Wednesday at Roskilde is a discipline in itself. You're not really at it yet -- but you're not completely sober either. You're groping for a rhythm, for a vibe, for an excuse to stay out all night. Fortunately, Wednesday's program has enough sound and light to light up under the tent cloth. Here are our five clear commandments on who you should experience.
One star
Two stars
Three stars
Fours stars
Five stars
Disclaimer: Apropos Magazine received access or a review copy. As always, we share our own impressions — unfiltered.
Six stars
Charli XCX
The hyperpop queen sweating on 2000s energy and stadium attitude
There's pop, and then there's Charli. The British electropop avant-garde princess isn't just part of the flow -- she's the dam, the overflow, and the whole damn dam break. With his new album Brat she sprays green, sweaty and club-basketball attitude over the TikTok generation and those who still miss Myspace. She sounds like a party that refuses to die, and she performs like a pop star who wants to be both Britney and Blade Runner. Roskilde has placed her late on Wednesday night, and it makes sense: she is chaos, confetti and 220 volts on two legs. If you're only going to dance ugly once this year, do this.
Akrila
Danish rap with emotion, anger and TikTok-powered hooks
Akriila is young, angry and capable. She's not coming to charm you, but to set the stage on fire -- and your take on what Danish rap might sound like. Drawing inspiration from both UK grime and American trap, she spits lines that hit hard but with flow, finesse and personality. She balances raw attitude with something reminiscent of sensitivity, and she does it without losing face. Live she's explosive, and if you want to see what Danish hip-hop sounds like when it's performed by someone who actually has something at stake, you'll be standing in front of the Apollo Wednesday. It's not pretty. It's real.
Shaboozey
Country, hip-hop and cowboy boots with attitude
Shaboozey is one of those artists who makes genres sound like an outdated concept. He rides in on the wave after Beyoncé and Cowboy Carter, but does so with his own dusty voice and sound that blends American Southern aesthetics with a laid-back rap attitude. It's country rap without the cringe -- and that's rare. Shaboozey makes music that can be both played at rodeo and after-party, and his charisma is something near cinematic. If you need a scene where the vibe feels like a Tarantino bar with a trapbeat and straw on the floor, tick him off. You may know “Let It Burn” or “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” — but he's more than TikTok. He's a cowboy with edge.
Mine Okabe
Quiet pop that doesn't need noise to be heard
Mina Okabe is not the type to shout. She whispers -- and it works. With her silky vocals and unironic pop sensibility, she's a rare quiet moment in an otherwise noisy festival week. Her sound feels like sunshine at 9am on the third day, when you're still a little tired but also a little happy. It's minimalist but never boring -- a kind of Scandinavian lo-fi that can still carry a chorus. She has hit widely with “Every Second” and “Take It Further”, but at Roskilde it's not about radio — it's about atmosphere. If you want to get back into the body -- and out of the brain -- go to Mina Okabe.
Deftones
The most beautiful wall of noise you're going to stand in front of all week
Deftones is a band you feel. Not in that “I can relate to the lyrics” kind of way, but quite physically. It's like getting a psychedelic slap with distortion and poetry at the same time. Chino Moreno's voice alternates between whispers and screams, and it all hovers in an ethereal noise that shouldn't work live -- but it does. And it does it insanely well. Deftones aren't nostalgic, they're timeless. Their sound is as much shoegaze as metal, and Wednesday night's concert will be a dark, sensuous experience that creeps about you like smoke from a cigarette you didn't light yourself. Go alone, walk with someone -- just go.
