Couldn’t help but waking up feeling a bit crispy on the final day of the festival. Perhaps it had something to do with that weirdly eclectic DJ set from last night, causing me to arrive back at my tent at 03:30. Who knows… Either way, as much as I enjoyed dancing to Hot Chip’s ‘Over & Over’, Chase & Status’ ‘Baddadan’, Folly Group’s ‘Strange Neighbour’, and in lesser extent ‘The Spark’ by Irish kids group Kabin Crew (yes, all these songs were played during one DJ set. It was proper weird…), it would all bleak in comparison with today’s first and best act: Bo Ningen. The Japanese group had been on Haldern Pop’s bill before but I never managed to catch ’em live up until now. Bo Ningen’s noise rock was an instant hit on this somewhat sweltering day in Germany. Right before they kicked off, I briefly familiarised myself with their merch just in case I would want to buy some at some point. That ‘some point‘ turned out to be a lot sooner than I initially thought since I secured myself a longsleeve before Bo Ningen had even finished playing their first song. This show was simply amazing right from the get go. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was rightfully one of my absolute favourite moments of the festival, especially after one of my mates could only describe what he’d just seen as ‘odd‘, directly followed by another friend being overwhelmed with emotions after the beauty he’d just witnessed. It truly was a very special concert, and so was this edition of Haldern Pop in general. I left it pretty much up until the last minute before buying a ticket but I’m very glad I did. I wouldn’t have want to miss it for the world. On to next year’s.

In chronological order, all acts I’ve seen live on the Saturday of Haldern Pop 2025:
– Bo Ningen
– Gurriers
– PALES
– Famous