{"id":2090684,"date":"2026-08-12T12:04:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T09:04:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2090684"},"modified":"2026-08-12T12:04:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T09:04:52","slug":"sombr-and-dijon-ripped-up-the-rulebook-on-day-one-at-sziget-festival-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2090684","title":{"rendered":"Sombr and Dijon ripped up the rulebook on day one at Sziget Festival 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sombr-Sziget-2026-Marton-Monusjpg.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-2749694\" class=\"post-2749694 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_71 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Reviews<\/span><span>Live Reviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_72 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_72\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Sombr and Dijon ripped up the rulebook on day one at Sziget Festival 2026<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_73 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_73\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Innovation was the name of the game as the Budapest bash got underway<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_75 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_75\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> NME<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-08-12T13:04:52+01:00\">12th August 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_77\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_78  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_80  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span8\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_81 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"441\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sombr-Sziget-2026-Marton-Monusjpg-696x441.jpg\" alt title=\"Sziget Festival 2026\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Sombr at Sziget Festival 2026. Credit: Sziget Festival\/Marton Monus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_83 article-content-row vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong><em>In p<\/em><em>artnership with<\/em> Sziget Festival<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Words:<\/strong> Jordan Bassett and Rhian Daly<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Not for nothing is Sziget Festival held on a stretch of land dubbed \u2018The Island of Freedom\u2019. This is truly a place in which to get lost. Punters access the island via a bridge adorned with colourful bird sculptures, only to be greeted by a marching band clad in suits decorated with flashing LED lights, before working their way through a wonderland that features, among many other attractions, its own fairground. We\u2019re not in Kansas \u2013 or indeed Budapest \u2013 any more.<\/p>\n<p>Even before you get to the world-class acts (as it celebrates its 33rd birthday, the festival has attracted the likes of Florence + the Machine, Lewis Capaldi, Sombr and Twenty One Pilots), there\u2019s plenty to stumble upon here. Punishing darkwave? An elderly man crooning away at a piano in the woods? Sziget has you covered. As we pick up the pieces of our tiny minds, here\u2019s the lowdown on day one. <strong><em>JB<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Sombr celebrated a career milestone <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>How do you headline a festival with just one 37-minute album and a handful of loosies? If you\u2019re Sombr, you show no fear in roping in superstar mates and running up your tracks more than once. New Yorker Shane Boose ticked off both last night as he topped a European festival bill for the first time \u2013 a performance that also marked his first time playing a fest on the continent. His lightning-fast ascent to the top of the lineup reflects just how quickly his music has connected with audiences around the world, and the Sziget crowd turned up in droves to witness his debut performance in Hungary.<\/p>\n<p>Those who made it down to the set early were treated to an immediate special guest appearance from Zara Larsson, who had performed on the same stage just before Sombr. She and some of her dancers joined the star in the back of a people carrier, exiting the vehicle one by one, until just Larsson and Sombr were left. In keeping with the celebratory mood of the occasion, the pair toasted with two bright red cocktails before strutting towards the stage for Sombr to kick off his set in earnest.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3962144\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3962144\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3962144\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sziget-festival-2026-day-one-crowd.jpg\" alt width=\"2000\" height=\"1267\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3962144\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: Sizget Festival\/Marton Monus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>And earnest was the tone of the show, with Boose delivering his heartfelt thanks to the Hungarian people and offering comfort and solidarity to his audience as we all try to navigate the conflict and confusion of our current world. Before \u2018My Body Isn\u2019t Ready\u2019, he reached out to those struggling with body image issues, encouraging them to \u201cpush through\u201d their battles, while he later told us: \u201cIn Sombrland, you will always be accepted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sombr closed out his first European festival headline slot with his two biggest hits to date, sending the crowd to ecstatic heights with an elongated version of \u2018Back To Friends\u2019 before dropping \u201812 To 12\u2019 not once but twice. The audience\u2019s enthusiasm for the track only grew the second time around, Boose amplifying their excitement by declaring: \u201cI\u2019m not fucking done!\u201d On paper, playing the same song on repeat might seem like a cop-out, but in reality, Sombr proved that it can be an effective little trick. Besides, next time he\u2019s back here \u2013 and he promised to come back \u201cevery year until I die\u201d \u2013 he\u2019ll have plenty more up his sleeve. <strong><em>RD<\/em><\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Dijon rocked out<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re a rock\u2019n\u2019roll band,\u201d smirked alt-R&amp;B innovator Dijon midway through his late-night set on the Revolut Stage, which had already seen him meld heartfelt acoustic crooning, hangar-sized \u201880s balladry, frenetic rap and warped haunted house synths.<\/p>\n<p>He and his troupe of frankly unfairly talented musicians, who clustered tightly together on the stage, as if in rehearsal, even threw in a buoyant funk workout at one point. A rock\u2019n\u2019roll band? Not literally, perhaps \u2013 but Dijon certainly follows in the time-honoured tradition of ripping up the rulebook and doing things your own way.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>His music is by turns prickly and emotional, insular and expansive. The 34-year-old seems to write nailed-on R&amp;B hits and then wilfully dismantle them, squeezing in new hooks and disrupting others. It\u2019s perversely brilliant; music from a restless mind. He doesn\u2019t make things easy for himself: in conversation with <em>NME<\/em> back in 2021, Dijon cited Jai Paul\u2019s \u2018Jasmine\u2019 as a key influence in his love of fucking up his own sound. Asked if that\u2019s a barrier to commercial success, he shrugged: \u201cI\u2019m trying to figure out how to undo the barrier and to not acknowledge it at all, to the point where you feign ignorance.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3962148\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3962148\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3962148\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Marton-Monus_Wolf-Alice_Main-Sta.jpg\" alt width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3962148\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: Sziget Festival\/Marton Monus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That restlessness was certainly evident onstage at Sziget, as he alternately crouched down with the mic in his hand, belting out emotional lyrics in his trademark rasp, before taking refuge behind his guitar and rejoining the unity of the group. It was a charmingly unstarry performance \u2013 the main man appeared dressed down in black, with a T-shirt bearing the word \u201cJESUS\u201d \u2013 as the music\u2019s emotional intensity spoke for itself.<\/p>\n<p>True to his \u201crock\u2019n\u2019roll band\u201d claim, the group\u2019s cavernous sound was significantly beefed-up compared to his records. The result so was invigorating that a guy stood near <em>NME<\/em> was moved to do press-ups at the end of the set! <strong><em>JB<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The best of the rest<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Deep on the Island of Freedom lies the Yettel Colosseum, an open-air, circular space with lights shooting from its boundary into the sky. As Irish singer-songwriter and DJ Jazzy took over in the booth from Syreeta, friends huddled in groups preparing for a big night ahead and shuffled their way to a spot in front of the speakers to make the most of the beats. An inflatable giraffe towered above ravers, bopping to the house mix Jazzy expertly curated, which delivered many peaks \u2013 not least the moment she served up an instrumental reworking of Los Del R\u00edo\u2019s \u2018Macarena\u2019, which saw crowds flood onto the ice-blue-lit dancefloor to get their groove on.<strong><em>RD<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If Dijon dismantled the concept of genre, Tasmanian metal maniac Kim Dracula took the remaining shards and blasted them into hyperspace. The suited-and-booted band flanked the military uniformed Kim as they bobbed and weaved through pummelling deathcore, free jazz (no shit), gospel and pop-rap before returning to bone-rattling riffs and <em>that <\/em>terrifying growl.<\/p>\n<div id=\"jwplayer-video-ewW1RyNA\"><\/div>\n<p>Needless to say, the crowd didn\u2019t really need to be told to \u201cbang your fucking heads!\u201d, but Kim delivered the considered instruction anyway. There was even a brief interlude where Kim disappeared from the stage to drape themselves in a hooded cloak; in their absence, the rest of the group started up the James Bond theme.<\/p>\n<p>Sziget\u2019s headbangers\u2019 ball continued at the Buzz Stage, as Perturbator \u2013 the son of former <em>NME<\/em> scribe Nick Kent, no less \u2013 moshed behind a synthesizer and swung his luscious locks as he pumped out punishing darkwave. Talk about a licence to thrill. <strong><em>JB<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Dijon<\/li>\n<li>Jazz<\/li>\n<li>Metal<\/li>\n<li>Perturbator<\/li>\n<li>Pop<\/li>\n<li>R&amp;B<\/li>\n<li>Rap<\/li>\n<li>Sombr<\/li>\n<li>Zara Larsson<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_89 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span4 td-is-sticky\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-sidebar  tdi_92 td_block_template_2\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_93 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_93\">\n<div class=\"td-block-title-wrap\">\n<h4 class=\"td-block-title\"><span class=\"td-pulldown-size\">TRENDING<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_93\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Phoebe Bridgers \u2013 \u2018Lost Weekend\u2019 review: indie\u2019s poet laureate returns with a staggering, strange and stirring opus<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">This Is Lorelei was only meant to be a side project. It\u2019s made Nate Amos an indie darling<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Nate Sib is finding peace and purpose in his pop mission<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">\u2018Tony\u2019 review: a mostly delicious taste of pre-fame Anthony Bourdain<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">The cursed story of \u2018The Wicker Man\u2019 has a new tragic chapter<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-custom_ad_1  tdi_94 td_block_template_2\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_95\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_96  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_98  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_100  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_102  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_104 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_105 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_105\">\n<div id=\"tdi_105\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Bloodstock announce 27 bands and headliners for 2027 line-up<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Film News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">\u2018KPop Demon Hunters\u2019 star Ejae says Leonardo DiCaprio was reason for vocal mistakes at BAFTAs: \u201cHe made me so nervous\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Olivia Rodrigo reveals Daisy Chain Fields stage times schedule with no overlapping sets<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Zara Larsson helps Sombr kick off first European festival headline set at Sziget<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Watch Jason Sudeikis join Mumford &amp; Sons to sing \u2018Ted Lasso\u2019 theme at Madison Square Garden<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Spotify team up with Reading &amp; Leeds 2026 to help fans discover new favourite artists<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong><em>In p<\/em><em>artnership with<\/em> Sziget Festival<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Words:<\/strong> Jordan Bassett and Rhian Daly<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Not for nothing is Sziget Festival held on a stretch of land dubbed \u2018The Island of Freedom\u2019. This is truly a place in which to get lost. Punters access the island via a bridge adorned with colourful bird sculptures, only to be greeted by a marching band clad in suits decorated with flashing LED lights, before working their way through a wonderland that features, among many other attractions, its own fairground. We\u2019re not in Kansas \u2013 or indeed Budapest \u2013 any more.<\/p>\n<p>Even before you get to the world-class acts (as it celebrates its 33rd birthday, the festival has attracted the likes of Florence + the Machine, Lewis Capaldi, Sombr and Twenty One Pilots), there\u2019s plenty to stumble upon here. Punishing darkwave? An elderly man crooning away at a piano in the woods? Sziget has you covered. As we pick up the pieces of our tiny minds, here\u2019s the lowdown on day one. <strong><em>JB<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Sombr celebrated a career milestone <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>How do you headline a festival with just one 37-minute album and a handful of loosies? If you\u2019re Sombr, you show no fear in roping in superstar mates and running up your tracks more than once. New Yorker Shane Boose ticked off both last night as he topped a European festival bill for the first time \u2013 a performance that also marked his first time playing a fest on the continent. His lightning-fast ascent to the top of the lineup reflects just how quickly his music has connected with audiences around the world, and the Sziget crowd turned up in droves to witness his debut performance in Hungary.<\/p>\n<p>Those who made it down to the set early were treated to an immediate special guest appearance from Zara Larsson, who had performed on the same stage just before Sombr. She and some of her dancers joined the star in the back of a people carrier, exiting the vehicle one by one, until just Larsson and Sombr were left. In keeping with the celebratory mood of the occasion, the pair toasted with two bright red cocktails before strutting towards the stage for Sombr to kick off his set in earnest.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3962144\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3962144\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3962144\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sziget-festival-2026-day-one-crowd.jpg\" alt width=\"2000\" height=\"1267\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3962144\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: Sizget Festival\/Marton Monus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>And earnest was the tone of the show, with Boose delivering his heartfelt thanks to the Hungarian people and offering comfort and solidarity to his audience as we all try to navigate the conflict and confusion of our current world. Before \u2018My Body Isn\u2019t Ready\u2019, he reached out to those struggling with body image issues, encouraging them to \u201cpush through\u201d their battles, while he later told us: \u201cIn Sombrland, you will always be accepted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sombr closed out his first European festival headline slot with his two biggest hits to date, sending the crowd to ecstatic heights with an elongated version of \u2018Back To Friends\u2019 before dropping \u201812 To 12\u2019 not once but twice. The audience\u2019s enthusiasm for the track only grew the second time around, Boose amplifying their excitement by declaring: \u201cI\u2019m not fucking done!\u201d On paper, playing the same song on repeat might seem like a cop-out, but in reality, Sombr proved that it can be an effective little trick. Besides, next time he\u2019s back here \u2013 and he promised to come back \u201cevery year until I die\u201d \u2013 he\u2019ll have plenty more up his sleeve. <strong><em>RD<\/em><\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Dijon rocked out<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re a rock\u2019n\u2019roll band,\u201d smirked alt-R&amp;B innovator Dijon midway through his late-night set on the Revolut Stage, which had already seen him meld heartfelt acoustic crooning, hangar-sized \u201880s balladry, frenetic rap and warped haunted house synths.<\/p>\n<p>He and his troupe of frankly unfairly talented musicians, who clustered tightly together on the stage, as if in rehearsal, even threw in a buoyant funk workout at one point. A rock\u2019n\u2019roll band? Not literally, perhaps \u2013 but Dijon certainly follows in the time-honoured tradition of ripping up the rulebook and doing things your own way.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>His music is by turns prickly and emotional, insular and expansive. The 34-year-old seems to write nailed-on R&amp;B hits and then wilfully dismantle them, squeezing in new hooks and disrupting others. It\u2019s perversely brilliant; music from a restless mind. He doesn\u2019t make things easy for himself: in conversation with <em>NME<\/em> back in 2021, Dijon cited Jai Paul\u2019s \u2018Jasmine\u2019 as a key influence in his love of fucking up his own sound. Asked if that\u2019s a barrier to commercial success, he shrugged: \u201cI\u2019m trying to figure out how to undo the barrier and to not acknowledge it at all, to the point where you feign ignorance.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3962148\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3962148\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3962148\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Marton-Monus_Wolf-Alice_Main-Sta.jpg\" alt width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3962148\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: Sziget Festival\/Marton Monus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That restlessness was certainly evident onstage at Sziget, as he alternately crouched down with the mic in his hand, belting out emotional lyrics in his trademark rasp, before taking refuge behind his guitar and rejoining the unity of the group. It was a charmingly unstarry performance \u2013 the main man appeared dressed down in black, with a T-shirt bearing the word \u201cJESUS\u201d \u2013 as the music\u2019s emotional intensity spoke for itself.<\/p>\n<p>True to his \u201crock\u2019n\u2019roll band\u201d claim, the group\u2019s cavernous sound was significantly beefed-up compared to his records. The result so was invigorating that a guy stood near <em>NME<\/em> was moved to do press-ups at the end of the set! <strong><em>JB<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The best of the rest<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Deep on the Island of Freedom lies the Yettel Colosseum, an open-air, circular space with lights shooting from its boundary into the sky. As Irish singer-songwriter and DJ Jazzy took over in the booth from Syreeta, friends huddled in groups preparing for a big night ahead and shuffled their way to a spot in front of the speakers to make the most of the beats. An inflatable giraffe towered above ravers, bopping to the house mix Jazzy expertly curated, which delivered many peaks \u2013 not least the moment she served up an instrumental reworking of Los Del R\u00edo\u2019s \u2018Macarena\u2019, which saw crowds flood onto the ice-blue-lit dancefloor to get their groove on.<strong><em>RD<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If Dijon dismantled the concept of genre, Tasmanian metal maniac Kim Dracula took the remaining shards and blasted them into hyperspace. The suited-and-booted band flanked the military uniformed Kim as they bobbed and weaved through pummelling deathcore, free jazz (no shit), gospel and pop-rap before returning to bone-rattling riffs and <em>that <\/em>terrifying growl.<\/p>\n<div id=\"jwplayer-video-ewW1RyNA\"><\/div>\n<p>Needless to say, the crowd didn\u2019t really need to be told to \u201cbang your fucking heads!\u201d, but Kim delivered the considered instruction anyway. There was even a brief interlude where Kim disappeared from the stage to drape themselves in a hooded cloak; in their absence, the rest of the group started up the James Bond theme.<\/p>\n<p>Sziget\u2019s headbangers\u2019 ball continued at the Buzz Stage, as Perturbator \u2013 the son of former <em>NME<\/em> scribe Nick Kent, no less \u2013 moshed behind a synthesizer and swung his luscious locks as he pumped out punishing darkwave. Talk about a licence to thrill. <strong><em>JB<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/live\/sziget-festival-2026-sombr-zara-larsson-perturbator-kim-dracula-3962140&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sombr-Sziget-2026-Marton-Monusjpg.jpg&#8221;] ReviewsLive Reviews Sombr and Dijon ripped up the rulebook on day one at Sziget Festival 2026 Innovation was the name of the game as the Budapest bash got underway By NME 12th August 2026 Sombr at Sziget Festival 2026. Credit: Sziget Festival\/Marton Monus In partnership with Sziget Festival Words: Jordan Bassett and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2090684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2090684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2090684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2090684\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2090684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2090684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2090684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}