{"id":2094708,"date":"2026-08-14T13:25:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T10:25:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2094708"},"modified":"2026-08-14T13:25:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T10:25:57","slug":"florence-the-machine-and-fcukers-kept-the-party-going-at-sziget-2026-day-three","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2094708","title":{"rendered":"Florence + The Machine and Fcukers kept the party going at Sziget 2026 day three"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/florence-and-the-machine-sziget-credit-Joseph-OkpakoWireImage.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\">Florence + The Machine and Fcukers kept the party going at Sziget 2026 day three<\/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>Lewis Capaldi and Antony Szmierek were also on hand to help blast away any mid-festival slump <\/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=\"2026-08-14T14:25:57+01:00\">14th 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=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/florence-and-the-machine-sziget-credit-Joseph-OkpakoWireImage-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"Florence + The Machine\" title=\"Sziget Festival 2026 - Day 4\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Florence + The Machine. Credit: Joseph Okpako\/WireImage<\/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 partnership with Sziget Festival<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Words:<\/strong> Jordan Bassett, 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>Going to Sziget Festival is like entering another world, where time moves differently and everything you pass is brighter, bolder and more colourful. At first it feels mind-boggling, but by day three of the Budapest bash, you\u2019ve acclimatised and settled into a new, more vibrant life than your standard 9-to-5 that the boring old real world offers.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also by this point that you\u2019re questioning whether you\u2019ll ever want to go back to normal. And why would you, when the Island of Freedom also offers a spectacular bill of entertainment? The third day of the festival served up plenty of opportunities to dance, from Fcukers\u2019 party-starting set to a joyous jump-along to Florence + The Machine, plus late-night antics from Manchester\u2019s Antony Szmierek. Perhaps we just live here now, and we\u2019re OK with that. <strong><em>(RD)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Florence made us scream<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>For those of us who\u2019ve always wondered what it might look like if Ari Aster directed a concert, Florence + the Machine\u2019s jaw-dropping headline set more than delivered. The show was by turns epic, awe-inspiring and ludicrously good fun.<\/p>\n<p>Noting that we\u2019ve passed midsummer, Florence purred: \u201cAt the height of summer, we often make\u2026 <em>offerings<\/em> for the solstice. Would anyone like to make an\u2026 <em>offering<\/em>?\u201d After fans raised their hands or jumped up on each other\u2019s shoulders to signal their readiness for ritual sacrifice, she began to count the \u2018offerings\u2019: \u201cSeven! Eight!\u201d It was utterly bonkers and utterly fabulous.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3962748\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3962748\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3962748\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/florence-machine-sziget-credit-Joseph-OkpakoWireImage.jpg\" alt=\"florence + the machine\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3962748\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Florence + The Machine. Credit: Joseph Okpako\/WireImage<\/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>Such schlock might not land quite as well if the tunes and stagecraft weren\u2019t so shimmeringly spectacular \u2013 but this was elevated horror, not some junky B-movie. Florence opened with \u2018Everybody Scream\u2019, the title track from her darkly opulent, Mercury Prize-nominated 2025 album. It was inspired by the ectopic pregnancy that nearly cost her life, and it is remarkable that she\u2019s taken such a nightmarish experience and turned it into something so life-affirming and empowering.<\/p>\n<p>As her backing singers and dancers \u2013 clad in gothic gowns like they\u2019d wandered in from a production of\u00a0<em>The Crucible<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 huddled together, Florence twirled around the stage, her blood-dress flailing dramatically. It\u2019s a good job she didn\u2019t play during the previous night\u2019s solar eclipse, because we almost certainly would have all been turned into frogs. Dancing out to her own stage at the end of a runway, Florence was the grand master and high priestess of proceedings, in absolute control and with tens of thousands of bewitched punters under her spell.<\/p>\n<p>At one point, even she looked overwhelmed by the majesty of what she\u2019d created, taking it all in for a moment and blowing a kiss to the crowd. And then she delved back into the cauldron for more.\u00a0<strong><em>(JB)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3962744\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3962744\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3962744\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/fcukers-sziget-credit-Matt-JelonekGetty-Images.jpg\" alt=\"Fcukers\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3962744\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fcukers. Credit: Matt Jelonek\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>Fcukers invited everyone to their party<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Fcukers know how to party. That\u2019s been key to their speedy rise from underground word-of-mouth sensation to mainstream-bothering must-see act. They feed that knowledge into their live sets, deftly hyping up the crowd in ways that are effective but not overbearing, and strive to make things feel inclusive, even when they\u2019re on a festival stage, further removed from the crowd than at smaller gigs. \u201cIt\u2019s not like, \u2018Oh, you\u2019re watching us perform\u2019 \u2013 it\u2019s a party that everyone\u2019s included in,\u201d singer Shanny Wise told <em>NME<\/em> when the group appeared on <em>The Cover<\/em> back in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Yesterday (August 13), the New Yorkers opened up the invite to the Revolut Stage crowd. \u201cWe\u2019re very happy to be here tonight,\u201d Wise told the ever-expanding crowd after \u2018Butterflies\u2019. \u201cIt\u2019s our first time in Budapest. I was wondering if you guys like to party?\u201d The answer, at least with Fcukers in front of them, was a resounding yes, with the tent transformed into a strobe-lit club, with bodies moving and hands waving in the air to the beat of \u2018If You Wanna Party, Come Over To My House\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>The space between stage and crowd at festivals often becomes a sort of no-man\u2019s land where only security treads, but the band repurposed theirs into another dancefloor. Towards the end of the groove-filled set, Wise headed offstage and reappeared on the gangway running down the middle of the tent, and from there she stirred up more energetic dancing from fans eager to get involved and form some connection.<\/p>\n<p>Fcukers\u2019 inclusivity, though, doesn\u2019t just stretch to making everybody feel free to dance. Before an electric \u2018Homie Don\u2019t Shake\u2019, bassist Jackson Walker Lewis made it clear that their set was a safe space for anyone struggling against an increasingly authoritarian, dystopian world. \u201cFuck Donald Trump, fuck our government, fuck billionaires,\u201d he declared. \u201cNo more wars; no more data centres. Let\u2019s build a world that works for all of us.\u201d <strong><em>(RD)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The best of the rest<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Ahead of Lewis Capaldi\u2019s main stage set, a man wandered through the audience in a T-shirt that bellowed, \u201cNO SCOTLAND NO PARTY.\u201d The 29-year-old Glaswegian singer might have bashfully dismissed his own act as \u201can hour of some pretty depressing music\u201d, but the mood was decidedly joyful.<\/p>\n<p>As ever, this was largely down to Capaldi\u2019s personality \u2013 his gigs tend to be part-concert, part-stand-up show. He wisely opened with a salvo of upbeat bangers: the glistening pop-rock of \u2018Hollywood\u2019, the thumping \u2018Grace\u2019, the lovestruck \u2018Heavenly Kind of State of Mind\u2019. \u201cFrom now on,\u201d he joked, \u201cit\u2019s just depression and pain.\u201d Who else could deliver that line and receive a roar of excitement from a stadium-sized audience?<\/p>\n<p>Capaldi poked fun at the bungee jumpers leaping from a platform opposite the main stage, encouraging the crowd to goadingly cheer\u00a0<em>\u201cWoooahhhhh\u2026.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>before they took the plunge. He gave himself the giggles and, despite the heartfelt nature of his music, it proved to be infectious. <strong><em>(JB)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3962746\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3962746\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3962746\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sziget-atmos-credit-mohos-marton.jpg\" alt=\"Sziget\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1313\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3962746\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sziget 2026. Credit: Mohos M\u00e1rton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It takes a special act to keep a crowd going in the small hours of a festival when feet are beginning to ache, and the prospect of bed is becoming more enticing by the minute. Luckily, Antony Szmierek is one such artist, and his 1:30am set on the Revolut Stage quickly blasted away any hint of late-night weariness. \u201cWe\u2019re so glad you\u2019re here with us at this hour,\u201d he told the audience as the set kicked off, adding that he\u2019d swapped sets with Fcukers, who were on at a much less nocturnal hour.<\/p>\n<p>But Szmierek\u2019s set proved to be perfect for the time slot, his wry spoken word narratives cushioned by garage beats that refused to let you stand still. He brought a sense of unity to those who\u2019d stayed out for the performance, too, joining them in the crowd at points and instructing us to celebrate New Year\u2019s Eve before \u2018The Words To Auld Lang Syne\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is what it\u2019s all about \u2013 this is living,\u201d he said later, sharing compelling previews of his new album \u2018Decoding Birdsong\u2019, including \u2018The First Five Minutes Of Magnolia\u2019 and \u2018Bookie\u2019s Favourite\u2019. He\u2019s not wrong. <strong><em>(RD)<\/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>Antony Szmierek<\/li>\n<li>Electronic<\/li>\n<li>Fcukers<\/li>\n<li>Florence &amp; The Machine<\/li>\n<li>Indie<\/li>\n<li>Lewis Capaldi<\/li>\n<li>Pop<\/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\">Este Haim on scoring Bella Ramsey film \u2018Sunny Dancer\u2019 and Haim\u2019s New York-inspired fifth album<\/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\">Dominic Sessa on why Anthony Bourdain\u2019s life \u201cwas not a tragedy\u201d but \u201ca symbol of hope\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-\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">How \u2018Diablo\u2019 continues to provide the definitive dark-fantasy game soundtrack<\/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\">This Is Lorelei was only meant to be a side project. 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At first it feels mind-boggling, but by day three of the Budapest bash, you\u2019ve acclimatised and settled into a new, more vibrant life than your standard 9-to-5 that the boring old real world offers.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also by this point that you\u2019re questioning whether you\u2019ll ever want to go back to normal. And why would you, when the Island of Freedom also offers a spectacular bill of entertainment? The third day of the festival served up plenty of opportunities to dance, from Fcukers\u2019 party-starting set to a joyous jump-along to Florence + The Machine, plus late-night antics from Manchester\u2019s Antony Szmierek. Perhaps we just live here now, and we\u2019re OK with that. <strong><em>(RD)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Florence made us scream<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>For those of us who\u2019ve always wondered what it might look like if Ari Aster directed a concert, Florence + the Machine\u2019s jaw-dropping headline set more than delivered. The show was by turns epic, awe-inspiring and ludicrously good fun.<\/p>\n<p>Noting that we\u2019ve passed midsummer, Florence purred: \u201cAt the height of summer, we often make\u2026 <em>offerings<\/em> for the solstice. Would anyone like to make an\u2026 <em>offering<\/em>?\u201d After fans raised their hands or jumped up on each other\u2019s shoulders to signal their readiness for ritual sacrifice, she began to count the \u2018offerings\u2019: \u201cSeven! Eight!\u201d It was utterly bonkers and utterly fabulous.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3962748\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3962748\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3962748\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/florence-machine-sziget-credit-Joseph-OkpakoWireImage.jpg\" alt=\"florence + the machine\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3962748\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Florence + The Machine. Credit: Joseph Okpako\/WireImage<\/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>Such schlock might not land quite as well if the tunes and stagecraft weren\u2019t so shimmeringly spectacular \u2013 but this was elevated horror, not some junky B-movie. Florence opened with \u2018Everybody Scream\u2019, the title track from her darkly opulent, Mercury Prize-nominated 2025 album. It was inspired by the ectopic pregnancy that nearly cost her life, and it is remarkable that she\u2019s taken such a nightmarish experience and turned it into something so life-affirming and empowering.<\/p>\n<p>As her backing singers and dancers \u2013 clad in gothic gowns like they\u2019d wandered in from a production of\u00a0<em>The Crucible<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 huddled together, Florence twirled around the stage, her blood-dress flailing dramatically. It\u2019s a good job she didn\u2019t play during the previous night\u2019s solar eclipse, because we almost certainly would have all been turned into frogs. Dancing out to her own stage at the end of a runway, Florence was the grand master and high priestess of proceedings, in absolute control and with tens of thousands of bewitched punters under her spell.<\/p>\n<p>At one point, even she looked overwhelmed by the majesty of what she\u2019d created, taking it all in for a moment and blowing a kiss to the crowd. And then she delved back into the cauldron for more.\u00a0<strong><em>(JB)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3962744\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3962744\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3962744\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/fcukers-sziget-credit-Matt-JelonekGetty-Images.jpg\" alt=\"Fcukers\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3962744\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fcukers. Credit: Matt Jelonek\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>Fcukers invited everyone to their party<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Fcukers know how to party. That\u2019s been key to their speedy rise from underground word-of-mouth sensation to mainstream-bothering must-see act. They feed that knowledge into their live sets, deftly hyping up the crowd in ways that are effective but not overbearing, and strive to make things feel inclusive, even when they\u2019re on a festival stage, further removed from the crowd than at smaller gigs. \u201cIt\u2019s not like, \u2018Oh, you\u2019re watching us perform\u2019 \u2013 it\u2019s a party that everyone\u2019s included in,\u201d singer Shanny Wise told <em>NME<\/em> when the group appeared on <em>The Cover<\/em> back in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Yesterday (August 13), the New Yorkers opened up the invite to the Revolut Stage crowd. \u201cWe\u2019re very happy to be here tonight,\u201d Wise told the ever-expanding crowd after \u2018Butterflies\u2019. \u201cIt\u2019s our first time in Budapest. I was wondering if you guys like to party?\u201d The answer, at least with Fcukers in front of them, was a resounding yes, with the tent transformed into a strobe-lit club, with bodies moving and hands waving in the air to the beat of \u2018If You Wanna Party, Come Over To My House\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>The space between stage and crowd at festivals often becomes a sort of no-man\u2019s land where only security treads, but the band repurposed theirs into another dancefloor. Towards the end of the groove-filled set, Wise headed offstage and reappeared on the gangway running down the middle of the tent, and from there she stirred up more energetic dancing from fans eager to get involved and form some connection.<\/p>\n<p>Fcukers\u2019 inclusivity, though, doesn\u2019t just stretch to making everybody feel free to dance. Before an electric \u2018Homie Don\u2019t Shake\u2019, bassist Jackson Walker Lewis made it clear that their set was a safe space for anyone struggling against an increasingly authoritarian, dystopian world. \u201cFuck Donald Trump, fuck our government, fuck billionaires,\u201d he declared. \u201cNo more wars; no more data centres. Let\u2019s build a world that works for all of us.\u201d <strong><em>(RD)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The best of the rest<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Ahead of Lewis Capaldi\u2019s main stage set, a man wandered through the audience in a T-shirt that bellowed, \u201cNO SCOTLAND NO PARTY.\u201d The 29-year-old Glaswegian singer might have bashfully dismissed his own act as \u201can hour of some pretty depressing music\u201d, but the mood was decidedly joyful.<\/p>\n<p>As ever, this was largely down to Capaldi\u2019s personality \u2013 his gigs tend to be part-concert, part-stand-up show. He wisely opened with a salvo of upbeat bangers: the glistening pop-rock of \u2018Hollywood\u2019, the thumping \u2018Grace\u2019, the lovestruck \u2018Heavenly Kind of State of Mind\u2019. \u201cFrom now on,\u201d he joked, \u201cit\u2019s just depression and pain.\u201d Who else could deliver that line and receive a roar of excitement from a stadium-sized audience?<\/p>\n<p>Capaldi poked fun at the bungee jumpers leaping from a platform opposite the main stage, encouraging the crowd to goadingly cheer\u00a0<em>\u201cWoooahhhhh\u2026.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>before they took the plunge. He gave himself the giggles and, despite the heartfelt nature of his music, it proved to be infectious. <strong><em>(JB)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3962746\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3962746\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3962746\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sziget-atmos-credit-mohos-marton.jpg\" alt=\"Sziget\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1313\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3962746\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sziget 2026. Credit: Mohos M\u00e1rton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It takes a special act to keep a crowd going in the small hours of a festival when feet are beginning to ache, and the prospect of bed is becoming more enticing by the minute. Luckily, Antony Szmierek is one such artist, and his 1:30am set on the Revolut Stage quickly blasted away any hint of late-night weariness. \u201cWe\u2019re so glad you\u2019re here with us at this hour,\u201d he told the audience as the set kicked off, adding that he\u2019d swapped sets with Fcukers, who were on at a much less nocturnal hour.<\/p>\n<p>But Szmierek\u2019s set proved to be perfect for the time slot, his wry spoken word narratives cushioned by garage beats that refused to let you stand still. He brought a sense of unity to those who\u2019d stayed out for the performance, too, joining them in the crowd at points and instructing us to celebrate New Year\u2019s Eve before \u2018The Words To Auld Lang Syne\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is what it\u2019s all about \u2013 this is living,\u201d he said later, sharing compelling previews of his new album \u2018Decoding Birdsong\u2019, including \u2018The First Five Minutes Of Magnolia\u2019 and \u2018Bookie\u2019s Favourite\u2019. He\u2019s not wrong. <strong><em>(RD)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/live\/florence-the-machine-fcukers-sziget-2026-day-three-3962666&#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\/florence-and-the-machine-sziget-credit-Joseph-OkpakoWireImage.jpg&#8221;] ReviewsLive Reviews Florence + The Machine and Fcukers kept the party going at Sziget 2026 day three Lewis Capaldi and Antony Szmierek were also on hand to help blast away any mid-festival slump By NME 14th August 2026 Florence + The Machine. Credit: Joseph Okpako\/WireImage In partnership with Sziget Festival Words: Jordan [&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-2094708","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\/2094708","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=2094708"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2094708\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2094708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2094708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2094708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}