Review and photos by Julia Bootsgezel
‘THE BADDEST BITCHES ARE FROM BIDDINGHUIZEN’, which is the quote on the hot pink T-shirts Adéla gives away at the beginning of her show. The crowd slowly turns pink. This quote is a reference to the song ‘Ain’t in LA’, in which she sings: ‘The baddest bitches ain’t in LA.’ She is from Slovakia, and in this song she mentions that ‘she taught that her dreams don’t live at home’. Adéla’s performance and exceptional dancing blew everyone away. There was a very interesting and original contrast between ballet, with classical music and high-heels dance, with club music. She was on stage with four other dancers. The technique that they mastered was incredible. Adéla kicks o? the festival in style, everyone is dancing, and it is time to party!
The second act of the day, was Kneecap. They started the show with the quote: ‘TAKE ACTION, FREE PALESTINE’ showing on the big screens on the main stage. This was a great opening move since it is a good representation of their political views, and hopefully an eye-opener for everyone that wasn’t yet aware. They are known for their rebellious, outspoken beliefs and make use of a combination of Gaelic and English languages. Their catchy hardcore hip-hop songs in combination of satire with socially conscious lyrics make it impossible to look away from this rap group. The show was filled with a lot of energy which was definitely taken over by the crowd, given how many mosh pits were taking place, it was a very enjoyable show for everyone! Afterwards, we needed to take a break, so we went to see Dove Ellis. He started with his hit ‘love is’, which is such an impressive and intimate song. He states ‘love is not an antidote to all your problems’ and continues to sing ‘love is’ and then a few di?erent examples. There is this mystical and romantic mist surrounding love. This idealism as if it is the only thing that matters, or that it is the cure to everything. But when this mist clears, it allows you to look at it with clarity and ask and wonder yourself what love actually is. Facing this uncomfortable truth brings both sorrow and liberation, and this contradiction is something you can feel in this song. Therefore, this dreamlike folky indie music, which initially made me daydream in combination with these heavy and more poetic lyrics, works amazingly well.
The next day we had new energy, which was definitely necessary looking at Saturday night’s lineup. There were three very impressive shows by Geese, Tyler The Creator and Lambrini Girls. Geese is an American indie rock post-punk band, originally started as four high school friends. Their latest album, released in 2025, got a lot of attention, that is when the band blew up. Even though Geese got a lot of attention last year. The crowd were clearly music lovers, the mainstream people of the festival were not necessarily there. The drummer, Max Bassin, performed really impressive drum solos. The music has very interesting, strange timing and some unpredictable transitions. It is quite experimental, which makes sense since the album originated as a series of experimental jam sessions. The band is also known for the raw characteristic voice of their lead singer, Cameron Winter. We were very excited to finally see this band live! After Geese, we were ready to party. There is no better place to do so than going to a performance by Tyler, The Creator. He carried the main stage e?ortlessly by himself. He easily switches between very energetic songs such as ‘Don’t Tap That Glass/Ttweakin’, where everyone is moshing, to such intimate, vulnerable songs. He is a very charismatic person and really took the time to connect with the crowd and get some interaction. Of course, his signature dance moves, ranging from sexy to bold, are unforgettable.
The last show of our night was Lambrini Girls, who are two ‘cunty’ punk women from the UK. With a clear political and feminist vision. ‘Cunty’ is a reference to their song ‘Cuntology 101’, we can say that we are ‘cunty’ now. Later on, they started a speech about how they hated their government and asked us, the crowd, if we hated our government. Followed up by the statement ‘FUCK GEERT WILDERS’ showing on the screen. Who is a Dutch politician who is known for racist comments, so this statement is ICONIC. Later on, they gave a speech about trans rights. And continuously making sure everyone was safe and respectful in the mosh pit, and that there was a space for everyone to join. Even though the themes are serious, the show is fun and humorous and very enjoyable.
One of the most original and touching performances of the weekend was Dijon, his performance was breathtaking. He is an American singer and songwriter and makes experimental R&B. On stage, together with his instruments, there is also the mixing console, which he uses live to manipulate and create such unique sounds. He manages to evoke a lot of emotion in the crowd. People were touched and shedding tears.
Afterwards, it was time to release some energy, so we went to see Turnstile! Turnstile is an American hardcore punk, alternative rock band. Some time in their performance, they told everyone to lift each other up, everyone was getting on each other’s shoulders. After they closed the set with the song ‘Birds’, you could really feel the ecstasy in the air. We were feeling euphoric.
The closing act of the main stage was Lorde, banger after banger was played. The first one was royals. She makes alternative pop with electronic influences. There was just so much to see in this performance. There was a levitating box where she was performing in the air. There were great dancers, everyone was dressed in outdoor core meets rave outfits. Lorde was changing outfits throughout the show, as crazy as wearing a jacket with red lasers shining out of it. Toward the end of the show, a white sheet was pulled over the crowd, and everyone held it up together, like playing under the bedsheets as a child. The sheets showed drawings of the names of crowds of previous shows, leaving behind a trace of togetherness. Apparently on the other side of this white fabric was the quote ‘I don’t belong to anyone’. Within the set she was talking about the body being the most amazing instrument that there is. She urged us to use it in as many di?erent ways as possible, smoking too many cigarettes, weird sex, crazy drugs, moving in awkwardly and dancing at a festival on a Sunday night. Reminder to live life to the fullest, try everything.
Lowlands is a space for play, expression, sex positivity, activism, humor, solidarity and innovation. Artists do not only create physical movement, but also create social movement. Sex positivity was shown by Tyler The Creator with the statement ‘GIVE MORE HEAD’, which was showing on the big screens on the stage. Activism was seen in the performance of Lambrini Girls, but also in the merch of Sophie Straat, stating: ‘POPSTARS AGAINST NAZI’S’. In the center of the festival, was the art gallery called Carte Blanche. Which translates to blank card, meaning: complete freedom.
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