Photo Credit: Rares Mocan
There aren’t many festivals where you can jump in a circle pit at 4pm and stare up at a majestic medieval castle – but that’s just standard operating procedure at Electric Castle. Fresh off four days of scorching heat, surprise cameos, and legendary headliners on the Bánffy estate, let’s rewind the clocks and relive the madness of the festival’s 12th edition.
Thursday
Following a warm-up party in the festival’s camping area featuring Partiboi69 and WILKINSON on Wednesday night, it was only on Thursday that the festival started in earnest. While the main stage was still being set up for nights yet to follow, local bands Hvnds and E-an-na welcomed attendees to the Hangar, the second-biggest stage, with energy-filled sets and the latter of the two even getting a hora started. Think circle pit, but slow it way down to the rhythm of Romanian folk music, then speed it up a bit to match the metal version, make it span the area of the entire stage, and now you’re getting the gist of what these guys get up to. All of this was going down at around 4pm, mind you, in a heat that only felt stronger once you stepped inside the industrially designed stage area.
Later, indie darlings Balu Brigada made their Romanian debut, with their set encompassing upcoming songs, a cover of Grimes’ Genesis, as well as proven staples Backseat and So Cold, the latter of which marked the end of their performance. Frequent friends of the festival, Dub Pistols were next, but this time they brought the Freestylers along with them (they’d go on to play another surprise set at the Beach stage later in the night) for a special medley containing classics from both groups. The surprises didn’t stop there, though, as about halfway through the laser and pyro-laden set, some pool floats were thrown into the audience and Barry Ashworth hopped into a giant inflatable canoe. The energy had already been steadily intensifying, but that just took everything up a notch, right on time for the night’s unofficial headliners.
We’re talking, of course, about Kneecap. As yet another of the many acts which were poised to perform their debut gigs in Romania, the Irish trio got everyone in the crowd buzzing right from the start with their politically fuelled songs and highly infectious beats. In spite of the fact nobody understood an ounce of what they were hearing, people sang along to tracks like Guilty Conscience and FENIAN as best as they could, something rapper Móglaí Bap instantly took notice of. With one last rousing, laser-centric performance of The Recap, during which DJ Próvaí surfed the crowd, the trio thanked those in attendance for the wild welcome, promising to return in the future.
Friday
Friday found us caught within the first ten rows of the main stage area, no escape in sight without permanently losing the premier spot for the night’s headlining gig which, sadly, meant missing out on Pacifica’s set at the Hangar stage later that evening. Armed with snacks and plenty of water bottles (Romanian summers are no joke), we were ready for Day 2, which started with two more artists from the local scene, Bosquito and Irina Rimes. Where the former came armed with a happy-go-lucky attitude and a twenty-five-year-old repertoire of fan-favourite songs, the latter surprised us with a high-octane set comprising heavier, reimagined versions of both her usual pop entries as well as folk songs from her native country of Moldova. It all built into an hour-long show replete with pyro, smoke, confetti, rhythmic beats and harmonising guitars.
Next up was the soulful voice of Teddy Swims. Opening with The Door and greeting everyone with a hint of Southern twang in his delivery of “My name’s Ted”, the R&B singer entertained everyone with samples from his short yet meteorically risen career: from staples like Are You Even Real and Mr. Know It All to his standout Lose Control and even covers of Somethin’ Bout a Woman and, surprisingly, Van Halen’s Jump. “Y’all are beautiful out there, thank you, it’s an honour to perform in your wonderful country!”, the singer-songwriter says, before his hour-long set was over as quickly as it began, leaving fans wanting more while he pedalled his tricycle offstage – yup, you read that right.
The true stars of the evening, however, were twenty one pilots, returning following their landmark appearance at the festival four years prior when they opened with a remixed version of Heathens in a Stranger Things-themed crossover event. Two albums later, their return was highly anticipated, and they certainly did not disappoint, in an intense show that had powerhouse drummer Josh Dun ascend and play a second kit off a nearby scaffolding tower during Drum Show and front man Tyler Joseph run offstage to the VIP viewing area and back during Ride. All of this whilst also including plenty of pyro and smoke, playing a variety of tracks new and old such as The Contract and Drag Path or Jumpsuit and Heavydirtysoul.
“Thank you for having us back, Electric Castle! We’d gladly return anytime”, says Joseph, before the duo closed the set with Vessel staple Trees, including their old tradition of having the fans hold up the platforms on which the two pounded off the outro while confetti rained down on them. It’s no surprise why they have drawn audiences 70,000-strong both times they’ve performed in Romania – they’d likely do it again, should they ever return!
Saturday
Saturday evening turned out to be full of surprises. For one, Southend rockers Nothing But Thieves, scheduled to play the main stage later that night, turned up between some trees on the festival grounds to play a surprise acoustic set. “This must be the biggest acoustic gig ever!,” laughs singer Conor Mason in-between renditions of Trip Switch and Soda when noticing the high turnout. Immediately after that, we were rushed backstage in what turned out to be a spontaneous conversation with singer-songwriter LP. This also led to us missing out on a few other sets throughout the day, though, such as Kid Kapichi’s debut Romanian show.
Over on the main stage, the first of the day’s acts was already underway, with Taraphonics taking the first spot in a moment best described as a larger, souped-up taraf or, in simpler terms, a takeover of Romanian and Romani folklore music that suddenly developed genre-bending tendencies. Think accordions and violins, traditional and modern beats, and a high number of musicians onstage ranging from lautari masters (those who usually play this sort of music) to local popstars, hip-hop and rock singers. It’s bonkers, it’s pandemonium, it’s something you have to witness to fully comprehend.
Pop act The Motans also played a tight hour, then the rain arrived, just in time for LP to take the stage with Girls Go Wild. Electric Castle is known for its highly volatile weather – see last year’s torrential downpour that shortened Justin Timberlake’s set by 45 minutes – but in this case, the rain came in shorter bursts, was lighter, and felt like a paid actor in LP’s set. The way their towering vocals and signature whistling cut through the drizzle, fuelled by both weather and the crowd’s energy, should be studied, as their performance, including Lost on You, Other People, No Witnesses or Tightrope, was nothing short of spellbinding. A wholly authentic performer through and through, they ended up spending a good few minutes at the end of their show running all around the main stage’s entire barricade to share high-fives and thank-yous with everybody. Some people are just born with rockstar blood in their veins.
Nothing But Thieves were back on, this time on their scheduled appearance, which they started with… Amsterdam? Talk about subverting expectations! “How the f*** we doing, Electric Castle? We’re here for our third time, and we’d be happy to come back anytime, we love Romania!” says Mason during their high-intensity set, which contained both established songs such as Itch or Oh No::He Said What? as well as rousing new track Evolution and the intense Stray Dogs off their forthcoming record of the same name. The group ended their hour-long performance with Impossible, confetti cannons and all, before thanking everyone again and clearing the stage for returning drum and bass powerhouses Chase & Status.
Sunday
By the time Sunday rolled around, we were both tired as well as wary of the possibility of the weather turning sour at any minute, but we still had two acts left to see this weekend: Dogstar, who were moved from the Hangar to the main stage following Wet Leg’s health-related cancellation, and the other big headliner for this year: alt-rock legends and gothic pioneers, The Cure.
After enjoying a quick barbecue with some friends at the grilling area near the on-premises Lidl (all whilst Just Mustard were playing the Hangar nearby), we staggered off to the main stage one last time, as Hollywood icon Keanu Reeves and his bandmates were about to start performing. Despite the star power on stage, there was zero pretension here – just three close mates up there having the time of their lives and playing the music they love together. Though they were on the last night of a six-week European tour, the trio still gave it their all in a set that “brought over a bit of Los Angeles to Romania” in front man Bret Domrose’s own words. Closing with Breach, the band took one last bow, including a rare “Thank you, Romania!” from Reeves himself and a shout-out to Wet Leg and The Cure from drummer Robert Mailhouse.
Once the stage was all set up for the last headlining performance of this festival, the sun had already gone from the dusky sky, the World Cup final was being shown at the Hangar, and sounds of rainfall could be heard – from the PA system, thankfully – signalling that the band were about to appear onstage. Lo and behold, with the opening notes of Alone off latest album Songs of a Lost World, the usually shaggy-haired and lip-sticked face of Robert Smith shuffles onstage, greeted by the roar of tens of thousands.
While their performance ended up being a tad shorter than usual at “only” two hours long, The Cure were in peak form for their second-ever Romanian gig, with Smith’s vocals virtually unchanged from the original recordings. This landmark concert also saw the welcome return of long-time bassist Simon Gallup following a short bout of illness, with his son, Eden, filling in for the prancing bass player following his absence. Here, though, the younger of the Gallups took his usual spot on the left side of the stage, turning the night into quite the family affair once more.
From Pictures of You and A Forest to rarities such as Seventeen Seconds’ Secrets or alt.end, the entire audience was enthralled right from the start. A personal highlight was the inclusion of Burn off The Crow‘s soundtrack that, coupled with Jason Cooper‘s constant drumming book-ending the stage via the massive wraparound screens just made the moment that much more memorable.
It must be a satisfying sensation to see crowds where twenty-somethings outnumber the band’s contemporaries, as was the case here, where most of those around us were only born following the turn of the millennium (this writer included!). Just to the left of us, a group of youngsters were dancing along to Fascination Street in a circle, much like they would on their average night out, while a few rows in front of us, a man well into his 40s waved his arms around and swayed side to side as he heard his favourite songs being performed. This just goes to show the sheer impact The Cure have had over the past fifty years and will undoubtedly continue to have – a true testament to the band’s song-writing and enduring legacy.
All of this was occurring even before the seven-song encore at the end of their seventeen-song set, mind you. By the time Lullaby, The Walk, Friday I’m In Love or closing number Boys Don’t Cry were performed, no one had been sitting still for a long time. In the end, everyone did go home happy following the long weekend spent at the castle, as pointed out by Smith in his typically sardonic manner, but not before once again showering the band with thunderous applause – a sight which even got the main man himself to shed a tear whilst thanking everyone.
And so ends the 12th edition of Electric Castle, with people leaving gratified after seeing their favourite artists in concert – and maybe some sad folks following Argentina’s defeat! All we know is we’ve had a blast this year, so congratulations are in order to the team for yet another great year spent at the Castle, and thank you for having us. In the meantime, for those who have had their interest piqued, a limited stock of super early-bird tickets have already gone on sale for 2027.
Now, for one last cheeky suggestion: we hear a certain three-piece band, which just released their latest album to glowing reviews last month, will be hitting the European festivals next summer. We Muse that might be worth checking out, innit?
Written by Florin Petrut
