14/06/2025
I’m not too big on music festivals, but I do enjoy going to one every now and then when I find it to be worth it! Festi’neuch 2025 seemed promising enough. I’d already gone to the festival a few times in the past, but that was so long ago, I thought it was time to finally go back.
I went with my neighbor who’s my go-to friend for any concerts/parties in the area. We liked a few artists performing on Friday, so we chose to go on that one day.
We headed to Neuchatel a little bit before dinner time and decided to have some food before actually entering the festival grounds. We ended up eating at this Lebanese restaurant that was pretty close to the festival. I had a delicious falafel wrap, they added a bunch of mint leaves to it and I unexpectedly loved it!
After that, we headed to the nearest grocery store and bought some drinks to have before entering the festival. We got two cans of Smirnoff Ice and a beer. Though apparently I didn’t even have to chug my Smirnoff before entering, security barely even checked our bags. Entering the festival was really easy, and once we were in we just headed to wherever the music was coming from.
The first artist we saw live was Cold Touch, an up-and-coming new wave band I had never heard of before. The singer’s mannerisms reminded me a little of David Byrne, he was full of energy! This group has so much potential, I would’ve never guessed they only had like 2 songs officially released currently. I’ll try to keep myself updated on their journey from now on!
When their performance ended, we walked around and eventually stopped by to dance to this DJ’s set. It wasn’t my favorite but I loved how she used dog barking sounds in her mixes lol, I don’t think I’ll ever forget about that.
The next artist we checked out was Philippe Katerine, who neither of us were initially interested in but he was certainly captivating! We couldn’t tell if he was gay or just French, he kept going on and on about how “two bananas go together” lol.
We left to go see Lucky Love before Katerine finished performing. I didn’t know about him before I bought my ticket to the festival, he ended up being really fun! His music isn’t really my thing but I’m glad I got to see him live. :)
When his set ended, we kind of just wandered around, until we stumbled upon IDLES. The singer shouted “free Palestine” during the first song and I was happy to see many people cheer! Their music was pretty good, but we didn’t stick around for too long since an artist I really wanted to see was playing on another stage in the middle of their set.
ELOI was the artist I was most excited to see! We ran to her stage and made sure to go in the front. I refused to dance too much at any of the previous performances, I basically saved up all my energy for her! She was sooooo good, it was so fulfilling to just be there. I was surprised at how many people actually knew her songs pretty well, and a lot of people were dancing HARD. I have no idea how long she’s been performing for but she was great at commanding the stage and interacting with the audience! I’d definitely wanna see her live again if possible. 🤞
We left her set a little early to go see KOMPROMAT. Their concert was life-changing, I have literally never danced harder in my entire life. I was falling over myself, sweating like crazy, and it felt so good. The only downside was the crowd, which was full of people recklessly trying to either get closer to the stage or further. So many of them pushed to get closer and didn’t dance at all. It was still amazing though, and I hope KOMPROMAT comes back soon!
Once that was done, we just walked around, grabbed a few more drinks, had some Churros, and sat down. We were tired after dancing so hard, we had to rest. The only other artist we wanted to see was playing at 1 AM, so we just waited around.
Though, like 15 minutes before we were going to see our last artist, this DJ around the area started playing nu metal and rock remixes of different songs. It was hilarious to me. I couldn’t stop laughing. Eventually, his remixes headed into a more normal direction and we just headed to our final destination at the festival.
I’m not a big fan of Six Sex music-wise, but she’s so fun to see live! Her music hits much harder in a live setting, and I’m so glad I can now say that I’ve seen her in concert. Unfortunately, as she was about the finish her last song of the night, someone decided to throw something directly at her and she left the stage.
I feel really bad for her because she was very interactive with the crowd, just for someone to end the night on a bad note by disrespecting her. So many people yelled insults at the person who threw the object but I’m not sure they faced real consequences. :( I hope Six Sex is doing ok and doesn’t have to face something like this again, but with how common this is becoming, that’s probably unlikely.
We stayed around for a few minutes after she left to see if anyone was going to name and shame the person or address the situation but nothing ended up happening, so we went out to get fries and a döner box before leaving.
The walk back to the train station was rough, but we eventually made it! I had such a fun time, despite the fact that it ended on a sour note. I’d love to go back next year, even if it’s just to volunteer!