Music festivals are dime-a-dozen these days and often times it’s hard for them to get things right. But, what VH1 Supersonic achieved this time is pretty incredible because if you go by the sheer numbers, it was probably one of the biggest turnouts ever. You know you’ve got it right when people talk about the overall experience, rather than just the headliners. The entire venue was proof of how hard they worked at making sure it wasn’t just the music that people were there for. So what made it so special you ask? Here’s a low-down on the 3 days that left us wishing it was 6 instead!
The Flea Market And After Hours Experience
To be honest, we weren’t too sure what to expect going into such a huge festival. You know, you keep asking yourself how’s it going to be and what’s it going to be like, but boy, were we surprised. As we walked in we were greeted by sounds from the Laboratoire Supersonique stage. Then you stumble with the wave of crowds towards the beautiful little flea market which was basically the heart of the party. With amazing little stalls and eateries spread all over, it felt like a completely different country. Rarely do we see such preparations from organisers. The beauty of the flea market was, it didn’t feel forced or out of place. Everything over there was well thought out and curated with the festival goer in mind. If you wanted to add a little glitter, they had a stall to get your face painted, if you were looking for souvenirs, they had a ton of shops selling little trinkets. The selection of food stalls to eat from was beyond this world too! From sandwiches to pizza’s, anything you craved, they had it. The excitement for this was only second to when we found out there were happy hours at every bar on the venue!
By now, we knew they were all about the experience, but to add to our amazement, we had the after hours. The after hours were just as crazy and magnetic as the day itself. Needless to say, each day spent here was beyond what we imagined and we definitely had a good night sleep. Mostly because we didn’t want to miss a thing the next day!
Something that we found really cool was actually the little, free hydration centers they had all over the place. It was a really nice touch considering you can get really dehydrated with all the running around and a glass of water really helps out.
Day 1
Let’s get to the music, shall we? The lineup itself had us giddy with joy! With a stellar performance from Lands at the live stage to start off our day, we followed into an epic set by none other than Nucleya at the main stage. Right after him, was Dillon Francis who was out of this world. Just when we thought it couldn’t get better than that, we were already running towards Alt J and boy, it was out of this world. Barely catching a breather, we were left conflicted having to choose between Adana Twins and Major Lazer but since we’re a greedy bunch, we decided to do both. Adana Twins absolutely nailed it, with a set that was filled with power from the start. Nonetheless, it was Major Lazer! So we couldn’t possibly miss it. Hurrying our way through the sea of almost never-ending crowd, we finally made it to the sonic realm. Boom! Did he deliver!
Highlights: Lands, Gurbax, Midival Punditz, Kohra, and Curtain Blue.
Day 2
Que day 2! Since we had a better idea of the lay of the land, we knew we weren’t getting lost at least! We started our day at the live arena with a beautiful performance by Madboy Mink. What followed was an absolutely ballistic performance by Ash Roy and Tuhin Mehta. It was epic to hear them play and day 2 was looking pretty damn good already. Right after, we were at the main stage to catch one of our favourites, Lost Stories. Putting it mildly, that set gave us life! Let’s not forget, during all this, the queen herself, Raja Kumari, was over at the lab stage. With an entrance that befits a queen and a set that absolutely killed it, we couldn’t help but keep singing and gushing over how amazing that performance was. Up next was Bombay Bassment over at the live stage and as promised, they were phenomenal! We had a little down time so we decided to explore a little and end up at the food trucks. Can we just say, that was a brilliant idea! So kudos to the organisers for actually adding that! Finally, it was time for the moment we’ve all been waiting for, Marshmello. With a unique start to his set and a crazy build up, it was one helluva set. Almost like a fairytale ending to day 2.
Highlights: Ghastly, Raja Kumari, The Fanculos and Krafty Kuts & Dynamite MC.
Day 3
If you’ve ever been a situation where you’re spoilt for choice, you’d know what day 3 at Supersonic felt like. Just looking at the line-up was enough to make anyone’s jaw drop. We couldn’t have asked for a better start to a crazy day than ASWEKEEPSEARCHING who served as a perfect catalyst to our happiness. What followed was a bomb set by Zaeden, who also just happened to make his singing debut. Talk about making the fans feel special! Plini feat. David Maxim Micic was next on our list and their performance was absolutely perfect. Back over at the main stage, Seven Lions was doing what he does best and totally knocked our socks off with a set that was beyond awesome. As if that wasn’t enough, we fought our way through the rushing crowd to get to Incubus. Their first time India and man did they come prepared. The energy was electric! After a quick bite, we ran to get our space for the man we had all been waiting for, Sean Paul. With the biggest crowd ever, it was well worth the wait! A stellar performance and a perfect end to the night. Day 3 felt like a musical wishlist that we ticked the hell out of.
Highlights: The F-16’s, Jason Ross, Gabriel & Dresden, Browncoat, Pentagram, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, Mosko.
By the end of Vh1 Supersonic, we found ourselves wanting more and wishing we had more time. What felt like a dream finally came to an end, but the experience of the whole thing is something that’s going to be with us forever. We’re actually looking forward to the next one already! Does it get bigger and better? Can’t wait to find out!
Did you have a blast? Let us know what your favourite performance was in the comments below.
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This post is in partnership with VH1 Supersonic.