This year I picked one day at Caribana, this lovely small festival on the sides of Leman Lake. It’s the day that attracted more people, probably for its line up which suited younger as well as older people, so no reason it should not be sold out.

6.30pm-7.30pm, Scène du lac

Cold Bath
This Swiss band has a clean rock sound with hints of indie rock guitars and beats which make you want to jump along to the tunes. Their music is playful as well, capturing the audience’s attention straight away. The voice of the singer, low and mysterious adds up to the fun. A great discovery!

7.30pm-8.45pm, Grande Scène

Sum 41

Punk-rockers Sum 41 play all of their classics. The Canadian band gets the audience in the right mood from the very beginning warming it up throughout the songs and building up the moshpit up front. Ranging from punk rock anthems like “In to deep”, to metal bits passing through slower ballads like “Pieces”, Deryck Whibley gets the audience hanging from his lips.

One of the guitarist is showing off his red socks with Swiss crosses, big red and white balloons are released during a song and the singer pops them with the head of his guitar when they are thrown back on stage. As the band showed during their concert in Lausanne in February 2017, they haven’t lost the energy they had in the past, they even came back stronger.
During “We’re all to blame” there’s a great moment of togetherness as fans wave hands in the air and sing along.

Frontman and singer Deryck Whibley is great with the audience, asking fans to clap along, jump and sing along. The atmosphere Sum 41 manages to create is impressive, it takes me and the old school fans back to the punk rock of our teenage years. Deryck Whibley also welcomes new fans into the Sum 41 family and keeps on thanking the audience for being there. An amazing show!

8.45pm-9.55pm, Scène du lac

Rag’n’bone man

The bearded imposing Londoner brings to Caribana his sweet smile and his incredible voice. He presents some of the songs taken from his debut album Human such as the beautiful new single “Skin“. He is accompanied by his talented live band, on keyboard, drums and vocals. The vibes his music creates are a mix between hip hop and soul. Rag’n’bone man, with his powerful voice, can easily go from rapping a song to sing it very soulfully.

He could well have played on the bigger stage as the smaller one is packed with people in front of it for the only concert he is giving in Switzerland this Summer. Towards the second half of the concert the notes that everybody was waiting for are in the air and it’s the turn of the song that has been on the radio for a good while now: “Human”. He plays it in a soft way which makes it slower than the usual one but as beautiful. Throughout the gig he talks to the audience asking if they are all right and such, he is very friendly and sends positive vibes.

10pm-11.15pm, Grande Scène

Evanescence

The American gothic rock band returns to Caribana after nine years. They are five on stage, including a female bassist. Singer Amy Lee’s crystalline voice gives a softer touch to their rock riffs and beats. They play many songs from their repertoire, from harder metal songs to softer ones. Amy Lee also plays the piano during a few slower rock ballads, setting a nice atmosphere with the moon shining bright over the stage.

Evanescence also play a few acoustic and more intimate songs. Their most famous tune “Bring me to life” could not be missing, and it is played in all its beauty, heightening Amy Lee’s incredible voice. Evanescence has been around for many years now and proves that they can still put on great shows.
Moshpit and tilting heads up front for the harder songs while the slower songs get all in a dreamy state led by Amy Lee’s voice.

Thank you Caribana Festival for this memorable day!

Simona @TakeMe2aConcert