With a factor of fifty on standby we were ready to start the last and warmest day of the Cactus Festival.The program featured much more relaxed music, as opposed to the ultimate dance day we experienced the day before.With renewed energy we watched PVA kick off on a somewhat empty meadow and the party continued with Nordmann, blackwave., The Tallest Man on Earth, Supergrass, Richard Hawley and the final closing track Balthazar.With a glass of wine in hand, the Ghent instrumental band Nordmann strolled onto the stage.With the start of the sultry saxophone, which was alternated with a soprano saxophone, we were immediately taken into the mysterious atmosphere full of jazz and rock that the band introduced us.The beginning was not entirely smooth, since the guitarist clearly already had some guitar problems, but once the drums joined, the total picture came together.Nordmann did not immediately have the easiest task as the second act on the big stage.The meadow was only half filled, in contrast to the day before, when the same meadow had unprecedented crowds from the start.The people who did sign up were wildly enthusiastic about the experimental music that the band presented to us.Binding texts were rather scarce and were limited to 'we are a band from Ghent' and the classic word of thanks.Not entirely strange in itself, since we were also dealing with an instrumental band and Nordmann was able to continue to use his mysterious aura.As the set progressed, the number of spectators had dwindled.This was probably due to the fact that the hottest moment of the day had arrived and the sun was burning through skin and bones.The band eventually did bring a strong set, in which In Velvet was played from front to back, but in such a way that you didn't know whether you were listening to the CD or actually hearing the music live.It was not an easy task to bring listening music for a diverse meadow, but Nordmann got this job done and is guaranteed to have a lot of new fans.The Scottish indie rock band Arab Strap made a comeback in 2021, after years of radio silence, with their seventh full-length As Days Get Dark.Nobody ever thought that the band would still be heard sixteen years after that last album.Yesterday the Scots were allowed to entertain the Cactus meadow with a good mix of new material and classics.Provided with pints and a cider for singer Aiden Moffat, who also looked like Santa Claus on summer vacation, the men walked slowly onto the stage.Once there, it just felt a bit uncomfortable for the group.They decided to tune and check their instruments for the umpteenth time before we heard even one full note.The first thing we noticed after that was the fact that we had a hard time hearing Moffat.The enthusiasm also seemed a bit lost in the band.We couldn't determine whether it was because of the heat or the fact that they hadn't played for a long time.What we did know was that this gave it a somewhat depressed atmosphere.If we were looking for enthusiasm and atmosphere, we could fortunately find this with the group of fans who had gathered in front of the stage and gave themselves fully.Unfortunately, these were the only ones seen as Arab Strap failed to get the pasture with them.Slumbering on stage, Moffat didn't offer us a range of binding texts either.We had to make do with comments about how hot it was and apologies for the current British situation at “Fable of the Urban Fox”, to which he immediately received a debt forgiveness from an enthusiastic fan.Spoken word to rock music, such as "Here Comes Comus" and "Love Detective", it was and remains something special.If this were coupled with some entertainment or appetite of the singer, this would have been completely different.The low point was when he had to openly use cheat letters to read his texts.Without the strong band behind Moffat, the man wouldn't have fared well, maybe it was better for the music to rise above his vocals.We had to wait until the very last song “First Big Weekend” to throw the hips loose on the funky beats, but also for the biggest and most famous song Moffat needed a cheat sheet.Another spoken word song, but this time it worked completely and the meadow threw itself completely.It certainly wasn't the worst, but also anything but the best of the day.blackwave.is a duo of which you never know whether you will experience a very good or a mediocre show live;so every time it is a surprise.With a full live band, including horns, the band made its appearance on the Cactusfestival meadow, while the last bright rays of sun shone over our faces.After a previously disappointing performance by Arab Strap, the duo went straight for it with “Back on Track”, which also brought the atmosphere on the meadow back on track.The summery beats provided by the band matched the weather perfectly and ensured that the party atmosphere was back.It became clear that there was a big difference between the two men: rapper Jay Walker pulled the whole set with his movements and vocals, while Willem Ardui moved visibly quieter across the stage.This could also be heard in the vocals and rap that Ardui took on.Sometimes it was not entirely clear whether we were dealing with Ardui's vocals or whether a mosquito happened to pass by the microphone.With “GoodEnough” they got the whole meadow singing with the slogan 'Ain't I good enough for you', where everyone sang along and it became clear that these lyrics were felt by everyone.Rather, the binding lyrics were promotional lyrics for their new album due out in September, which ensured that there was a seemingly meager connection with the audience.We only got to hear Ardui's soft, but powerful voice for the first time on “Swish”, which actually came out of pure coincidence.His mic didn't work, forcing him to use Walker's mic, which was obviously louder.Then we got a short, but solid rollercoaster of songs.It was from "Whasgood?!"that the set really broke loose, and then reached a low point with “Desire” where the moods dropped a bit.Fortunately, the circle pit brought an amusing climax during “Up There”, with the duo crowdsurfing back to the stage.With “BIG Dreams” and “Elusive” we got a smashing and sizzling ending, where the duo didn't even get a chance to sing it, as the whole meadow did this for them.A perfect set to break the afternoon and a good and solid party moment for both young and old.The Tallest Man On EarthMarcelleke on and guitar in hand.Swedish Kristian Mattson, dressed as Freddy Mercury in his memorable white outfit and haircut and mustache à la Ruben Block, dolphin jumped on stage and was all set to play the Cactusfestival meadow.Although a large number of spectators came to watch, it was still static on the meadow.Of course, The Tallest Man On Earth had the misfortune to play somewhere when most people had to fill their stomachs after a long, hot afternoon of drinking.A stool and a collection of guitars: that's all Mattson needed to get his show going and take over the stage.This of course gave a relaxed atmosphere, which fit perfectly with the relax line-up that Cactus had prepared for the last day.One thing was certain: the man has a voice with which he tried to penetrate the deepest caverns of your soul and can therefore certainly count on the warm heartfelt applause after every song.He was also clearly grateful for the love he received from the audience and went on to express it several times with the occasional joke in between, such as 'throwing' his banjo into the audience after performing “Somewhere in the Mountains, Somewhere in New York”.At the end, some confusion and uncertainty arose in Wattson, after someone in the audience turned out to be unwell and he was not sure whether he could continue playing.After an extended chat about corona coupled with a mini jam session on his guitar and interviews with a spectator with a hug, the show was able to continue for the last two songs, "I'm a Stranger Now" and "The Dreamer".The evening continued in a pleasant, but beautiful way.Supergrass' last album Diamond Hoo Ha was released in 2008, only to give up two years later.After a few solo projects, the band decided to make a comeback in 2019 and tour with their greatest hits as we could experience two years ago in the Ancienne Belgique.Anno 2022 we were allowed to see what the guys from Supergrass still had in their march at the Cactus Festival.Like true rock stars, they walked on stage as The Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" blared through the speakers.This gave us the feeling that we were going to have a good Britpop party, albeit a cold one.The Coombes brothers and co.threw themselves with “Mansize Rooster” from minute one, but no matter how hard they tried, it was a mess.After a few hits like “Mary”, “Moving” and “Richard III” Gaz Coombes gave each side of the stage a thank you note that made you feel sympathetic to the band.We still have to wait for new material, so we only got old songs and the people looked more and more in other places.With “St.Petersburg” we got a lesser-known acoustic song that briefly broke the set of the messy Britpop.With “Alright” in the middle of the set, it was the turn of the crowd favorite.Although this is one of the most popular of their repertoire, the atmosphere was not at its peak, nevertheless it was the best played and clearest of the whole set.Gaz was the only one to speak up and did it to keep the audience happy every time, like his anecdote about buying a shirt at a vintage women's store before the set.It was clear that they still have the energy and willpower to act, but nevertheless they failed to convince the people.With the last song “Pumping Up Your Stereo” there was a sense of relief to notice that this was the last.After 23 years in the business, you'd expect an artist like Richard Hawley to have some time management.Today that seemed a little less the case and he came on stage with his band ten minutes later than planned.The former member of Britpop band Longpigs and Pulp immediately started his set with “Off My Mind” and immediately showed his rockabilly style to the full meadow of Cactusfestival.No one stood still and, even if it was in the most subtle way, would move a little.His rock 'n' roll style matched the setting sun perfectly and brought his own extra atmosphere to the set.With “I'm Looking for Someone to Find Me” we were immersed in a real country atmosphere and the modern bass guitar was also exchanged for a Hofner bass.After this song was lovingly welcomed, the audience was treated to a 'Thank You' from Richard Hawley himself and he told how as a fourteen-year-old he played in his uncle's band and toured in Belgium and the Netherlands and only played in strip clubs.For this he was very grateful to Belgium, as this was the best time of his life.Hawley knew how to play his audience and ate from his hand.Presenter Kirsten Lemaire announced the band at the start of the set as melancholy at its best and the more songs passed by, the more you could find yourself in it.Like with “Tonight the Streets are Ours”, a song where you want to dance with a loved one in the empty streets while light snow falls around you.With every song you got a melancholic feeling of a memory you have had or want to have.The second part of the set started with “Coles Corner” where it felt more like being in a Disney movie, but the longer the song went on, the more involved you were in its magical composition.With “Down in the Woods” we made the switch from country to earlier rock songs, whereby the swooning movements of the spectators switched into small hops and thus a strong end to the set was ushered in.Paired with a strong and shrill guitar riff you notice that the Britpop past has not been forgotten and is an important part of his background.With “Heart of Oak” we got a wonderful version that was given even more zest by the enthusiastic audience and we could enjoy the music even longer.Richard Hawley and his band managed to bring harmony to perfection during every song, proving why he is still so loved in Belgium.Balthazar was the closing event of the Cactus Festival this year and together with a van full of extra lights, we knew that everything would be okay.Anyone who had hoped for a different kind of show than we usually get from the West Flemish was disappointed.As we had to say about their set at Rock Werchter two weeks ago, the same comments are made here that Balthazar was a well-oiled machine.We secretly hoped that a repeat of the hair salon moment would take place, but unfortunately we had to give a forfait to that.It was a show that Balthazar was used to playing so the personality was a bit off during the show.And a show it certainly was.From the first notes of “Hourglass” the whole field was with us and Balthazar had us exactly where they wanted us: while feasting from their hands.They blasted every song extra long and showed with the necessary guitar solos that they were the ultimate closing.With “You Won't Come Around”/“Leaving Antwerp” we got a quieter intermezzo with Simon Casier's home match announced and their families present.Where the families were certainly present, it was with surrounding people who called family during the set so that they could enjoy the show.For the rest of the show we got one hit after the other with now and then a binding text in which they mentioned Bruges.After “Fever” we got a classic peek-a-boo moment from the artists to add fresh barley drinks to bring the song to a complete end.This was followed by “Entertainment” after which we saw a descending Balthazar for the second time, before crawling back onto the stage for the last two bis numbers “Bunker” and “Losers”.If one thing was clear, it was that no one was a loser after listening to this set.A successful end to a successful day.Cactus festival 2022 is over again.It was an extremely warm, hot day, but not everyone warmed us equally.Arab Strap and Supergrass were big names in the rock field, but they couldn't keep up their reputations.The sets of blackwave., Richard Hawley and Balthazar made up for this and brought us into higher and sometimes even warmer atmospheres.It is and remains a family festival where a conscious choice is made to showcase a wide variety of artists so that everyone has something for everyone.This of course also ensures that it cannot be brought together with everyone, although you can always look for quieter places if an artist is playing who is less your dada.Cactusfestival therefore continues to do its thing and despite a small setback on the first day of the festival, we can again speak of a successful edition this year.We got a save the date for next year at the end.The festival will take place in 2023 July 7-8-9 in the familiar Minnewaterpark.Fan of the photos?There are many more on our Instagram!Why 'hoped' for a new hair salon moment?So that we are on stage with 4 or 5 bald heads?That would just be uniformity.The members of Balthazar are perfect just the way they are, and it's actually a shame that Simon Casier and the drummer did this.I wouldn't have my hair shaved on any wager.And when I saw the blissful Cactus audience, young and old, there is no reason to.Or do you think so?'Slap' is the past tense of hit, not hit.The email address will not be published.Required fields are marked with *Email me if there are follow-up comments.Send me an email when there are new messages.This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.See how your comment data is processed.Lost your password?Please enter your email address.You will receive mail with link to set new password.