Nova Rock: Pop and rock with sun and sport-friendly permanent guests

POD, Steel Panther, Body Count ft. Ice-T and old rocker Alice Cooper were among those scheduled to perform there. Halfway through the open-air event, the sun was blazing down from the sky. The organizers informed via social media about possible rain showers during the night.

“Our weather service is predicting rain for around midnight this evening,” it read. The services are not in agreement about the crowd size, but people should be prepared for it. For now, however, don’t forget your sunscreen and hat! Måneskin obviously attracted more people, as was noticeable on the way to the venue. And Cooper said of his guest appearance: “The queue is there, as is the guillotine.”

• Read also: Alice Cooper has “the snake as well as the guillotine”

“We are not inventory!”

Sportfreunde Stiller are welcome guests at the Pannonia Fields. They have tried to find out how often they have actually performed here, says drummer Florian “Flo” Weber. “I’ll say off the top of my head, four times in any case. Once the second stage was miles away.” But: “We’re not just furniture!”, bassist Rüdiger “Rüde” Linhof clarified. “We like coming here in any case, it’s always the same wind that feels like it’s blowing too hard here. But there’s also always good wine on offer here, the audience is always in a party mood,” said Weber, “that’s why we’ll be back.”

The group from Upper Bavaria has been enjoying “a really good time” since their comeback after a break. There is a “great atmosphere” in the band and they are making plans for the future, assured the two musicians, who of course follow the Euro as football fans. “If David Alaba and Alexander Schlager were there, I would definitely have said: Austria in the semi-finals,” said the drummer with conviction. “Hans Krankl is the best goalkeeper in the world,” added Linhof with a laugh.

Catchy pop with attention to detail

The local band Granada gave a foretaste of their new album, which will be released in the autumn: “We got up early and left early. It’s very special to be playing here today, we’ve never been here before,” emphasised Alexander Christof. “This will perhaps be our biggest concert. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m even a little nervous. It’s exciting!” Musically, Granada offer catchy pop that is handmade and made with a lot of attention to detail. The choruses are spot on, the melodies are right, there’s positive energy, as the new songs “Feiawerk” and “Wimper” prove.

Nova Rock has opened up in recent years, and today pop singer Lavigne is on stage and Blond delivered crisp indie with lots of participation potential. “We already discussed that today. In the past, the festival was very much focused on punk, metal and hardcore,” reflected singer Thomas Petritsch. “But it has become increasingly broader. We feel very comfortable there now, even when you see the other bands. I think we fit in.” Summery sounds in bright sunshine? Yes, this combination is a sure bet.

Club atmosphere under the open sky

The program on the Red Bull Stage was also very well received on the third day, where there was an almost intense club atmosphere in the open air. Backstage, Future Palace waited relaxed for their performance in the afternoon. The Berlin trio around singer Maria Lessing fuses post-hardcore rock and metal with influences that go back to Mike Oldfield and were looking forward to their Nova Rock debut: “We’ve performed in Austria six times so far, but never here. It’s huge here. There’s bungee jumping, tattooing, awesome bands – everything. It’s like a city of its own,” they said, amazed at the festival. In the fall, they’ll be coming back to Austria with a new album with new influences.

The festival has been quiet so far for the emergency services. “Everything is fine,” said a police spokesman on Saturday. The number of people treated by the Red Cross remained limited. Around 175 people were treated during the concerts on Friday – mostly for ankle injuries or sprains. A total of 1,020 people have been treated on site so far, according to a press release. 213 transports were completed and 35 injured people were taken to hospital for further treatment. The crisis intervention team was deployed six times.

The ÖAMTC said that the visitors were well prepared. They were only called out occasionally to problems with keys being locked while unloading or flat tires. The transport club expects the most calls to be made when people leave on Sunday evening and Monday morning.