Rise Festival 2017 Review

Big name acts and plenty of snow made this a festival to remember

Location: Les Deux Alpes
Imprint: By Ian Huyton, Updated 22 August 2018

Craig David is undoubtedly the best-known singer Les Deux Alpes has seen perform but the festival saw plenty more great music. This was also the snowiest Rise Festival so far, keeping the skiers and snowboarders happy and helping along the party atmosphere.

The festival opened on Sunday night with a headline set from Craig David himself. The town’s square had been transformed into the Rise Main Stage, although this seemed smaller than in previous years. Ray Blk provided the support and the atmosphere in the square was a little subdued, to begin with. Perhaps this was due to the cold temperatures – the people at the front were enjoying a solid performance but the whole thing seemed a bit lacking in energy.

Patrick Nazimi took over to warm up the crowd for Mr David and immediately showed his worth as a DJ. It took him just a few seconds to transform a subdued, slightly frozen crowd into a seething moshpit. I have seen Patrick Nazimi play at Rise before and he never disappoints, giving a perfect demonstration of the DJ's craft.

After Nazimi, it was time for Craig David himself. He opened with a performance of his biggest hit, ‘Fill Me In’, singing and performing DJ duties with a mixer and laptop at the same time. Over the next hour or so, he rocked the crowd like it was still the turn of the millennium. He clearly has not lost any of his vocal talents and had the crowd saying ‘Bo Selecta’ as if the last fifteen years had not happened. Although the square was definitely kicking, the set did feel a bit lightweight for a man who has sold fifteen million records and had seven top forty albums. At times, it felt to me like there was too much DJing and not enough singing. But then he came back with a superb acapella section towards the end of the evening, proving just how good a singer and rapper he is. The night ended with another version of ‘Fill Me In’ before Craig David disappeared without offering a single encore.

The next three nights saw the action move to the Rise Indoor Arena. There were too many acts to mention all of them. A few are becoming Rise regulars, such as My Nu Leng with Dread MC, and Monki. Bicep on Monday night was definitely a highlight. As always there were plenty of other venues around the resort, including the Pano Bar for altitude après, Avalanche for the after party, and Smithy’s for an alternative to the main arena. There was also the opportunity to book the Secret Adventure Party which took over a mountain restaurant for four hours each night.

On Thursday, we were back at the outdoor main stage for the final big night of the festival. In contrast to previous years, the music took on a jazzier, soul vibe for the last show in the square. Warmer temperatures helped fuel a fun, laid-back atmosphere. Both Craig Charles and the crowd seemed to thoroughly enjoy his Funk and Soul Club. The style was familiar to listeners of his Six Music radio show, and the only complaint was that he could have stayed on a bit longer.

Final headliners, Riot Jazz, were unlike any live band I have ever seen. Three horns, three trombones and a tuba gave a fantastic brass heavy sound. A drummer and a frontman completed the nine-piece band. The Manchester act treated the crowd to their trademark mix of ‘aggro-jazz’ and brassified pop/rock classics. Everything from Britney Spears to A-ha was fair game for the Riot Jazz treatment. Towards the end of the night, the frontman went AWOL and was replaced by the lead trumpet player. To my ears he did a much better job as he led the group through a number of encores, my favourite being a jazz version of Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’.

All too quickly it was over. All that was left was one last Pano Bar après session and an Avalanche after party for those with energy remaining. In some ways, the festival was bigger than ever, with better-known acts alongside some Rise stalwarts. In other ways, it had been scaled down a little, with fewer acts playing in smaller venues. This seems a good approach for most festival-goers, as you cannot be everywhere at once. All in all, it was a great week and one I hope to revisit in Les Deux Alpes for many years to come.

Read more from our reporter Ian on his website.