2 days Ago By [email protected] (Sam Huntley)
MEO Kalorama 2024 is a hidden gem in the festival heap. The dreamy affair at Lisbon's Bela Vista Park has been going for three years now, but it still feels like a secret buried beneath the European sun. And those willing to dig away from bigger, more famed festivals will pocket a dazzling Portuguese jewell.
Hidden in the hills of the beautiful park are four stages where, from 5pm onwards, you'll find everything from international headliners like Burna Boy and Sam Smith to local artists like Ana Moura. And British acts are stacked on the roster, such as Loyle Carner, Olivia Dean, RAYE, and Yard Act. The three-day festival was the perfect place to soak up the last of the summer rays, rearing its head in the final weekend of August, the end of the festival season.
There is a hum of quiet magic in the air when the golden forks of sunset spill into the valley. The hilly terrain formed - as my colleague Jess Phillips - a "natural amphitheater" and helped to separate the stages. On Thursday night, Massive Attack threw their politically-charged trip hop at Palco Meo, the largest stage which hosted the headliners.
On the Palco Lisboa stage was rising star Jalen Ngonda who blew us away with his sublime blend of classic and contemporary soul. His infectious jazzy bops, pitch-perfect vocals and seemingly super-human falsetto control was nothing short of a joy. A quick dash over the hill took me to the Palco San Miguel stage, where London boy Loyle Carner was holding court like a true rap king.
He smashed it at Sziget Festival last year and brought the house down again here in Lisbon - my highlight was Still (his favourite song to perform). A touching moment saw the lyrical sensation open up about how his three-year-old son has started articulating his emotions. He slammed toxic masculinity and had the crowd hanging on his every word.
Now for pop titan Sam Smith who opened with their hit Stay With Me and a string of soulful ballads before transforming the park into a London nightclub with his dance bangers. Their vocals were absolutely flawless and you could feel the love in the air. We ended the night with a wavy DJ set from Peggy Gou before deciding we needed to save ourselves for the rest of the weekend.
Luckily, the festival is only about 15 minutes from the centre of Lisbon and taxis are extremely easy to come by. DJ sets go on until the early hours here, though, if you fancy being a creature of a night. This we opted for the following night, with a couple more drinks in us.
.. A huge thank you to our fantastic hotel, the new , which gave us the warmest of welcomes at the most comfortable of stays.
Our terrace room was lovely and spacious - a perfect place to unwind from festival antics - and our breakfast every morning by the pool was superb. My favourite musical moment came with Death Cab For Cutie (Daily Star's resident emo at your service). Their rousing alt-rock anthems like Transatlanticism sent our souls spinning in the moonlight.
I can still hear the roar of the crowd when LCD Soundsystem unleashed their hopeful anthem All My Friends on us all at the end of their headline set in the valley. If summer has to end, then this isn't a bad way to see it off. Self-proclaimed "drama queen" RAYE was a ray of light on the final night.
"Tonight's going to be fun," she says as she greets the crowd, and right she is. She brought the glitz, the glamour and the greatest of vocal flourishes during her sparkling, retro-inspired R&B hits. She is not afraid to be vulnerable and she chokes up on stage before bravely singing Ice Cream Man, a heartbreaking song about sexual abuse.
"I believe music is medicine," she says. "Music has saved my life". Pints were cheap (just over £3) and queues were no trouble at all.
Food offerings were slightly more pricey (about £9 for a burger) but still cheaper than a lot of British venues. The festival's focus on environmentalism and sustainability is admirable (even if the cost of all the recyclable cups did add up). I love British festivals but this - and European festivals like Sziget - are so much cleaner it's not even a competition.
I was struck by just how unknown the festival was by Lisbon locals, but it's only a matter of time before word spreads. And it's just spawned a festival sibling - Kalorama Madrid - so the future is bright. It hardly needs mentioning, but Lisbon is an absolutely charming city.
Topped by terracotta roofs and tailed by steep, winding streets lined with brightly coloured apartments, great bars and coffee spots. MEO Kalorama is another shining example of a European festival. In the words of LCD Soundsystem:.
