United Islands of Prague is a festival held in the center of the capital and offers over 100 artists both from the Czech scene and from all over Europe during four days. There are also workshops, lectures and, last but not least, the breathtaking scenery of Prague and the Prague islands. In addition, the entire program is completely free, and we got a close look at the music program of the twenty-first year on Friday evening and Saturday.
Festival United Islands is a concept that brings talented and up-and-coming performers from all over Europe to the audience. The main stage extends to Shooting, Slavic and Children’s the islandthe rest of the program can then be seen in Prague clubs such as Cross, Chapeau Rouge or Music Club Jižák. As already mentioned, there is no entrance fee, so everyone can participate in the festival and enjoy the performances of, for example, emerging stars.
Friday controversy, emo version of Albert Černý and circle pit in the rain on the grass
The first band seen on Friday’s program were Unwashed Joe & The Shitboys from the distant Faroe Islands. Bisexual vegans and their shitpunk with lyrics dealing with very polarizing social topics caused an uproar on the second biggest stage of Sagittarius Island. During their three-quarter-hour set, they managed to play around twenty roaring and hard-hitting songs, which were sometimes less than a minute long, and they didn’t forget interact with the audience and encourage numerous reactions. During their set and hits, which in translation are called e.g. “Save the planet, you moron” “Drugs are for children” “If you believe in eating meat, start with your dog“, some people left in disgust. The rest, however, had a great time and enjoyed the completely unhinged atmosphere and the unwashed mouth of the singer Joe.
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Stage DPP it was built on the Slavonic Island and if someone didn’t have a raincoat or an umbrella, they could hide from the rain under the appropriate leaves of the trees. German Lonely Spring here they aimed at a younger audience with their emo pop-punk, which evoked the work of an increasingly large group Yungbluda or slightly younger Boy Bleach from England. With his presence and interactions, the singer again resembled a kind of emo version of the singer Albert Černý of Lake Malawi or former ones Charlie straight. And seriously. It was a pleasant performance, Croatians From Another Mother however, they set the bar significantly higher.
The three-member band really attracted attention with their noise rock full of nourishing riffs. The singer and the guitarist with the bass player were not afraid of people in the rain, the bass player even created a circle pit barefoot in the grass. In addition to their original stuff, they also played a cover Danny Sunday from IDLES, they swapped instruments for the last item on the setlist and ended their set with a big bang. They thus became the main highlight of Friday’s program and we can hope that we will also see their club premiere in the Czech Republic. The Viennese took care of the end of Friday evening on the main stage of the shooting island WONDERFUL with its pleasant indie pop.
Saturday phenomena of recent years and a lackluster headliner
The last day of the festival brought better weather and also the Czech phenomena of recent years. At three o’clock in the afternoon it’s the main one Europe stage was performed by the French Télépagaille. Under the warm sun and on a stage with a panoramic view of the Charles Bridge, the fledgling band was not afraid to pluck the strings. Their lyrics are written in their native French, and the musicians’ genres range somewhere between indie rock and alternative. The wailing synths were the main element that made them stand out from other bands. They were complemented on screen by visuals of a jumping DVD logo, a writhing torso and various graphic forms of their title. It was clear from the promising band that they were happy about the afternoon slot and they thanked not only the organizers for the invitation, but also the sound engineers and the whole crew. This was followed by a performance by a rising star from Slovakia, Vojtika.
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The one on the side Radio 1 stage represented the queer minority and stirred up even more controversy than Friday’s Joe & The Shitboys. Dressed all in black, including dress and gloves, he evoked an early era Brian Molko of Placebo. It was through provocation that he gained over two hundred thousand views on Youtube with his hit Detvansky Dream, which also became a clear highlight of the performance, and not only in terms of filming mobile phones in the air. He took the stage alone and wasn’t afraid to dig into the fact that the crowd is dead and that the only people smiling at him are the gays in the back. If Vojtik had he gone for faster things during his set and organized his setlist better among other things, he would have left the show with a much better impression. Vocally, it was a very nicely sung three quarters of an hour, all that remains is to fine-tune the whole thing a bit. The artist has charisma and talent to give away, so we will definitely hear more about him.
Master of words, rhymes and beats MC Gay he got on with a huge bang at six o’clock in the evening. The crowd of fans hung up on his every word and enjoyed his raps and catchy lyrics. “Prague, you are the best city in Prague!” he reported as one of the first things. In addition to ironic lyrics, world-sounding beats, rhymes and profanities, it also touched on more serious topics. MC Gay he did not forget to remind us how we are still doing well here compared to some other countries and how important democracy and freedom are. He took a dig at the Slovak rapper Rhythm following the recent presidential elections in Slovakia, and last but not least, the conflict in Palestine was discussed. It was, without a doubt, the most special performance of the entire United Islands. He was a surprise Horns, which was clearly the most praised and the strongest response to whose performance was palpable. The performer mixed electronic dance music with rap and drum and bass.
The artist had trouble breathing for most of the text, but the crowd didn’t mind at all. His lyrics were sung in chorus and loudly even for him, there was no shortage of pogo and the mostly younger staff were in a complete frenzy. Horns is a kind of local phenomenon that is actually bigger than it ever seemed, and the performance in the United Islands confirmed it. There is probably no point in discussing the quality of the music and the valuable contribution of the performance, but the atmosphere was unique. After all moshpit on Tall Juniper is not easily forgotten, and the younger generation, who in some cases were accompanied by their parents, had an experience for months ahead.
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The festival officially ended on the main stage with an up-and-coming British singer-songwriter AJ Wander with its three-member band and a delicate set, reminiscent of the genre for example Amber Run or X Ambassadors. Piano, guitar and drums in the main roles. The singer reminded in certain parts with his soft voice Conor Mason of Nothing But Thieves. The set was good and well played, but it didn’t really dazzle after the previous performers. Main slot and big stage afterwards AJ Wandera it kind of drowned out with the band. The lack of own songs and a short musical career took its toll on the performance – one definitely had higher expectations from the last big name of the festival. Who would be interested to see for themselves, just the last mentioned AJ Wander is also part of this year’s Metronome Festivalwhere he will surely play in the earlier hours.
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