We’ve been filling you in on our journey to this festival for a few days now, but it’s time to turn the page.
Here’s our final debrief of the CORE Festival 2023.
Core Festival – 28 May 2023 // Mademsku for Ctrl Alt Music.
Highlighted by a good first edition in 2022, 2023 looked good on paper. It’s always hard to follow up a success story, but here the means have been put in place to do just that. Whether in terms of audio, video or even festival-goer comfort, CORE has taken another step forward. It will be hard for others to keep up, except for Werchter and Tomorrowland, to follow this quality benchmark. With an eclectic line-up in terms of popularity and fanbase, CORE aims to be both a discovery (Bolis Pupul, JPEGMAFIA,…) and a mainstream event (ALT-J, Angèle,…) in a mix that works. On the downside, there’s a slight lack of rock music: we’d have liked to see bands like Turnstile or High Vis wake us up after a rap or a DJ gig, a little missing piece to note for edition number 3?
In terms of shows, 2023 will undoubtedly be a good year, as the artists gave their guts on stage. COVID undoubtedly had an impact on this, but there was a real sense of pleasure and professionalism on stage, showing that music takes on its full meaning in concert.
Are you waiting for it ? Here’s our small podium for this 2023 edition:
3rd: Bolis Pupul
Less of a discovery since his project with Charlotte Adigéry, the multi-talented artist struck us as a solo artist. With great sensitivity and feeling, he played the notes we wanted to hear.
Special mention for the track “Teknow“.
Bolis Pupul – 28 May 2023 // Mademsku for Ctrl Alt Music.
2nd: ALT-J
And another surprise ! The Brits put on a good 1h15 show. Their discography has evolved over the years, and can be enjoyed not for nostalgia but for sheer pleasure. From start to finish, we enjoyed the trio’s infectious energy, and especially the new songs alongside the great classics.
Special mention for the track “Left Hand Free“.
ALT -J – 28 May 2023 // Mademsku for Ctrl Alt Music.
1st: Channel Tres
Stratospheric. It’s hard to express just how intense a Channel Tres show is. A tribal energy took hold of us during this show, and it was sometimes hard to take photos because we were tapping our feet so hard. A bewitching rhythm, dancers with fiery hips, if you don’t see this act this year, you’re missing one of the best artists on the circuit.
Special mention for the track “Jet Black“.
Channel Tres – 28 May 2023 // Mademsku for Ctrl Alt Music.
There were a few moments when we were a bit down, but all in all, CORE festival 2023 was a great success. A festival of this calibre in Brussels is a stroke of luck, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that we’ll be able to enjoy this moment in time again in 2024. With a bit of guitar and a bit of screaming ?
Many thanks to the Core Festival for this event and to the LiveNation team.