Words / Photos: Mihajlo Zorić
The 17th edition of InMusic Festival took place at Zagreb, Croatia’s famous Jarun Lake, once again offering a wide selection of high-profile and up-and-coming artists from different corners of the world, combining it with a beautiful location. It was an overall amazing experience – from the moment I got out of my friends’ apartment, I went straight into offline mode, observing the beautiful scenery on my 45-minute walk.
While I was entering the festival grounds, Monohrom from Novi Sad had already hit the stage with their energetic performance, while also spreading the word in between songs about the massive protest happening in Serbia for the past eight months, caused by the collapse of a concrete roof at a rail station in their hometown, which killed 16 people. Keeping the similar sound, they were followed by British post-punk band Yard Act from Leeds, known for their sharp tones and socially conscious lyrics, who kept the groove going on the Main Stage while also interacting with the crowd about modern societal issues, such as class divides and capitalism.
The main reason why I was drawn to the festival in the first place was the announcement of Fontaines D.C. playing for the third time in Zagreb, offering fans a unique opportunity to witness their evolution as artists. After releasing one of the best albums of 2024 – ‘Romance’ Irish post-punk legends are back with the crowd bigger than ever – 15 minutes before the show started, I managed to find my spot somewhere in the middle, not too far from the stage where I can scoop up some great photos and still enjoy the concert at the same time. The band opened their set with the banger ‘Here’s The Thing,’ triggering the crowd to instantly go wild – everyone started jumping in the same rhythm, singing the lyrics word by word, in truly a beautiful sight to see. The very fierce start to their performance continued with classics such as ‘Jackie Down The Line,’ ‘Boys in the Better Land’ and haunting ‘Televised Mind,’ while also balancing things out and slowing down a bit in the middle with a more lush and dreamy tracks ‘Desire,’ ‘It’s Amazing to be Young’ and ‘Roman Holiday.’ The band ended their performance with a bang, winning the crowd over again with an encore and “the big three” ‘In the Modern World,’ ‘I Love You,’ and ‘Starbuster’ – it’s 10/10 from me.
Bringing the spotlight back to the UK, on the World Stage, legendary UK Garage / Hip Hop project The Streets delivered a high-energy set that got the audience moving to the beats from their seminal album ‘Original Pirate Material’ as well as some smash hits ‘Fit But You Know It,’ ‘Blinded by the Lights’ and ‘Dry Your Eyes’ – an outstanding performance by Mike Skinner and his band.
..and just when you think that things can’t get any better, the iconic French duo Air all of a sudden hits the stage with their electrifying, more than an hour-long set, where it genuinely felt like you were witnessing a dream in real life. The visuals, the music, the sheer amount of detail that went into the performance – it was surreal, to say the least. The duo played their legendary debut ‘Moon Safari’ in full, including hits ‘Sexy Boy,’ ‘All I Need,’ and ‘Kelly Watch the Stars,’ as well as some of my personal highlights ‘Don’t Be Light’ and ‘Alone in Kyoto.’ Their long-awaited appearance on the InMusic main stage absolutely lived up to the anticipation, confirming their status as one of the most influential musical acts of all time.
If I could describe the second day of the festival in one word, it would be vibes. I wasn’t too familiar with the bands playing so it was an absolute treat hearing some of them for the first time in a live setting, including the heartfelt and lovely sound of Michael Kiwanuka and his insane vocal delivery, irresistible afrobeat energy provided by charismatic Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 that kept the good vibes floating, as well as soothing sounds of Ki Klop and indie star Kim Deal. The headliners Kasabian made their way for the second time on InMusic Festival, replacing previously announced Kings of Leon who, unfortunately, had to cancel their show and the rest of the tour. Fortunately (!), Kasabian once again managed to put out the killer show as they got the crowd easily moving with smash hits ‘Club Foot,’ ‘Days Are Forgotten,’ ‘You’re in Love with a Psycho’ while ending their set with the banger ‘Fire.’
And even though the main act was good, personally, I think that Australian punk rockers The Press Club stole the show that day at The Hidden Stage with their explosive, almost an hour long performance that flew by too fast in my opinion – the frontwoman Natalie Foster held the whole crowd in the palm of her hand while the whole band play flawlessly. The whole place was packed, everyone was having a good time, and it was, in my opinion, both perfect and the right way to end the night.
The third day started off a bit more chaotic since the Hidden Stage kept shutting down because of the huge temperature, which led to more frequent time stamp overlapping. The Main Stage was taken over by the incredible Anne Erin Clark, aka St. Vincent – a versatile artist whose creativity is not limited to one certain genre. Vincent’s idea to fill the setlist with tracks from different album eras was a fantastic choice because it kept the entire set dynamic, unpredictable, and interesting. St. Vincent also moves in a very theatrical way – there is joy, sadness, drama, aggression and a certain dose of pain that this musician conveys in her own and unique way – most certainly a breath of fresh air and a must listen in my opinion.
At the same time, the female punk duo The Pill brought their humor, huge riffs, and extraordinary energy at the Hidden Stage – the girls were rocking out with a wide spectrum of songs full of attitude and raw, unfiltered chaos that got the audience moving and even moshing multiple times during their set.
One of the main acts I was looking forward to seeing that day were my friends from the hardcore outfit Neven – the band managed to play 6-7 songs and was unfortunately interrupted by a power outage despite the fact that they tried to continue. The crowd cheered them on in the same fashion they previously sang their tunes, which is pretty much a sufficient indicator of how much of an established audience the young band already has in Zagreb. I quickly ran to check out Foster The People, who already got the crowd moving in front of the World Stage – their cheerful indie pop was a great backdrop for a hot summer evening as the performance was packed from start to finish.
The festival was in for a final treat as soon as Bristol’s trip-hop duo Massive Attack hit the stage – a huge number of people were attracted by these, not only musicians, but also great activists who showcase their activism through both music and accompanying video presentations. Blending hip-hop beats and dub rhythms to create the genre-defining sound of trip-hop, Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall were not afraid to speak up about the Gaza war in between songs, while also sending support to the people from Palestine. An excellent, powerful performance both musically and visually was greatly accepted by the crowd, as the duo performed ‘Angel,’ ‘Safe From Harm,’ and ‘Teardrop,’ joined by Elizabeth Fraser at the very end, leaving the InMusic Festival with an absolute bang.
