On the first night of Nos Alive 2023, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers takes a moment to appreciate his surroundings. “I love it here!” the 60-year-old bassist yells into the crowd. “Love your air, love your water, love your dirt!” It’s not 100 per cent clear whether he’s talking about the festival or Lisbon more generally. Either way, it’s easy to see where he’s coming from.
Based in the docks of Oeiras, a downtown municipality of the Portuguese capital, Nos Alive is a surprising concoction of music, arts and activities that shouldn’t necessarily work together – and yet shockingly do. Host to both the indie sounds of Montreal band Men I Trust and the world dance music stylings of Angolan-Portuguese collective Throes and the Shine, Nos Alive does not limit itself to genre. Its clientele reflects this wide range; you’re just as likely to see a gaggle of heavy eyelinered teens running to catch alt-pop star Rina Sawayama as you are 60-year-old rock dads heading to Puscifer’s set. And in between music sets, there’s no shortage of miscellaneous attractions to keep everyone busy. Fancy getting some glitter face paint? Or hopping in a Mission: Impossible anti-gravity ride experience? Or competing in a drumming competition to win a goodie bag of sex toys? Nos has it all.
