NOS Alive Festival in Lisbon, Portugal review: Olivia Rodrigo, Justice and CMAT bring the sunshine
"It feels like a fever dream to be head-banging at the edge of a mosh pit of old rockers one minute then to have them join me to jump along to a pop rock princess the next," writes James Hodge
By James Hodge
Touching down at NOS Alive Festival, at Lisbon in Portugal, is like waking into a hazy summer dream. It isn’t the heat that hits you first, but the blast of cool sea air. There is that immediate feeling of being on holiday – a cold Licor Beirao cocktail in hand; the Mediterranean as far as the eye can sea; a crowd of handsome bronzed partygoers; and blasting musical performances that shimmer on the main stage at sunset.
Traditionally a rock festival, Nos may not historically have charted on the LGBTQ+ radar. Originally featuring headliners such as Pearl Jam, the White Stripes, and Beastie Boys – all legends no doubt much loved by our more alternative readers – the event has evolved into a celebration of cutting-edge acts and rising stars. In recent years, headliners such as Dua Lipa, Lorde, Jessie Ware and Florence + the Machine have all been hailed on the main stage. Year on year, the crowd is becoming increasingly queer.
Lisbon itself is a beautiful backdrop for a festival, with its picturesque old town, sweeping historical squares, and charming antique trams. It is also notably LGBTQ+ friendly, with one of the best records for supporting queer people in Europe. The community is centred around the Principe Real gaybourhood, alongside Rua Nova de Carvalho – affectionately known as Pink Street – a bright and vibrant hipster district perfect for a selfie by day and queer dance parties by night.
Nos itself is located 15 minutes outside of the city. It’s a perfectly sized site for its 50,000 odd guests each day. It’s refreshing to be at a festival where bars are plentiful and it is quick and easy to dart between the two main stages to get your fill of some of the world’s best musical acts. Each day feels loosely themed by genre – our Thursday night is distinctly alt-pop flavoured, our Friday is a dance-fest, and Saturday a more traditional return to the festival’s rocky roots.
Our first act of the weekend, Benson Boone, has us waiting in anticipation. Will we see a flip by the end of the set? Boone does not disappoint, entering with impressive acrobatics to uproar from the crowd to the punchy ‘Sorry I Came For Someone Else.’ This may have been an utterance from some of the crowd themselves at the beginning of the set, with Boone most popular with the TikTok generation, but his act proves they should swiftly change their minds and become a fan. With a touch of Harry Stiles and a touch of Freddie Mercury, he smashes through latest hit ‘Mystical Magical’ before treating the audience to a slew of pop-rock fun including a punchy rendition of album highlight ‘There She Goes’ and a spell of a cappella moments that highlight his awesome falsetto range. The set ends with yet more jumps and dives – more flips than a Drag Race lip synch – and climaxes with a jaw dropping performance of ‘Beautiful Things’, a track that even after a hundred listens still proves to be a fascinatingly structured master hit.
Next up is rising indie star, Noah Kahan, who opens his set wearing a cool black and white co-ord to a foot-stomping rendition of Retrograde. From the moment the set begins, it is clear from striking harmonies that not only Kahan but his band too are extraordinarily multitalented. A cooler Mumford & Sons, the singer-songwriter announces “My only goal is for you to leave a little bit sadder than when you came in”, but the powerful instrumentals on tracks such as ‘Northern Attitude’ instead had crowds swaying to a series of future stadium fillers. In contrast to Boone’s acrobatics show, Kahan is a more sedentary performer, joking “Big production moment – I’m walking 45 feet to the front of the stage”, but offering such a refreshing stripped back set, the music spoke for itself. Even onstage solo for ‘Maine’, Kahan holds an audience, and even if you don’t know all of the songs, you listen intently. The rollercoaster of hyperbolic feelings concludes with a rousing surge of ‘Season of the Sticks’ which feels like a joyous climax.
Star of the first night is international sensation, Olivia Rodrigo, who sees a younger crowd fill the site to its absolute limit. Whilst Rodrigo’s work has long been chart-topping, at a mere 22. the question has repeatedly been asked – can she pull off a headline performance? But when the singer emerges against a striking backdrop of herself walking across a tightrope in visual spectacle, and immediately holds her mic to the crowd encouraging them to sing the very first chorus of ‘Obsessed’, it is evident that the audience – who respond with every ounce of their being – are hypnotised by the pop star’s charisma. One thing is clear – Olivia is no teeny bopper Disney pop star and every bit a headline performer. And then she picks up a guitar and proves she is an instrumentalist too with theatricality and showmanship. Whilst she may be a relatively new artist – only two albums deep – every track feels like a hit and plays with nostalgia. Rodrigo’s tracks channel classic rock-pop, from the 90s all the way back to the 70s: Avril Lavigne, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Joan Jett. Indeed, so confident is Rodrigo in her set that she plays ‘Vampire’ – one of her biggest commercial hits – third. Every track matters to these fans who care about every lyric and sing every word with all the emotional intensity they were intended: the sadness of ‘Pretty Isn’t Pretty’; the flirtiness of ‘Bad Idea’; the anger of ‘good 4 u’.
The leading LGBTQ artist onstage for the weekend is Norwegian rock act, Girl In Red, whose brand of rock-pop sets her queer female audience alight. The artist brings guitar-heavy introspective rock – grittier and edgier than Rodrigo – and the most explicitly queer moment of the weekend. “Lisbon sounds a bit like lesbian” she announces mid set, introducing her signature track ‘Girls’. Having previously supported Taylor Swift on tour, her introspective lyrics for a teen generation are clearly inspired by her predecessor, and offers Heartstopper-style representation that is so exciting and important for the next generation.
However, without a doubt, it is CMAT who wins the weekend. If last summer was brat summer, it’s fair to say that this is fast becoming CMAT summer, and this performance was the most quintessentially CMAT performance fans have seen so far. Arriving onstage with the sexy CMAT band in tow donned in matching tank tops and shorts with notably no bra, the songstress looks like a festival goer herself and it is this immediate relatability that proves to so swiftly win her a crowd. ‘Have Fun’, begins the set, and sure enough, the crowd does – doing the trademark hand wave that has become part and parcel of every performance arrival. Her vocals stun, the songs are memorable – but it is her playful irony and tongue-in-cheek persona that sees the whole crowd utterly under her command, line dancing to ‘I Don’t Really Care For You’ and doing the viral woke macarena to ‘Take A Sexy Picture.’ New single ‘The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station’ is a particular highlight. Only CMAT can primally scream with anger at the TV chef whilst exuding absolute joy. She reveals she is relieved he still hasn’t sued her – although she still hates his sausage rolls.
A pause must be taken for a moment that brought the whole festival to a pause. You will never hear more references to pastel de nata, the delicious custard tart typical of the region, as you will at Nos Alive. But it was CMAT who literally paused her set, stopping the entire show to sit on the edge of the stage and eat one that a fan gifted her. ‘The internet is going to love this’, she laments, brushing crumbs off her face. True icon behaviour.
As the weekend winds up, other artists are a reminder of the power of queer culture. There are references everywhere. Justice deliver a live set with the most astonishing light display I have ever witnessed, with the art and stylings of queer cool. Amyl and the Sniffers offer high octane feminist power-punk, with lead singer Amyl dolled up with hair to the gods and heavy, slathered make-up looks positively drag queen-esque. Even Muse’s headline performance – the rockiest set of my weekend – has its moments of camp with their track United States of Eurasia sounding like a jacked-up Queen song.
It’s remarkable to attend a festival so traditionally associated with rock – a straight, masculine genre of music – that feels so inclusive of queer community. It feels like a fever dream to be head-banging at the edge of a mosh pit of old rockers one minute then to have them join me to jump along to a pop rock princess the next minute. Every artist belongs here as well as every music fan. As the impressive midnight drone display spells out across the night, ‘The Dream Is Alive’, and indeed, it does feel like a dream world where every muso can explore and enjoy music together. Perhaps next year, you should go and live the same dream for yourself too.
For more information about Nos Alive, visit the official website.