Live Review: Ypsigrock Festival, Castelbuono, Sicily. 8th-11th August.

When it comes to travelling long distances, I think it's fair to say I empathise more with Simon and Garfunkal's 'Homeward Bound' than Willie Nelson's 'On The Road Again'. At least I thought that was the case. Sometimes you have the capacity to surprise yourself, wade out of the comfort zone and find what you assumed to be the case further from the truth than the physical distance covered.

To clarify, my dislike of travelling long distances can be pinpointed much more accurately to an unpleasant fear of flying. However many times I have heard someone say "It's the safest form of travel you know" ; the impact of this well-meaning statement of fact invariably has the opposite effect. Until 2023, I hadn't been on a plane in nearly 20 years. Let that sink in a little whilst I tell you that Palermo Airport in the north of Sicily is infamous for its landing space practically being in the Mediterranean Sea. 

I don't want to talk about it. 

Good job then that Sicily is worth every single second of flight anxiety I endured to get there. Frankly, the place is beautiful, and although we only really get to see the North East of the island, it's enough to vow to come back again in the future. One day maybe. Our eventual location after spending an evening in the bustling city of Palermo is the stunning town of Castelbuono. The taxi ride from nearby coastal town of Cefalu leads us in to the hills and you can't prepare yourself enough for what awaits. Rising up to nearly 430m (1388ft), the views are something that will live with me for quite some time. 

Castelbuono itself has winding streets and a charm that is practically impossible to ignore.  It is known for the castle from which the names derives, around which the city developed in the 14th Century. Construction of the castle began in 1316, over the ruins of the ancient Byzantine town of Ypsigro, way up on the San Pietro hill. It's here where the Ypsigrock festival has been held since the late 90s', bringing underground artists and legendary left field acts to such an extraordinary location.  

The UK and Ireland are represented by several acts who all go down a storm with the mostly local crowd; Egyptian Blue are a unknown quantity to many as they grace the stage on the Thursday, but they win over the crowd with their energetic indie rock which soon has a large mosh pit forming and sporadic crowdsurfing takes the party up a notch. It's clear by the time Fat Dog perform on Sunday, they're going to have this crowd whipped up to a frenzy with their brilliantly-balanced weirdness. They don't disappoint: 'All The Same' rattles around the castle walls and dancing can be see all the way to the back. A cover of dance pop classic 'Satisfaction' by Italian DJ Benny Benassi is a sure fire hit and I can't help but carried away by it all. 

Irish post punks Chalk have a brooding noise and intensity to their performance, but are perhaps a let down a little by the slot so early in the evening. Starting with a lower crowd than they deserve, by the end of their set it has swollen to nearly full and they give their all in crippling heat. BDRMM have come from Hull to play and you can tell they are almost overwhelmed to perform here. Their shoegaze-influenced sound reverberates around the square and talking to several people after their set confirms that they have made many new friends in this part of Europe.

Not to be outdone, bands from the U.S also bring their A-Game; two of which have the honour of headlining the festival. Texas post rock legends Explosions in the Sky headline Friday night and play a set that loses some of the more party-orientated members of the crowd. It doesn't matter a jot though, because their splendid take on the post rock blueprint is positively spectacular and I can't resist being moved to tears to witnessing it. Brooklyn's Beach Fossils close the Sunday night and their set is a revelation. Playing mostly tracks from their 2023 album Bunny, the band also play some deeper cuts from their career and smiles are broad as they exit the stage, with many hoping for an encore that doesn't arrive. Always leave them wanting more.

Much like Fat Dog, the unpredictability of Model/Actriz becomes a big draw on Friday night. Their sound is as dark and brooding as Chalk who played before them, but in Cole Haden they have a frontman who is not afraid to take performance to another level. It doesn't take long until Haden is marching into the crowd with his microphone on an extended lead to ensure he can connect with the audience at every possible opportunity; even sound issues can't stop him - "You're all for it when we get this microphone working!" he confidently asserts. Deciding this is not enough, Haden decides it's time to go for climb on the walls of the castle that are adjacent to the stage. It's a genuine heart-stopping moment for the organisers no doubt as he climbs these steep steps in heels, staying close to the edge, slut-dropping as he goes. Those with basic health and safety training look away until it's all over and hope the ambulances are on standby.

Perhaps the only disappointment for us about Ypsigrock is that we struggle to catch some of the sets playing earlier in the day. This is in no way down to the organisation, it's more that the accommodation is a 45 minute walk away and the heat is a bit too much for us pasty, Northern European types. It limits us to the evening performances, but there was much more to keep us coming back; the soaring 80's inspired synth pop of Nation of Language and the glorious indie-pop of Aussies Royal Otis - armed with an array of fine covers and viral hit 'Oysters in my Pocket' - producing some more of the festivals undoubted highlights. 

Just like that another festival is done and dusted and it's taken me a couple of weeks to process such a beautiful event. The tagline for Ypsigrock translates as The future is already nostalgia: a perfect distillation of what it means to come to one of Europe's most celebrated small festivals. Once you've been you'll be immediately nostalgic for the time you had there, but not with a overwhelming sense of melancholy you understand, more a desire to return with the knowledge you've already obtained. 

If only life could be so nostalgic all the time. 

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