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With a line-up as refreshingly eclectic as NOS Alive 2025, fans can expect to experience a diverse array of genres and moods as they wander across the festival grounds.
From the vulnerability and introspection of Noah Kahan to the joyful, breezy textures of Mark Ambor, the opening day of the beloved Portugal festival was packed with a plethora of stellar performances. Ambor kicked off the main-stage schedule with a galvanising set permeated by the New York native's signature glass-half-full outlook and a range of jubilant, ukelele-powered odes to love and adventure.
In a musical landscape that has historically championed heavier, melancholic themes as somehow being more ‘artistic’ than their carefree, light-hearted counterparts, Mark Ambor's jovial, hopeful catalogue serves as a welcome breath of fresh air.
The immensely viral ‘Belong Together’ remains the centrepiece, with the packed-out Lisbon crowd roaring along to Ambor's charmingly innocent depiction of young love.
Athough ‘Belong Together’ receives the most fervent reaction from the crowd, Ambor keeps them entranced throughout his set, with the ‘Good to Be’ crooner captivating NOS Alive 2025 with bright, summery anthems such as ‘Who Knows?’ and ‘Our Way’.
We're also treated to a sneak preview of a couple of impressive unreleased offerings, ‘Closer to Me’ and ‘Tomorrow’, with Mark Ambor ensuring the anticipation is sky-high as he continues to tease his keenly awaited follow-up to 2024's Rockwood.
This was a feel-good, high-energy performance that was overflowing with joie-de-vivre, optimism and celebration - with Ambor embodying the very spirit that underpins NOS Alive.
For more on Mark Ambor, see below:
Featured photo by Jose Fernandes, courtesy of NOS Alive 2025
