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Perched on the banks of the Danube, the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad is a spectacular venue, a treasure trove of nineteen stages boasting every style of music imaginable. This variety ensures that the crowd is as diverse as the music. People of all ages and persuasions descend on Novi Sad from all over Serbia and beyond.
From humble beginnings as a student-led peace protest at the twilight of the Milosevic era, Exit has grown in scale to become the largest festival in Eastern Europe and this year boasted over 600 performances. Yet somehow the energy of a peace protest remains, perhaps further fuelled this year by the tenth anniversary of the massacre in Srebrenica in neighbouring Bosnia. Exit is a testament to the desire for peace in a region which is sadly better-known to us for its conflict.
Despite the growing interest from international visitors, the festival retains a distinctly Eastern European flavour; from the hectic pathways leading up to the fortress with market stalls keenly vying for trade (where else can you get chevapcici at a festival?), to the choice of local act Apocolyptica as warm-up to Underworld. The fortress itself is part of the character of the festival, as you wander through the fortification there are mystery paths leading to hidden gems and at every turn one of the nineteen stages appears before you, the only challenge is working your way back to where you started from. The randomness of hearing a reggae band, a metal outfit and an international DJ superstar all in the same hour is part of the fun. The prospect of sticking to a planned itinerary is quickly thrown out the window, if it ever existed. It’s time to be at one with the chaos.
A word of warning, you might want to ensure you’re ‘match ready’ with several of the stages kicking off as early as 6pm and finishing as late as 9am over the course of four days. If you haven’t had your Weet-Bix you’ll be in strife. And to that music marathon add a healthy dose of mud, dimly lit pathways and insanely cheap beer… you need your wits about you just to stay upright!
There were plenty of highs and few lows. Unfortunately Infusion’s gear didn’t make it onto a connecting flight so our electronic ambassadors were left to party their way through the festival, and although they excelled at that task the boys were disappointed at missing the opportunity to play to a moat-full of thousands of revellers. There aren’t many places that offer such a unique opportunity.
The main stage was jammed on opening night. Apocolyptica opened my eyes to the beauty of Metallica being played on cellos. It might sound bizarre but they have a huge fan base and the crowd responded with wild applause at every opportunity. Underworld took centre stage at midnight with Darren Price (known to Australian fans as the support DJ on their most recent tour) joining Karl and Rick. Although there was a dash of new material, the set was dominated by the big classics much to the approval of the crowd, with ‘Cowgirl’ receiving the most thunderous cheering you could imagine and ‘Born Slippy’ attracting the requisite sing-along.
On the DJ stage, Dave Clarke’s absence (perhaps due to the mayhem that ensued following the London bombings?) was covered by an extended set from 2 Many DJs who started off well but lacked the depth needed to carry off a compelling set for over three hours. Admittedly, that’s a tough ask given their style, and credit where it’s due, anyone who drops ACDC’s ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ deserves a tip of the hat. Felix followed on with a fairly standard set of accessible electro and as light was breaking and the vodka was running low it was time to retire and recharge.
Ian Brown’s set on main stage was largely built around Stone Roses classics including ‘Waterfall’ and ‘I Wanna Be Adored’, but as the dry weather finally gave way to menacing rain, shelter was required. The fortress embraced us and we found a nightclub nestled in behind a secret passage. Although we were transfixed by a guy programming visuals on a laptop when there were no visuals in the room (performance art perhaps?) we tore ourselves away and the remainder of the night became our indiscriminate assault on the seventeen remaining stages: one part jazz to two parts film to three parts metal winding up with big black Cox on the DJ stage.
Ladytron took the unique honour of filling the gap between Slayer and Fatboy Slim. Only in Serbia would this line-up be greeted without so much as a bat of an eyelid, with metal heads and electro geeks happily passing the baton in front of main stage. Fatboy Slim held 50,000 people in the palm of his hand. Even though it was a very commercial set, his charisma is unmistakeable. His connection to his audience and the obvious joy he gets out of performing is unparalleled. I am converted. The DJ stage boasted progressive superstars. Sasha and Lee Burridge proved to be the crowd favourites, particularly with their impromptu back-to-back session. Meanwhile back on main stage Marky and Patife went head-to-head with impossibly bouncy Brazilian drum and bass prompting us to samba at double time.
On the closing night, it was just as well The White Stripes produce a fierce amount of noise because they were accompanied by the biggest downpour of the festival. Fans defiantly braved the onslaught whilst those less committed started an exodus that led to the DJ stage where thousands of people were dancing as if their life depended on it. This was the business end of the festival and for the first time, my entire clan of ten partied together in the one arena, having secured a brilliant vantage point at the apex of a hazardously muddy incline. Sandy Rivera handed over to Darren Emerson, followed by Mutiny and Yousef, with the festival finishing on a housey feelgood tip.
If it’s cutting edge electronica you’re after, you’ve come to the wrong place. Exit is about big tunes, serious partying and becoming immersed in the festival experience. The headline artists it now attracts are the biggest in the business. Even though Exit is growing in international popularity, being an Australian was definitely a novelty. So many locals were fascinated about why we came so far and why we chose to visit Serbia. Exit is the perfect starting point for exploring one of the most stunning regions of the world. Culturally rich and physically spectacular, the rest of this adventure couldn’t possibly be captured in this space I have here. You’ll just have to try it for yourself.
For more info on Exit Festival check out the official website: http://www.exitfest.org/.
