In partnership with Electric Castle Festival
Words: David Renshaw and Laura Molloy
For 13 years now, festival-goers in search of a more unconventional live music experience have headed to Bánffy Castle – a 16th-century fortress in the heart of Transylvania – for Electric Castle. Each summer the line-up boasts an extensive selection of genres from across the world, spanning pop, indie, dance, rock, hip-hop and so much more.
This year sees the likes of Twenty One Pilots, The Cure, Teddy Swims and Wet Leg heading to the historic grounds where, over the course of the weekend, the music never stops – true to its title of a 24-hour festival.
Yesterday (July 16) saw the gates finally open up, with festivities gearing up to reach full volume ahead of the main stage officially opening today. With an unmissable mix of the world’s most innovative artists and DJs on the line-up, the tone has already been set for a weekend of magic, music and mayhem. Here’s what went down on day one of Romania’s most unique festival.
Sleaford Mods kicked off the weekend with a punchy set
“Is this the first night?” Jason Williamson asked from the stage. “You look very fresh-faced.” They may have been playing relatively early on the opening night, but Sleaford Mods set a high bar for the rest of the weekend with their set at the Hangar, skipping effortlessly between moments of both levity and surrealist social-realism. Williamson, as always, was flanked by his bandmate Andrew Fearn, whose task for the night was to activate a laptop filled with beats perched atop a War Child flight case and then unlock his trademark array of dance moves (tonight we got fist pumps, air drums and what can only be referred to as a dead man’s lurch). The twosome’s hour-long set was shaped heavily by this year’s ‘The Demise of Planet X‘, with ‘Megaton’ and ‘No Touch’ making for early highlights. Williamson was self-deprecating about ‘Bad Santa’, telling fans “If you want a pint now’s the time” but anyone taking a FIFA-style hydration break around the 20-minute mark would have missed a touching and melancholic song referencing doomscrolling, the Tate Modern and cancelled comedian Dapper Laughs. Anyone in the crowd hoping to get a slice of British life was being served it up like a heavily salted portion of fish and chips.
Elsewhere, the Mods charged through songs including ‘Double Diamond’ and ‘TCR’ with Williamson delivering his invective-laden vocals with a snarl. ‘Mork N Mindy’, from 2021 album ‘Spare Ribs’, was another highlight and captured the lesser-seen pop potential of this unlikely pair. It’s another idiosyncratic pop duo that provided inspiration for the closing section, though, with a cover of Pet Shop Boys‘ ‘West End Girls’ helping usher in the final twenty minutes. The Prodigy’s remix of ‘Elitist G.O.A.T.’ propelled the energy even further into the red while ‘Tied Up In Nottz’ acted as a reminder of the thrilling early days of the group. “Look after each other. That’s not a cliche,” Williamson said as he departed the stage, underlining his softie credentials. He might bark, but he doesn’t bite. (DR)
Kitty Amor brings Afro House to the Romanian woods
Nestled deep in the grounds of Bánffy Castle, between wooden paths illuminated by thousands of swaying, golden lights, is the Hideout Stage – something of a hidden treehouse obscured by ancient woodland. Traipsing over there conjures the sense that you’re about to experience something secret, though tonight marks more of an emergence from the underground. It’s here where Kitty Amor, renowned tastemaker and icon of the modern Afro House scene, delivers one of the night’s most anticipated dance sets.
For two hours, she commands a seemingly ever-growing crowd through an intoxicating array of deep, African electronic house music. She draws the uninitiated deeper into the woods from the pulse of her summer-defining single ‘Shine A Light’ and her recently-released interpretation of ‘Yolele’ from the late Congolese music great Papa Wemba. It’s a true celebration of house music’s rich history, and a glimpse into its constantly-evolving future.
“If you love house music, put your hands up in the air,” a deep voice booms over and over again, to which the crowd happily obliges, bathed in red light and transfixed on Amor. As her set draws to a close, she rewards them with a remix of Jenny and Tame Impala’s ‘Dracula’ remix – a well-received nod to the unconventional location.
Back when Amor began carving out her sound in London clubs, Afro House was still deemed underground. Now, all the way in Romania as dancers spill out of the stage and across the forest floor, it’s clear she’s earned her title as the genre’s most innovative ambassador. (LM)
Kneecap brought energy and solidarity to Romania
The spectacular rise of Kneecap reached its latest landmark earlier this month when the Belfast trio headlined their own festival in London, performing to more than 15,000 fans. There may not have been as many Irish in the Electric Castle audience as there were that night, but there are enough balaclavas and even a tricolour flag being waved proudly to suggest that their message is connecting here, too. Walking onto the stage to ‘Favourite’ by Fontaines D.C., Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí set out their stall immediately with a reminder of the genocides being committed in Palestine and Lebanon. “Take action. Speak up” read a message on the screen and was greeted with a huge cheer.
Kneecap are more than just slogans, though, and delivered a muscular set primed for the biggest of stages. Self-proclaimed air bubble bandits Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap charged around during opener ‘Smugglers & Scholars’, whipping up the excitement that had been building before they even stepped on stage. Grian Chatten appeared via pre-recorded video on ‘Better Way To Live’ while the same screen depicted grotesque cartoon images of Boris Johnson and Queen Elizabeth during the explosive ‘Get Your Brits Out.’
“We flew into Cluj to perform for you sexy legends in a language most people in Ireland don’t speak,” Mo Chara said half-way through the set. “To come to a festival here and hear you all singing along is incredible.” It’s a touching message about the borderless nature of music and one that makes lines like “I bhfaiteadh na súl ní raibh sé liom” (from ‘No Comment’) an added poignancy.
Clearly warming up to Electric Castle and its beautiful surroundings, Mo Chara explained that “this is our first time in Romania and it won’t be the last, either.” As the spiky post-punk riff of ‘H.O.O.D.’ rang out across the festival site, it’s hard to imagine they won’t be welcome back anytime. (DR)
SG Lewis sets off the party with high-octane disco glamour
“Tits out for SG Lewis”, reads a t-shirt of a punter heading to the Booha stage, while another dons a giant, holographic, Lidl-branded poncho – no doubt purchased from the on-site supermarket complete with its own DJ and disco lighting.
It’s a sign that those gathered mere meters from Bánffy Castle are seeking pure, hedonistic dance music – something Lewis has become synonymous with over the past decade. He’s quietly become the architect of some of pop’s most defining recent hits, carving out a name for himself as a sought-after collaborator by the likes of Dua Lipa, Robyn, Elton John and more.
Tonight, his immense musical resume is on full display, with an insane array of giant hits and cult pop favourites punctuated by sporadic blasts from a smoke machine. ‘Let me go OH OH’, his 2024 collaboration with Tove Lo, is met with cheers, while his already exhilarating Robyn and Channel Tres featuring ‘Impact’ is given a euphoric remix, sending ripples of movement across the crowd.
In 2020, Lewis told NME that he heads into a “learning phase”, between records, where he studies new genres to “inspire new processes and new sounds, so I’m not just repeating myself.” His set at Electric Castle is a testament to this commitment to the craft, culminating in an unpredictable but endlessly danceable two hours to set off the weekend right. (LM)
