctuate their performance as a rousing homily regarding the protection of the rights of refugees leads into an equally-spirited rendition of ‘Contagion’ from their most recent album, the cheerfully-named ‘Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism’. Dust kicking up into the early evening air serves as a warning of the many moshpits to come over the course of the next four days, the band’s bombastic riffs working hard to ensure that the faithful crowd braving the early evening heat leave with their blood up and spirits high. The main stage is then filled for the next several hours with local fare as Back to the Future take us on an frenetic journey through the Balkan hip hop scene as part of a concept show in which a number of MCs from across the region take to the mic, before this evening’s headliner Iggy Azalea. Strutting on to the stage below a firework emblazoned sky, the chart topping Australian delivers a glossy pop display, featuring her biggest hits which, despite several missteps, satiates the capacity-crowd’s appetite. However, the fact that twerking interludes consistently garner a much bigger reaction from the crowd than the introduction of even ‘Work’ or ‘Black Widow’ might want to give her pause. That said, her high octane showing - while spotty in places - still manages to provide a suitable jumping off point for the night’s more dance oriented fare. The filter-rattling sounds of Sau Paulo’s Anna and Palestinian techno queen Sama’ Abdulhadi take us well into the small hours of Friday morning over on the colossal MTS Dance stage, with a b2b set that goes on to become a late-night highlight. Slanted on a hill sloping down towards a cavernous arena in front of a huge screened DJ booth raised several metres above the makeshift dancefloor, it’d be easier to worry that the mainly forward-facing speaker stacks might have trouble permeating the crowd, but the sound holds up well, delivering weighty basslines almost as effectively at the back of the arena as the front.

Our second visit to the fortress is ahead of the headline performance of Australia’s evergreen Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, which despite seeming an outlier on the bill proves to be the most inspired booking of the weekend. The frontman’s unceasing commitment to carry on expanding the width and depth of his ageless body of work remains as lustrous as ever. Showcasing a vitality that’s well beyond most of his contemporaries, two hours of pure unadulterated magic ensue, time flying by as the gangly icon effortlessly cavorts around the stage while mining every ounce of gold he can from his trademark baritone vocals. Opening with ‘Get Ready for Love’ and ‘There Goes My Beautiful World’ while backed by a three-person gospel choir, it’d be easy to imagine such a spectacle coming across as contrived, but under the wizened stewardship of one of rock’s most enduring artists, it serves as a poignant reminder of the power of quality songwriting when coupled with suitable arrangements.

Journeying through darker territory with ‘I Need You, a tragic tribute to Cave’s late teenage son, the crowd mourns with him during a clearly emotional segment of the show before lifting the mood with stirring versions of ‘Tupelo’, ‘Red Right Hand’ and ‘The Mercy Seat’, before closing with an incredibly well received ‘Into My Arms’. To complete the night, we pilgrimage to the temple of high house priestess Honey Dijon who provides us with blissful escape as the sun begins to rise over a grateful Danube. Coupling Chicago classics with more contemporary fare, Honey’s sound may have been honed in the sweaty basement clubs of the culture’s formative years but it was born for the big stage; the next several hours are a joyous trip through the lighter side of the electronic landscape, a fun soundtrack that encourages hugs and perfectly encapsulates the pillars of inclusivity that house was founded upon.

Saturday evening sees Exit enter its ultimate form as DJ-slash-superproducer Calvin Harris makes his much anticipated Novi Sad debut after what’s felt like an endless build up over the course of the week: the city is so littered with images of the Scotsman that you may have thought he was running for president. Drawing a crowd so massive it makes navigating the festival site unwieldy for a good hour either side of his set, it’s easy to forget how ubiquitous a presence he’s been within the global pop scene for the last decade. In fact, the Dumfries icon’s setlist is so peppered with his own star-studded discography that when he does reach for a record produced outside of his own studio inventory it almost feels like a noteworthy event in itself. Casually dropping his all-star team ups with the likes of Rihanna, Sam Smith and Dua Lipa as if they were just part of a mainstream playlist is quite the flex - even for the biggest of big room EDM superstars - so as each hefty drop subsides the seed is planted for an even bigger reaction to the next chart topping single of his to rumble through the speakers. But, for all the star power on display, it’s actually solo effort ‘When I Met You In The Summer’ that picks up the most eardrum shattering response, sending his now-delirious flock into raptures.

Battling our way over to the No Sleep Stage, the remaining half of Blond:ish sees the Canadian DJ and producer whipping the crowd into a frenzy with a choice set of groove-laden cuts that echo off of the unique stage’s 400-year-old cobbled walls. Dancing through until emerging daylight signifies it’s time for us to head home ahead of the event’s closing stanza, it’s a testament to the Kompakt Records signing’s versatility that she temporarily makes us forget our plans of leaving at a sensible hour multiple times as we drink in the heady brew of her selections.

Entering site for final time is a bittersweet affair as - like the hallmark of any good festival - it feels like we’ve still only just about scratched the surface as to uncovering all the secrets that the castle has tucked away within its walls.

Reggae sounds and the smell of fresh cevapi float through the air as we arrive at the main stage for what proves to be a riotous sojourn through legendary Brazilian metallers Sepultura’s nigh on 30-year retrospective. Few things clear away the cobwebs like the rockers’ blistering opening number ‘Arise’ which burns through the synapses with all of the intensity of the band’s firebrand political activism. Repeatedly breaking stride to give the crowd time to recover ahead of the next full-throated assault on the senses, frontman Derrick Green expertly uses these breathy intermissions to speak out against the regressive policies of his controversial, alt-right adjacent president Jair Bolsonaro before returning to the equally uncompromising sounds of his multifaceted sonic wheelhouse.

Following the fury comes former Finnish Eurovision entry Blind Channel who exhibit a much more radio-friendly variety of rock, showcasing their take on what they describe as ‘violent pop’. It’s an interesting sound to explore and one sure to catch the ears of those obsessed with all things ‘Y2K’ with rave and emo influences meaning skaters of all aural persuasions should find enough nuance within their stylings to find something they can dance to without having to actually admit that they’re having a good time.

Rounding out Exit’s 2022 edition is the biggest Serbian booking of the week: Belgrade singer-songwriter Konstraka who, having first come to prominence as a part of electronica group Mistakemistake before going on to front the locally popular Zemlja Gruva! throughout the 2010s, has spent the last few years embarking upon a successful solo career as one of the country’s most popular regional exports. It’s a fitting end to a spectacular set of performances on the main stage, with the vocalist’s signature track ‘In Copore Sano - a scathing critique of her the flaws within country’s healthcare system - a fitting way to bring the curtain down on the festival’s stunning post-pandemic return to form. Farewell Exit, the festival we already can’t wait to enter next year."}]

Tags: Reviews, Live Reviews

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