Friday at Roskilde. One of those days when you can feel that the festival is betting hard on feeling something. Whether it ends in excitement, confusion or something in between, time will tell. One thing's for sure: Saint Levant has to prove he can lift the stage, Olivia Rodrigo has to own Orange, and Electric Callboy has to bust the brains of those who didn't know they were into metal with turn signals.
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Disclaimer: Apropos Magazine received access or a review copy. As always, we share our own impressions — unfiltered.
Six stars
Saint Levant — From Gaza to Roskilde
Saint Levant -- or Marwan Abdelhamid, as he's called when he's not playing smart -- should be everything we dream about this year. Gaza, Amman, California. Arabic, French, English. On paper, he's a sensation. The only question is whether he can make it feel that way.
Olivia Rodrigo — The Pop Star We Can All Agree On
Olivia Rodrigo is that huge pop name that is also really exciting. This is the kind of thing Roskilde can beat itself in the back over: a name that is both huge, typical and well. She has driverslicentie, she has good 4 u, she has Vampires -- and she has that knack for writing songs that sound like your entire teenage years boiled down to three minutes. If anyone is going to make the Orange Scene feel intimate in the midst of 70,000 people, it's her. It's Roskilde's “trackpasta” (that is, a dish that both tastes and satiates) — a booking that just makes sense.
Doechii -- Grammy on paper, chaos on stage?
Doechii (not Doji -- though one may well come to say that) has actually won a Billboard “Rising Star” Award, but not a Grammy yet. She feels just as someone who should have won one already. It's going to be exciting to see if she can make Apollo explode -- or if it's going to be the kind of concert where you say afterwards, “She was actually pretty good... who was it now?”
Schoolboy Q — You know what you're getting
Schoolboy Q is back. Again. And it feels a bit like eating at its old tribal restaurant: It's safe, it's delicious, but you don't necessarily stay either surprised. He knows his craft -- we know his craft -- and if you want solid West Coast rap without all the banter, this is where you have to stand.
Jamie xx — “Somebody's Gonna Be Named XX”
Jamie xx feels a bit like a Roskilde tradition: there shell be an artist with XX in the name of the program. He, of course, still makes beautiful, colourful club music for grown-up people who dream of Ibiza but end up in a tent camp in Slagelse. It's going to be nice. It's probably going to be very nocturnal. It becomes something like this where you suddenly find that your shoes are gone and someone has drawn a rainbow on your forehead.
Electric Callboy — Metal with turn signal
If cartoon-network made a metal band, it would be Electric Callboy. It's totally over the top -- hard, stupid, funny, screaming, winking. Imagine a Out of Controlconcert, just with guitarsoli and moshpits, and you're about there. It's probably going to be a mess. It's probably going to be awesome. At least you should put on sunglasses and not fight back.
Emma Sehested Høeg — Diva on her own terms
Emma Sehested Høeg makes shows that balance somewhere between concert, performance art and therapeutic self-disclosure. She is much more divathan she might even think -- and that's what makes it exciting. If you want to see someone wriggle out of all expectations, both his own and others', stop by.
Others we keep an eye on:
- Article Credits: Danish rap that works, especially if you like a little pain on the beat.
- MØ: Energetic. Familiar. She usually wins the big stages because she plays like she still has everything to prove.
- Snow Strippers: If you like strange electronic music at 03 at night -- this is for you.
Completion:
Friday at Roskilde 2025 will be all the best and worst of festivals: new stars, old celebrities, and concerts that either end up as mythical memories or like “well yes, she was there too.” We are most looking forward to Saint Levant — and we are most looking forward to seeing what goes wrong in the most wonderful way.
