What Went Down at Roskilde Festival 2024

PAUSE Heads to Roskilde 2024.

Special thanks to Roskilde Festival and NEU Communications.

It’s fair to say there’s a festival for everyone and everything these days. With lineups dropping on the daily, it can be an overwhelming task to plan your summer around the festivals you’ve heard about, never mind the ones you’re yet to discover. Arise Roskilde. I’d be lying to you if I said the festival – dubbed as Denmark’s rival to Glastonbury – was on my radar before an email popped into my inbox with its lineup for 2024 and from that moment, I just knew I had to be there.

PHOTO CREDIT: ROSKILDE FESTIVAL – ORANGE STAGE

I know you’re not here for a history lesson so I’ll keep this part short. Founded in 1971 by two students with a dream of creating the Scandinavian Woodstock, the Roskilde Festival Charity Society took over the festival the following year and has never looked back since. Embracing music, art, activism and gastronomy (the cricket carbonara consumed will back this one), the volunteer-driven festival prides itself on being a 100% non-profit organisation – meaning all profits made go towards supporting initiatives benefitting children and young people, as well as humanitarian and cultural work.

Attracting some of the biggest names in music history over its 52 editions (think Nirvana, David Bowie, Kendrick Lamar, Oasis, the list goes on…) the festival is also sadly remembered for a tragic event in 2000 when nine people lost their lives while watching Pearl Jam headline the Orange Stage – the festival’s new crowd control measures have since been replicated by similar events all across the globe.

So picture the scene… you’ve had the obligatory look back at all the photos from previous years on Instagram – the sun is shining, everyone is dressed immaculately and there’s no mud in sight – so you start planning all your outfits blissfully unaware that on the other side of the weather app, there’s a forecast of thunderstorms waiting for you every day that you’re there. After a quick panic shopping trip around Manchester, we were (kind of) prepared for whatever the weather may throw at us.

PHOTO CREDIT: ROSKILDE FESTIVAL

With an eclectic line-up ranging from 21 Savage and SZA to Foo Fighters, Roskilde is the place where you’ll either see your favourite artist or discover your new one. While She Sleeps opened our festival after a rain delay meant we could catch the remainder of their thunderous set (pardon the pun) and let’s just say, it was the wake-up call we needed. After being thrown into the deep end with mosh pits at every glance, it was time for the woman whose name is on the tip of everyone’s tongue right now. Ice Spice was about to grace the iconic Orange Stage – originally used by The Rolling Stones for their 1976 European tour and Queen at Hyde Park, before being sold to Roskilde Festival in 1977.

It instantly clicked why they call the festival “Denmark’s Glastonbury” when we turned the corner and the sky turned Barbie pink. Flags emblazoned with the afro-haired rapper atop pink stars and stripes dominated the skyline, while a subway surfer-esque inflatable Ice Spice on stage teased her arrival. On she strutted, donning a GANNI leopard-print mini dress… the crowd erupted. I wouldn’t say I was the biggest Ice Spice fan going into the set but I left unable to get “Think U The Shit (Fart)” out of my head for the rest of the weekend (it’s still going on as I type).

PHOTO CREDIT: ICE SPICE AT ROSKILDE FESTIVAL 2024

What makes Roskilde stand out over other festivals I have attended in my time is how many activities there are to get involved in outside of the music. From experimenting with new flavours at the plethora of sustainability-focussed food and drink stalls (the food at Roskilde is a minimum of 90% organic) to interactive art installations, workshops, talks, vintage pop-ups and even a temporary Han Kjøbenhavn store, there’s everything you could need (and more) to make the festival one to remember.

Anyway, back to the music. After refuelling on cricket carbonara (I won’t stop going on about it) and being saved by the Gaia tent from the first thunderstorm of many while watching The Beaches, people were beginning their ramble through the sludge and gearing up for 21 Savage. Opening the set with a touching spoken word video featuring his mother, the Slaughter Gang rapper riffed off “No Heart”, “Jimmy Crooks”, “On BS”, “Don’t Come Out the House”, “Peaches & Eggplants”, “née-nah” and “TOPIA TWINS”, before we headed off for the coronation of the indie scene’s new queens, The Last Dinner Party.

If anyone’s voice can distract you from the rain and cold then it’s the mesmeric vocals of lead singer, Abigail Morris. Hypnotised by the band’s enchanting “Prelude To Ecstasy” setlist amongst a crowd bigger than even they could comprehend, we danced the night away to Morris’ Kate Bush-esque tones. Our thoughts then turned to the last name on the agenda, PinkPantheress before we braved our first night in the tent. Despite forgetting the lyrics to her own song, the pop sensation’s set was less than forgettable and whilst we unfortunately missed Skrillex do his thing on the decks, it proved to be the perfect finish to our opening day at Roskilde…

PHOTO CREDIT: 21 SAVAGE AT ROSKILDE FESTIVAL 2024 – CHRISTIAN_HEDEL

Just like that, after the coldest night’s sleep known to man, it was Friday (or better known as Foos-day to those attending Roskilde 2024). An early morning coffee set us in good stead for what was going to be a day dedicated to one man, Dave Grohl. But first, we had America’s next President (well if her backdrop “www.sexyy4president.com” had anything to do with it), when a fittingly timed double rainbow blessed the sky.

If you could ask anyone to follow up one of nature’s most beautiful phenomena then believe me, the name at the top of that list would be Aurora. Bursting onto the Orange Stage with her infectious charm, the beloved Norweigan singer instantly captured the hearts of the Danish crowd. Dedicating her music to Mother Nature, we were immersed in a tale of life, love and inspiring change.

At every festival, you can expect clashes, but this one felt personal. Called in to replace Kali Uchis, Charli XCX had taken over the Arena spot at 9pm and of course, that just happened to be the same time one of the world’s greatest rock bands graced the main stage. We were divided but decided we couldn’t miss either, Charli was first and then we would catch the end of Foos – in the lead-up to the festival, regardless if Charli XCX was there or not, Brat was on repeat for me every single day, so missing her whole set wasn’t an option. On turned the blinding neon green strobes, and instantly we knew we were in the midst of Brat summer. A surprise guest performance from Caroline Polachek elevated an already near-perfect performance and to the backing track of “Boys”, we made our way to witness something that had been on my bucket list for a long time.

I’ve never seen a crowd like it, flags waving from front to back, oh and not to forget the festival’s unofficial alien and cow mascot that has been invading its grounds for over 20 years. Banger after banger, guitar shred after guitar shred, Dave Grohl stopped briefly throughout to talk of his experiences at Roskilde over his illustrious career. Playing with Nirvana in 1992 after Denmark had just won the European Cup (was this a sign of things to come?) and more recently on tour with the Foo Fighters, he hailed the festival’s crowd and thanked it “for making another f****** beautiful memory for the Foo Fighters”. Signing out with Everlong, there was no topping that.

PHOTO CREDIT: FOO FIGHTERS AT ROSKILDE FESTIVAL 2024

You know what festivals are like, the battery slowly depletes and the last day can often feel like a chore. Being constrained to our tent whilst yet another downpour commenced, it was a worry that it was a sign of things to come (spoiler alert: it wasn’t). With the England v Switzerland game perfectly placed within a break of acts on our list, we got into the spirit of the day by watching English Teacher take on the Gloria stage. A sweat fest and indie overload later, our dark horse for the festival, Barbro (think the lovechild of Ethel Cain and The Cranberries) was ready to take us through to the teams coming out.

Finding a new fan in each member of the ever-growing crowd throughout her set, it’s time to take a little moment to celebrate Roskilde Festival and its commitment to shining a light on local talent, no matter how big or small, Danish music was championed on every stage throughout. Hats off to you, Roskilde.

PHOTO CREDIT: PINKPANTHERESS AT ROSKILDE FESTIVAL 2024

Yet another less-than-inspiring England win took some of the wind out of our sails (or shall we say flags to stay on theme), but SZA awaited and nobody wants to miss SZA… Coming off the back of her much-talked-about Glastonbury headline slot, there was still a sense in the air that we were about to see something special. Backdropped by an otherworldy stage set-up riddled with stalactites, insects and fairy wings, the Grammy Award winner silenced the haters with her fascinating fusion of rock, pop and R&B – it’s hard to choose a favourite from the “SOS” setlist but I’m going to be cliche and say “Good Days”, because what better way to sum up our time at Roskilde?

Roskilde Festival 2024, it was a pleasure (see you next year?)

Roskilde Festival will come back for its 53rd edition between the 28th June and the 5th of July 2025.