Words by: Sofie Reijerman
Photos by: Julia Bootsgezel (@julia_bootsgezel)
‘THE BADDEST BITCHES ARE FROM BIDDINGHUIZEN’, brandishes the front of the hot pink T-shirts Adéla gives away at the beginning of her show. 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. Adéla kicks off the festival in style, everyone is dancing, and it’s clearly time to party!
Kneecap was the second act of the day. They started the show with the quote: ‘TAKE ACTION, FREE PALESTINE’ displayed on the big screens on the main stage. They are known for their rebellious, outspoken beliefs and make use of a combination of both Gaeilge and English. 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 felt by the crowd and the many mosh pits taking place.
Afterwards, we needed a break, so we went to see the artist Dove Ellis. He started with his hit ‘love is’, an impressive and intimate song. There is this mystical and romantic mist surrounding love. 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 folkindie music, which initially made me daydream in combination with these heavy and more poetic lyrics, works very well.
On Saturday we saw 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 new attention. The drummer, Max Bassin, performed incredible drum solos. The music utilises odd time signatures and features some unpredictable transitions. It is experimental.
We then went to catch Tyler, The Creator. He carried the main stage effortlessly by himself. He easily switches between very energetic songs such as ‘Don’t Tap That Glass/Tweakin’’, 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.
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. 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. 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, humorous and enjoyable.
One of the most original performances of the weekend was Dijon. He is an American singer and songwriter and makes experimental R&B. On stage, together with his instruments, he uses a mixing console, to create unique and unusual 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. They are an American hardcore punk, alternative rock band. A short time into 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. 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, including a jacket with red lasers shining out of it.
Towards 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 Lorde spoke about the body being the most amazing instrument that there is. She urged us to use it in as many different ways as possible, smoking too many cigarettes, weird sex, crazy drugs, moving in awkwardly and dancing at a festival on a Sunday night. It was a reminder to live life to the fullest, and to try everything.
Lowlands is a space for play, expression, sex positivity, activism, humour, solidarity and innovation. Artists do not only create physical movement, but also create social movement.
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