NOS Alive! 2017

[Mushy25]

I'd say Depeche Mode were super expensive for a festival budget. Overall I think it's same amount of bands on main stage as last year, just spread differently. And maybe there was noise complaints so have to finish early on final day. 

 

Think of it this way, therell be sun, beers and good music. Can't ask for much more. Add in it's right on the edge of the city rather than a field in the countryside it'll be great.

[NomadicMan]

1 hour ago, Mushy25 said:

I'd say Depeche Mode were super expensive for a festival budget. Overall I think it's same amount of bands on main stage as last year, just spread differently. And maybe there was noise complaints so have to finish early on final day. 

 

Think of it this way, therell be sun, beers and good music. Can't ask for much more. Add in it's right on the edge of the city rather than a field in the countryside it'll be great.

Oh I agree it'll be great, and for me what is a poor day 3 line up on the main stage is more than compensated by the Heineken stage that day. Just surprising they haven't put some late act on Saturday. Can't imagine the Portuguese complaining about noise on a Saturday night..

I'm looking forward to exploring Lisbon. Holiday starts Monday 

[Tremousse]

I have been to many festivals before, this was my first time in Portugal... I think this is the best festival I've ever been to. Beautiful people, soulful, respectful, lovely, mellow... The place is amazing, not too crowded, the food is excellent and cheap, white sangria is a divine thing. All the staff is adorable.. The festival is perfectly organized, you have everything you need. The music is great and people adapt their soul to the kind of music.
The campsite now... Incredible... Met so many amazing people from many countries, I have no words. You can party all day and all night, feel a kind of hippie atmosphere in the woods, sleep like a baby because it's not noisey, there's electricity, space, swimming pool, and even other surprises.
Had a blast, see you next year !

[DDave]

4 hours ago, Tremousse said:

I have been to many festivals before, this was my first time in Portugal... I think this is the best festival I've ever been to. Beautiful people, soulful, respectful, lovely, mellow... The place is amazing, not too crowded, the food is excellent and cheap, white sangria is a divine thing. All the staff is adorable.. The festival is perfectly organized, you have everything you need. The music is great and people adapt their soul to the kind of music.
The campsite now... Incredible... Met so many amazing people from many countries, I have no words. You can party all day and all night, feel a kind of hippie atmosphere in the woods, sleep like a baby because it's not noisey, there's electricity, space, swimming pool, and even other surprises.
Had a blast, see you next year !

Got a keen eye on Nos for next year, especially after last years last line up. Didn't fancy this years though.

[FuzzyDunlop]

Seen as there is no Glastonbury next year I am looking at a European festival. Rock Wertcher is a choice, but NOS Alive looks appealing. How much are tickets generally?

Edited July 12, 2017 by FuzzyDunlop

[pryce]

8 minutes ago, FuzzyDunlop said:

Seen as there is no Glastonbury next year I am looking at a European festival. Rock Wertcher is a choice, but NOS Alive looks appealing. How much are tickets generally?

around 100 I think, very cheap for what you get

[FuzzyDunlop]

6 minutes ago, pryce said:

around 100 I think, very cheap for what you get

Yeah... just got to get to Portugal! could definitely see that as an option. My mate is due a child in December. His wife said she doesn't mind him going, but doesn't want him away for a week including a drive to Belgium.

Flying to and from Portugal might be better.

Thanks a lot

 

When do tickets go on sale?

Edited July 12, 2017 by FuzzyDunlop

[arcuse]

Second time that I went to a festival in a foreign country (Lolla Berlin last year) and it was amazing. Entering the festival on the first day/evening took no longer than 20/30 mins, which for a major is fast. The security, staff and police were always very polite and helpful. The crowd was very cheery and uplifting. They always sing along and are ready to dance, the Portuguese know how to throw a party. Which brings me to two things that annoyed me; drugs and alcohol. I've no problem with both of them but during a few sets (The xx is particular were 3 people where dragged out of the crowd for passing out because of shitty drugs) people were just really shitty being drunk or on drugs doing stupid ass shit. Could've just been at the wrong place at the wrong time but I had several encouters like that and it's just lame. Also the fact that wherever you go as a young guy or with a group in the city that you get offered drugs around every corner of the street or so.. 

The festival was sold out and I defenitly felt it, on Thursday in particular it just felt like there were people everywhere. It felt like there was no spot on the site where you sit and chill out for a second. The area around the mainstage and clubbing was impossible to get food from because of the amount of people waiting. On Thursday we waited like 25 mins to get a hotdog (whose were amazing btw) around the clubbing area but from then on we always went to get our food at the Heineken area because it was less crowded, bit of a shame that you have to wait so long, but lesson learned. 

The bridge you've to get on after leaving the festival is a pain in the ass but I don't think there's another option to get such a massive crowd to the other side of the railway tracks without using the small tunnel of the station itself (which I get is dangerous when having so much people going in it..) Going to and leaving the festival is very easy when using the train, tram or bus. (we used the train). When using a taxi, we always saw a long queue which I heard could take up to 1h of waiting whilst you had a train every 15" up till 3 and every 30" up till 5 or so..

The placing of the stages could've been better. If I wasn't going for a wee during Parov Stelar, I would've never found the Comedy stage since that path was so dark and barely used. When you going from main to Heineken we never even knew there was another path leading to Heineken, idk.. 

The use of cash instead of coupons was strange aswell because some foodtrucks just use it to get their prices up. In one foodtruck you could have a hotdog for €4 and in the other one for €6, could've been organised better I reckon? 

Since the festival was clearly sponsored by Heineken, and Im not much of a Heineken drinker myself, there were not really much other options to drink. At other festivals you'd always have cola or so, or some other soda's and here that wasn't the case. Or you'd have to drink water with a flavour or cider with no alcohol (idk what that was exactly).

Normally during festivals, I really like (as many probably) to get up close and get front row. Now, I just could'nt because of the loudness of the music. There was no concert where I felt that the music wasn't to loud. Some acts really sounded shrill at some points which had our group always staying around in the middle of the Heineken and never really in the first section of the mainstage. Then you'd ask, why not use earplugs? I could and I woul've if they were available but I don't think they were. I'm not really a person that would easily use them but now I would've used them if they were there but I'm sure they weren't. I mean during Bonobo's set there was soundbleed from the mainstage and there was a stage in between, how is that possible that the music is that loud?

As I said before, the Portuguese crowd knows how to throw a party and helped to have much better experiences during sets. For the price and combined with a lil city trip to Lisbon, I think this festival is perfect. It has it flaws but I think the organisation did a good job managing it all (although there were to many people there in my opinion.) I'll keep my eye on NOS again next year but I think we/I'm gonna try a new foreign festival next year with a lil city trip combined with it  

Highlights of the performances, top 10. (out of 18)

1. Foo Fighters (*****)
2. Alt-J (**** 1/2)
3. Depeche Mode (**** 1/2)
4. The Avalanches (**** 1/2)
5. Bonobo (**** 1/2)
6. Warpaint (****)
7. Cage The Elephant (****)
8. The xx (*** 1/2)
9. Savages (*** 1/2)
10. Glass Animals (*** 1/2)

[Mushy25]

Really enjoyed the festival. If it could have a bit more space it'd be great alright, but it was very manageable. Never any long waiting to get in, friendly staff, good music, unreal weather, great city too. 

 

Heineken Stage is a great tent, Royal Blood and Cage the Elephant ripped it apart, my favourite performances of the weekend. Savages and Spoon were good too. Foos and the small bit of Imagine Dragons on main were best bits I saw there, Depeche Mode too but again that wasn't a full set. Phoinex too actually. 

 

Would gladly go again, would gladly book the same airbnb as we had too. Get Pearl Jam for next year and I'll likely make the trip again.

[FuzzyDunlop]

Very odd question here, but I am thinking about NOS alive. Is this dog area part of the site?

I have a phobia of dogs and this is like a living hell.

 

http://metro.co.uk/2017/07/12/exploring-the-worlds-first-dog-glamping-site-at-nos-alive-music-festival-6773522/

[Mushy25]

5 hours ago, FuzzyDunlop said:

Very odd question here, but I am thinking about NOS alive. Is this dog area part of the site?

I have a phobia of dogs and this is like a living hell.

 

http://metro.co.uk/2017/07/12/exploring-the-worlds-first-dog-glamping-site-at-nos-alive-music-festival-6773522/

 

I think it's part of the camping site, I didn't see any area for dogs at the music site. Easily avoidable!

[FuzzyDunlop]

2 minutes ago, Mushy25 said:

 

I think it's part of the camping site, I didn't see any area for dogs at the music site. Easily avoidable!

So I wouldn't camp then. Thanks

[Sweet_pea]

I'm considering this for next year.

Anyone got any advice on accommodation? Is the camping onsite? Shady? I was at Boom last year and to say it was hot was an understatement.

If staying offsite, is it easy to get to and from?

Thanks in advance

[NomadicMan]

Hi, I stayed in an apartment relatively far away (5 km or) so. Getting there and in is easy though and super fast, you can take train or we used Uber on one day. Also as they start the festival late I quite liked staying relatively far outside the festival as it was easy to check out Lisbon in the day before heading into the festival. Getting out is a bit of a pain in the ass though and you need to walk a few km over a bridge, the taxi rank was a disaster unless you left early (or possibly really late. Suggest to book the apartment early if your going to do that as it does get full.

Regarding camping can't really comment but I did hear good things. Also getting onto the buses when you leave to get to the camping area seemed better organsied than getting out of the festival otherwise.

Anyway the festival is really great for a city festival so I'd highly recommend it regardless of where you sleep!