Open'er Festival: Gdynia, Poland

A contemporary music festival isn't the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Poland, but Open'er proved that there is more to Eastern Europe than WW2 relics and pickled cabbage. After a 12 hour perilous road trip across Poland's desolate countryside, where we kept ourselves occupied by inventing the game 'Spot the Roadside Prostitute', we arrived in the seaport city of Gdynia, situated on Poland's Northern coast near to Sopot and Gdansk. It seems the entire town is taken over by the annual festival, perhaps unsurprisingly as the only other attractions seem to be are a Blackpool-esque seafront and an handful of museums (although the enthusiastic tourist information centre begs to differ).

Open'er was my first experience of a music festival outside the UK, and there were several features which stood out. Firstly, the music begins much later in the day (around 4pm) and carries on until the early hours, meaning you don't have to scrabble out of your tent at 11am to catch all the acts you paid your hard-earned cash to see. Secondly, no food or alcohol can be brought from outside the festival into the arena or campsite, and inside the arena, the only alcoholic drinks available were Heineken or Desperados. At first this seemed like a disaster, but the absence of 16 year-olds throwing up warm cider and idiots trying to throw your tent onto a campfire was a welcome change. A beer in the arena was the equivalent of £1.25, nothing in comparison to British festivals, although I'd advise anyone attending to take advantage of being able to drink ridiculously cheap local vodka the in nearby car park to really get into the spirit of the festival. 

Gdynia was blessed with beautiful weather (except for a minor thunderstorm on the 2nd night) so festival goers were able to use the free shuttlebus to chill on the beach during the day. There were also a variety of non-musical activities during the day including a museum, library, fashion shows and a four-hour long musical starring Courtney Love (we gave that a miss...). In addition to the four-day festival, wristband holders also bizarrely got free entry into a Rihanna concert the day after. For a total price of around £90 (even cheaper for early bird tickets), it was definitely value for money. Saying this, I did miss the lack of smaller bands. It seems Polish popular music seems to consist of early noughties nu-metal, ska and white hip-hop, with not much variety in between. The upside of this was that there were no clashes between the acts we wanted to see!

My favourite acts of the festival were:

1. Arctic Monkeys: Playing an indulgent selection of their greatest hits and fan favourites, expectations for new album 'AM' are high, after an energetic and polished performance. I think '0114' emblazoned on Matt Helder's drum kit was probably lost on the majority
of the crowd.... 

2. Disclosure: The third time I've seen the pair this year, and almost certainly the best so far. An emotionally charged show which displayed their talent for live performance.

3. Tame Impala: Despite the impending thunderstorm, the Aussies brought sunshine vibes to the main stage in a flawless performance.

4. The National: A simple, honest performance delivered by expert musicians, watched by a tiny crowd in comparison to the legions of fans who will no doubt watch them on tour this Autumn.

5. Alt J: A fun, celebratory performance on the packed Tent Stage by a band who's career has rocketed in the last couple of years.

Queens of the Stone Age were also on top form on the back of their latest LP, and Crystal Castles put on a great show in the Tent Stage too. Kings of Leon's performance was as bland as expected, and their two new tracks were less than inspiring, although the crowd seemed to enjoy the hits. I'd definitely return to Open'er next year for the right line-up, for both the relaxed atmosphere as well as the bargain prices, and I'd love to explore the surrounding cities more (although I'd definitely fly rather than drive!) As prices for European festivals such as Benicassim and Optimus continue to rise, Open'er is a much-overlooked option which seems to be getting bigger each year. If all you want is music, sun and if you can stomach 4 days of Heineken, it's definitely a great alternative to more mainstream festivals.

Heineken Open'er Festival, Gdynia, 3rd-6th July 2013