After its inaugural instalment in 2007, Positivus has become a staple for Latvian music lovers and tourists who flock to the Baltic state since its inception. Tucked away in the city of Riga, alongside the Daugava River, Positivus is a far cry from the typical hustle and bustle of a city festival. Over the years the festival has hosted mainstream mainstays such as Imagine Dragons, Disclosure and Ellie Goulding. This year’s inauguration is the first since 2019, due to the pandemic, and it was certainly worth the wait.
Friday
Although the heavens opened and rain belted down upon festival goers, nobody was going to let it ruin Positivus’ triumphant return. A sea of ponchos could be seen wandering around the compact yet never overcrowded festival grounds. First up on my list of acts to see were London-based rock band, Black Midi. The abrasive band most certainly packed a punch, with drummer Morgan Sampson stealing the show on the drums, playing as if his life depended on it. Rising American rapper SoFaygo, who’s signed to Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack label, kept the energy high on the main stage. Bringing his unique brand of melodic, new wave Soundcloud rap, the 20-year-old controlled the crowd like a veteran. Imploring those in the crowd to open up the pits while closing with a performance of his viral hit ‘Knock Knock’ could probably be heard from the other side of the festival.
Disaster struck at around 8pm as news spread that Megan Thee Stallion’s set was delayed till the day after. Although you could feel the disappointment in the air, that didn’t affect Yves Tumor’s performance one bit who was an undeniable standout. Bringing his off-the-wall experimental rock stylings to the Lāčplēsis stage. Performing most of his set in the photo pit, Tumor and his backing band got the memo, Saturday was for unhinged energy.
As the night came to a close it was time for Saturday’s headliner, the always fantastic Jamie XX. While it may not have matched the high octane acts of before, it was pleasant to unwind and simply enjoy breathtaking music. Running through a slew of his hits, The XX member was on top form on the decks. You never knew quite what was coming next but Jamie never took his foot off the pedal. Supported by an incredible rainbow-coloured light show, Jamie proved his skills as one of the top DJ / producers in the world (not that he had anything to prove). Closing with ‘In Colour’ stand out ‘Gosh’, providing a transcendent, euphoric moment for all those in attendance.
Saturday
On the second day, I decided to give some of the local talents a chance, heading to the main stage to catch Latvian rapper Ansis rock the crowd. To my surprise, Ansis had one of the best crowd reactions the entire weekend. With a mix of booming 808s and catchy melodies, Ansis was a pleasant surprise. Side note, it turns out Ansis came to the festival on a public bus, which only added to my adoration for him.
Black Country, New Road were – quite frankly – rather boring. They performed most of their new material which is notably a lot calmer than their previous and it didn’t really hit the mark. Thankfully, it was finally time for Megan Thee Stallion to dominate the stage. It seemed like the entire festival congregated for Megan Thee Stallion’s set, and for good reason. The Houston rapper didn’t let up her entire set, running through hit after hit. Somehow, Megan has the energy to rap, twerk and jump around for her entire set. After checking all those in the crowd are safe, Megan even brings a fan on stage with her, who probably had the best day of her life. Her confidence is infectious, everyone is truly having a hot girl summer. When ‘Wap’ begins playing, my eardrums almost burst from the screams of those around me. After a traditional Latvian flower crown is thrown on stage Megan places it on her head and screams “I fucking love you Latvia,” much to the delight of the locals.
Probably the greatest contrasting act you can have after Megan is Thundercat, but in his own groovy, psychedelic way he most certainly keeps up the quality. Even the bassist was so mesmerised by Megan’s set that he continuously shouted out Megan throughout, I can’t blame him.
Ending the festival was A$AP Rocky, who left his mark on Positivus with the performance of the weekend. Screaming at the top of his lungs while running on stage in a skirt, he clearly put his all into this show. “This is fucking legendary” he shouts at one point while holding at least five bras. With pyrotechnics blasting, Rocky brought his rockstar energy and displayed just how much of a kingpin he’s been in the music world, running through hit after hit. Highlights like ‘Praise The Lord’ and the evergreen ‘Peso’ were met with rapturous screams from those in attendance. The ‘Fashion Killa’ even brought a fan on stage who launched their phone, missing Rocky by inches. “You almost hit my pretty face,” he jokingly says before allowing the fan to dive into the crowd as the beat dropped to ‘Pick It Up’. Ending with ‘Lord Pretty Flacko Jodeye 2’, the scenes were almost apocalyptic in the best way possible.
—
Words: Chris Saunders
