Live Report: Flow Festival 2023
For this British writer, who’s used to muddy, litter-strewn fields, pop-up tents from Aldi, and rowdy crowds of weekend warriors, Flow Festival was an entirely foreign – and welcome – experience. Set in an abandoned power plant in the heart of Helsinki, Finland, the metropolitan event has made a name for itself in the European festival roster with a line-up that skips between headline veterans and avant-garde performers. Pair its pioneering technology and impressive sustainability credentials with crowds of characteristically respectful and ever-stylish Finns, and you’re as far as possible from the relentlessly chaotic festivals that define British adolescence.
Throughout the weekend, our evenings had us strolling between stages, which vary from the colossal main stage, the strikingly experimental Balloon 360 stage, and the space-age X Garden tent, stopping on the way to fuel up on the genuinely delicious culinary offerings (that, since 2022, don’t include any red meat or poultry). Headliners included Wizkid, Lorde, and Blur, who all offered energetic performances to a comparatively reserved crowd – content to let you zigzag to the crush of superfans in the centre as they bopped their heads and broke into the occasional two-step. Needless to say, it was easy enough to spot us Brits when Parklife came on.
But the weekend wasn’t without its raucous moments, and we made sure to be part of the crowd for every mainstream favourite, experimental newcomer, and electronic veteran that we could, all leading up to our definitive list of weekend highlights. Here are the moments that’ll stay with us until Flow Festival 2024 rolls around.
U-Haul
As soon as we entered the festival, it was the high-energy sounds and elated dancers of the X-Garden that had us heading straight to the small space. Decked out with metallic, celestial structures, the X Garden proved to be a reliable destination for anyone that wanted to kick up dust in euphoric crowds during the length of the weekend.
As waves of festivalgoers flocked into the post-industrial setting on Friday, it was U-Haul – a Helsinki-based collective founded as a safe space for the black and brown queer community – that tempted the curious early-evening crowds to set the tempo for the weekend with their vitalising tunes. When we joined the crowd of rhythm chasers, Finnish DJ Yeboyah was behind the decks, dishing out hip-hop with a healthy dose of synth-pop classics and Amapiano.
With the U-Haul host’s reassuring reminders to stay safe and resident dancers keeping the energy high, there was a sense of comradery between the revellers inside the X-Garden on Flow’s first evening.
Wizkid
After finally dragging ourselves away from the dancefloor utopia of the X Garden, we got our hearts pumping once again in the race to Friday’s headliner: Wizkid. With the Nigerian artist’s reputation for momentous performances, we were keen to get the full experience, and surprisingly bagged a central spot with minutes to spare, no elbowing necessary.
When the Afrobeats star started his high-powered performance, we were glad to be surrounded by the diehards who didn’t shy away when he sprayed us with an endless stream of water bottles. In between the pyrotechnics and DIY waterworks, Wizkid’s performance ignited an exhilarated crowd as DJ Tunez wheeled up the energy with classic after classic.
Although the majority of Helsinki likely escaped Wizkid’s reach up until now, the star’s first appearance in Finland might just have been the perfect debut to change that.
Caroline Polachek
By the time Sunday rolled around, we’d already experienced a Saturday spent immersed in Jyoty’s masterful summertime set at the Resident Advisor’s Front Yard, and a main stage performance of Lorde’s non-stop hits. The final day began back at the main stage, this time for the alt-pop star it’s impossible not to love, Caroline Polachek. The American artist’s earworm anthems are currently disseminating through the mainstream, and her dazzlingly dramatic performances are sure to help in her ascent to megastar status.
It was immediately obvious that her soulful, chaotic sound hadn’t quite made it to Finland, as where her spiralling rendition of ‘Desire’ would have been met with an enraptured, chanting audience back home in London, Flow’s audience watched on with an impressed intrigue. Nevertheless, Caroline’s dream-like, unfaltering vocals cut through her hyper pop track like butter in new releases like ‘I Believe’ and old favourites like ‘So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings’. As always, Caroline delivered a joyous show that felt little short of sacred.
Sudan Archives
Despite my Britpop upbringing, it was Sunday’s female line-up that captured my attention over Blur’s headline performance. Caroline’s lilting vocals would usually be hard to follow, but few artists could cast a shadow over Sudan Archives. Her allure exists somewhere between the R&B production, soothing Sudanese folk sounds, club-ready beats, and swelling, powerful vocals. Impossible to define and a wonder to behold, the Cincinnati-born artist was at the top of our must-see list and did not disappoint.
Bearing her violin like a divine sword, she transitioned so effortlessly between giving goosebump-worthy vocals, playing exacting, rhythmic strings, using her violin as a prop in theatrical renditions, and scaling the scaffold to scream with her audience, it almost seemed implausible. While other artists had to adapt to a timid crowd, Sudan Archive’s was clearly made up of fans that had been waiting all weekend to finally hear her hypnotising discography live.
After bringing the sonic heat with riotous executions of ‘Home Maker’ and ‘Loyal Confessions’, she proved just how commanding she was by somehow getting her swarm of appreciators moshing to a traditional Irish jig.
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Flow Festival 2024 will be held at Helsinki’s Suvilahti on August 9–11, 2024. For tickets and more, head to https://www.flowfestival.com/
Words: Mimi Francis
Photography: As Credited
