The penultimate day at Sziget Festival brought a variety of artists from different genres and some show-stopping performances on the main stage. Whilst temperatures were continuing to soar, the crowd still had energy to dance until the early hours.

Isabella LaRosa

Rising alt-pop star Isabella LaRosa gained a legion of followers after her single ‘i’m yours’ went viral on TikTok in 2022. She released her debut studio album Raven in April this year. Her music blends pop with darker, cinematic elements of rock and confessional lyrics about romance and heartbreak. The synth-pop intro of ‘Older’ is one of her opening songs. When the song ends, Isabella La Rosa introduces her band, her brother Thomas La Rosa on guitar, and her drummer, Reece. Isabella La Rosa’s stage presence is powerful, her vocals are ethereal, and she handles the crowd with ease for a singer so young. It will be interesting to see where Isabella LaRosa goes as an artist; her name is definitely one to watch for the future.

Fat Dog

After seeing Fat Dog for the first time at Leeds in the Park festival last year, I knew that I had to see them again. Their chaotic and energetic sets ramp up the crowd and are a sight to behold. Fat Dog has been all around the festival circuit this year, which will hopefully further their exposure as a band and gain them new fans. Whilst their set slightly clashed with headliner Post Malone, there was still a considerably large crowd at the Revolut tent waiting for them to perform.

Their music is an experimental mix of dance, electro-punk, metal and klezmer (folk music that uses ritual melodies and improvisations). Fat Dog are known for mosh pits, and this set is no different as lead singer Joe Love dives into both sides of the stage. The mind-bending madness behind ‘King of the Slugs’ makes it perfect for getting the crowd moving. During this song, Joe Love started regularly coming down to the barrier to sing to the crowd. Halfway through their set, ‘Peace Song’ provides a moment of calm before the band ends on ‘Running’. If this set was anything to go by, Fat Dog is certainly a band to watch in the future.

Post Malone

Post Malone headlined the main stage this evening. His stage presence was lively and incredibly sincere; he thanked the crowd repeatedly in between songs for coming out in such huge numbers to see him. With the release of his first-ever country album, F-1 Trillion, last year, Post Malone is currently on his ‘Big Ass Stadium Tour’ that is set to finish in September. His music spans various genres, including Rap, Hip-Hop, R&B and Country. During his set, he dipped into older songs, including ‘Better Now,’ with newer country songs like ‘Pour Me a Drink,’ which was released in 2024 with Blake Shelton. He navigated his whole discography with ease, stopping in between songs to chat with the crowd.

Before playing the next song, Post Malone said, “If you have ever sat down to have a conversation with me, you’ll know that I can’t stop talking about shapes.” The next track that played was his chart-topping hit ‘Circles’, and the whole crowd started singing along. ‘Rockstar’ was a highlight of his performance, which was accompanied by an all-out display of pyrotechnics that was absolutely show-stopping.

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Heather Gosling is a university student currently studying English Literature at York. She is passionate about journalism, creative writing and music. She has written for many online and print publications and is working on a music magazine (@circulationzine).

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