Open’er Festival 2022

“That’s the Open’er spirit,” says one festival employee, when hordes of attendees return giddily onto the site late Friday night. When South London-based rapper Flohio is told to stop a few songs into her Alter Stage set earlier in the evening, all indications are that the impending storm would pass quickly, as it had done the previous night. Four hours later - after a firework show of lightning, thunder that rocked the foundations of every structure on site, torrential rain, and an evacuation of the massive field - there’s to be no Dua Lipa, no Megan Thee Stallion. A wet-ass Biffy, for sure, but not one who’s going to be taking to the Tent Stage that night.\nCut back to Wednesday, and Damiano David pauses before Måneskin start their Main Stage set. “There’s just one thing that we have to do,” the frontman says, before proceeding to plant a kiss on drummer Ethan Torchio and guitarist Thomas Raggi’s lips, respectively. “This is to remind all the homophobic that you’re stupid assholes.” It’s all met, unsurprisingly, with ear-shattering screams. \nThe giant catwalk that’s attached to the Main Stage provides the Eurovision winners with yet more fuel - and rock’n’roll cliche - to play with. Damiano, in leather trousers and a backless sequinned top that allows full view of his tattoo collection, struts his way up and down, arms outstretched, drinking in the adoration from a huge crowd that stretches back as far as the field allows. Thomas and bassist Victoria De Angelis, meanwhile, tag-team their way around, whether striding in unison, perfecting their best ‘80s hair metal poses towards the bright blue sky, or thrusting each other in an exaggerated manner. Without humour it would be well past the line of corny, but the Italians know what they’re doing, and the Polish audience are lapping it up.

Tags: Open’er, Festivals, Reviews, Live Reviews