Wednesday 14 September 2011

Into The Great Wide Open 2011 Day 3: Strong Comeback Of The Sun



After a nice camp fire session yesterday we looked up our tents only to wake up to a thunderstorm. We wake up to a grey morning. Hopefully the weather won't go completely mad today since there are still some bands to watch!





Palio Superspeed Donkey (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
These young musicians have an average age of 15! But they are playing like they're in their twenties. One of their big examples are the Arctic Monkeys and that's not hard to hear. They put down a convincing rock show with good songs that make you forget they are just teenagers. They still have to develop their own sound and looks but man do these boys have lots of potential!
Official Website | MySpace | Facebook



Junip (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)
Time to take it slow with this Swedish band. A bit too slow even because this show is just really boring. It all has the same tempo and same vocal lines. And therefore it sounds like they're playing the same song over and over again. So we're sitting down for a nice breakfast instead.
Official Website | MySpace | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify



Villagers (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
Conor J. O'Brien and his band have played a lot of shows the past year after their break through record Becoming a Jackal. His voice is clear and recognizable and the songs come out strong. But still it looks and sounds like extensive touring has gotten the best of them. They all look a bit quenched and so this show won't go down as legendary but as decent instead.
Official Website | MySpace | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify



Bastian (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)
Bas Bron is all over the place as producer and musician. Figuring as the Neger des Heils for De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig and many other projects, but today he's playing with his funk rock band. It's a solid show with heavy rock tunes and some funky sides. At the same time that's kind of the problem. It all sounds too much as a copy of Prince's rock catalogue. The musicians are kind of overdoing it with their rock poses while Bron is more the modest nerd musician type. Only when he's playing his old big hit You've Got My Love it doesn't give you the idea you're listening to just any funk cover band.
Official Website | MySpace | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify



Jiggy By Night (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
When afro-beat band Jungle by Night take the stage the weather has cleared up and the sun is shining. Coincidence? Maybe. Slowly they turn the field into a tropical party like they do everywhere they're playing. Rapper Jiggy Djé is joining them but isn't adding a lot more than some crowd participation. His raps aren't anything special and the songs are good enough without them. But everyone's enjoying themselves and it results in a worthy swinging closer to this great festival.
Official Website | MySpace | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube

I can only say "seeing is believing". This festival really is special. It has great vibes. Visitors and musicians are enjoying themselves a lot. You run into artists all the time who, like everyone else, are enjoying the bands, the food, the drinks but above all the great atmosphere. The small island of Vlieland truly is a magical place.

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