- 2016 was the first year of Love International, but it also sort of wasn't. The week-long event is the reincarnation of The Garden Festival, which, after ten years on Croatia's Dalmatian Coast, came to an end last summer. As well as being the first event of its kind in Croatia, sparking a boom that now spans dozens of events across several months, Garden was considered by many to be one of the best. "It's about as much fun as any festival in the world," wrote RA's Stephen Titmus in his review of 2015's finale.
In theory, then, a hard act to follow. Speaking to RA last year, Dave Harvey, previously the booker for Garden and now the co-founder of Love International, jokingly referred to the undertaking as a "poisoned chalice." In reality, though, Harvey and his partner Tom Paine were in a much stronger position than most promoters running a new festival: over the course of a decade, Garden had cultivated a loyal following, many of whom would return year-on-year. More than just a music festival, it was a key date on the social calendar, a place for old and distant friends to congregate for their yearly catch-up.
I never went to Garden, but I gathered most people at Love International had. By all accounts, the crowd was smaller and younger than in 2015, and the festival's glorious Tisno venue—which, confusingly, is called The Garden—looked much the same as last year, with three music stages and a handful of bars and food stalls dotted spaciously around the pretty, compact grounds. Aside from the bars, which were now run by Garden founder Nick Colgan's brewery, the only major tweak was to the Olive Grove, a small stage that had been spruced up with reams of colourful ribbons, mini disco balls, Chinese lanterns and a white netting roof. (One Tisno regular described the previous version as "a glorified gazebo.") It was here that many of the lineup's more Balearic acts played. Suzanne Kraft and Otologic, who went back-to-back on Monday night, were particularly good, weaving together a summery mix of breezy disco and downtempo house.
The rest of the onsite action was split between the Main Stage and the Beach Bar (there was also the Terrace, though that was just to soundtrack people having lunch). On Thursday night at around 9 PM, I gathered with a few dozen others at the Main Stage to watch Khruangbin, a Texan trio that came highly recommended. Their blend of psychedelic guitar funk and witty onstage patter was the perfect introduction, amplified by the balmy temperatures and signature kaleidoscopic lights. At one point, a tree to the left of the stage lit up like a giant rainbow pom-pom.
There's a tendency for Croatia's seven-day festivals to hit their peak over the weekend—something that definitely happened at Love International. Friday night's highlight was Prosumer at the Beach, which, for those who've never been, is a raised, rectangular dance floor that sits right on the water's edge. Wearing blue dungarees, the German DJ raised the temperature with jams like D'llegance's "Chanson D'llegence" and Armand Van Helden's remix of The Bucketheads' "The Bomb." The atmosphere was mind-blowingly jubilant by this point (between 1 and 2 AM The Beach is the only stage open), and every now and then cries of "Wales! Wales! Wales!" cut through the music, in celebration of the UK nation's earlier footballing triumph.
That wasn't the last time the Euros would interfere. On Saturday evening aboard the Argonaughty, one of two boats hosting daily parties, Dixon streamed Germany's quarter final match with Italy while playing back-to-back with Job Jobse on the RA voyage. Anywhere else, this wouldn't fly, but the vibe on these four-hour cruises is famously loose, not to mention exuberant. With about an hour to go, just as the pair were transitioning from darker into more upbeat selections, a huge cheer erupted, rippling its way through the vessel: Germany had scored.
Partying in the sun will wear out even the most hardened clubber, so it was important to properly wind down the day after a night on the tiles. Punters were faced with two options: hit the site and bob about in the sea to various sun-kissed sets, or hang out in Tisno, where you can enjoy fresh seafood and tranquil swimming spots. Either way, the warm ocean water and warmer weather worked wonders for your rate of recuperation, which goes a long way when you're out every day for up to a week.
My Sunday night ended at Barbarellas, the offsite, open-air venue that's widely considered the jewel in Tisno's crown. Bristol promoter Just Jack's showcase featured, in my opinion, the best performance of the festival. Ben UFO and Craig Richard's four-hour masterclass capped off what had already been an excellent night of music: early on the Main Stage, Hodge showed his versatility with a set of lush US house and Turkish jams (Omar-S's "The Shit Baby," Neşe Karaböcek's "Çayelinden Öteye"), while at the Beach, Darshan Jesrani played soulful house and techno by the likes of Levon Vincent and Paper Moon to a sparse but appreciative floor. As soon as Jesrani left the decks, I hopped on the bus to Barbarellas, a decision I rued when reports filtered through of headliner Axel Boman's closing track: K-Ci & JoJo's "All My Life."
Like Love International in general, it's hard to pick fault with Barbarellas. The sound is great, the drinks are affordable, you dance under the stars. The added bonus on Sunday night was space—the party stayed comfortably busy all night, meaning you could really stretch out and groove. While it was dark, Ben UFO and Richards kept the tempo pacey and the mood tender, dropping bombs like John Tejada's "Flight At Night," The Persuader's "What Is The Time, Mr. Templar?" and Transparent Sound's "Punk Mother Fucker." But as the sky brightened, so did the records, with Red Axes' "Sun My Sweet Sun" a highlight. Their set—pin-point, emotional, full of left turns—brought the venue to life, and it was all anyone could talk about for the following 24 hours.
A lot of those conversations also mentioned what came directly after, back at the festival by the sea. Khruangbin, the same band from Thursday, had been booked for a Sunrise Session, an idea that spilled over from last year's Garden where acts play ambient music between 6 AM and midday. Roughly 40 or 50 people, including the band, assembled on the rocks next to the Beach Bar, as sunlight seeped through the low-hanging pines, dappling the scene. As good as they were on Thursday, the trio's mellow sound made more sense here, the perfect match for the peaceful, radiant surroundings. It was an inspired bit of programming, especially when you consider it in the context of what came before. To go from one of the best night's of club music I'd heard in ages to this felt extraordinary—the kind of magical moment that'll have you coming back to a festival again and again.
Photo credit /
Khris Cowley / Here and Now
That wasn't the last time the Euros would interfere. On Saturday evening aboard the Argonaughty, one of two boats hosting daily parties, Dixon streamed Germany's quarter final match with Italy while playing back-to-back with Job Jobse on the RA voyage. Anywhere else, this wouldn't fly, but the vibe on these four-hour cruises is famously loose, not to mention exuberant. With about an hour to go, just as the pair were transitioning from darker into more upbeat selections, a huge cheer erupted, rippling its way through the vessel: Germany had scored. Partying in the sun will wear out even the most hardened clubber, so it was important to properly wind down the day after a night on the tiles. Punters were faced with two options: hit the site and bob about in the sea to various sun-kissed sets, or hang out in Tisno, where you can enjoy fresh seafood and tranquil swimming spots. Either way, the warm ocean water and warmer weather worked wonders for your rate of recuperation, which goes a long way when you're out every day for up to a week. My Sunday night ended at Barbarellas, the offsite, open-air venue that's widely considered the jewel in Tisno's crown. Bristol promoter Just Jack's showcase featured, in my opinion, the best performance of the festival. Ben UFO and Craig Richard's four-hour masterclass capped off what had already been an excellent night of music: early on the Main Stage, Hodge showed his versatility with a set of lush US house and Turkish jams (Omar-S's "The Shit Baby," Neşe Karaböcek's "Çayelinden Öteye"), while at the Beach, Darshan Jesrani played soulful house and techno by the likes of Levon Vincent and Paper Moon to a sparse but appreciative floor. As soon as Jesrani left the decks, I hopped on the bus to Barbarellas, a decision I rued when reports filtered through of headliner Axel Boman's closing track: K-Ci & JoJo's "All My Life."
Like Love International in general, it's hard to pick fault with Barbarellas. The sound is great, the drinks are affordable, you dance under the stars. The added bonus on Sunday night was space—the party stayed comfortably busy all night, meaning you could really stretch out and groove. While it was dark, Ben UFO and Richards kept the tempo pacey and the mood tender, dropping bombs like John Tejada's "Flight At Night," The Persuader's "What Is The Time, Mr. Templar?" and Transparent Sound's "Punk Mother Fucker." But as the sky brightened, so did the records, with Red Axes' "Sun My Sweet Sun" a highlight. Their set—pin-point, emotional, full of left turns—brought the venue to life, and it was all anyone could talk about for the following 24 hours. A lot of those conversations also mentioned what came directly after, back at the festival by the sea. Khruangbin, the same band from Thursday, had been booked for a Sunrise Session, an idea that spilled over from last year's Garden where acts play ambient music between 6 AM and midday. Roughly 40 or 50 people, including the band, assembled on the rocks next to the Beach Bar, as sunlight seeped through the low-hanging pines, dappling the scene. As good as they were on Thursday, the trio's mellow sound made more sense here, the perfect match for the peaceful, radiant surroundings. It was an inspired bit of programming, especially when you consider it in the context of what came before. To go from one of the best night's of club music I'd heard in ages to this felt extraordinary—the kind of magical moment that'll have you coming back to a festival again and again.
Photo credit / Khris Cowley / Here and Now