Friday 27 August 2010

Lowlands 2010 Day 3: Lowlands Goes Out With A Bang



Although the forecast promises rain later on this morning looks pretty good. It's cloudy with a nice temperature so we wake up slowly, have a bit of breakfast and then quickly head to the festival site. We already missed Blaudzun but sure don't want to miss Go Back To The Zoo's party!

Go Back To The Zoo (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
And what a party it is! There are lots more people than fit in the India tent so all around the tent there's a huge crowd. We cannot make it into the tent either and so outside we dance to the catchy songs of the Dutch band. They play like they have been playing on Lowlands a dozen times before. They stick to the up-tempo songs which is a smart move. Their slower songs are also the weakest and this way they keep the crowd dancing and the spirits high. Another great start of the day. Watch a video over here.



Moss (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
Onto another Dutch gem that we find playing on the Grolsch stage. They easily fill up this tent and put down a convincing set. They brought the extra drummers with them like at their gig in Paradiso. They are focused and put a lot of effort in it which is appreciated by the crowd. This results in an atmospheric and glorious performance.



My favorite scar (Ronald Says 5 out of 10)
A lot of Dutch bands are filling the stages today. One of them is a new metal band My Favorite Scar. But the members are all experienced musicians that have been around for a while. Unfortunately everything about this band is made up. The band members are dressed in sturdy looking outfits and are going through every cliche rock pose. This wouldn't be a problem if the music made up for that but as you can expect when you go for style first the songs aren't anything special. This is a concept for a metal band rather than a genuine metal band. Sorry Jeroen.

Staff Benda Billi (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
A Congo-based band with several disabled musicians that bring Afro-funk and other swinging tunes. This results in a festive performance with everyone dancing. The fact that some of these musicians are in wheel chairs or on crutches doesn't hinder them in putting down a lively performance.

Yeasayer (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
A great performance on Rock Werchter made me want to check them out again. I've listened to their albums several times since then but they don't represent their live performance because both have their weaker moments. But on stage they play a well balanced set that sounds great. It's nice to see that their songs have many subtle elements and layers without sounding complex. Singer Chris Keating complains about the height of the stage a couple of times that makes him feel disconnected from the audience. It did look like their performance on Rock Werchter was more relaxed. Let's see what he thinks of the Melkweg stage in October.



The National (Ronald Says 9 out of 10)
After releasing probably one of the best records of the year I really had to check them out. In the meantime I listened to most of their albums and really love their music. I wasn't disappointed. Singer Matt Berninger's baritone easily fills up the tent and sounds impressive. His stage appearance is neurotic at times when he walks around like Rainman. His warm vocals can change to aggressive screams within a second which gives the songs a dramatic feel. Guitarist Dressner does most of the talking in between songs while Berninger is totally absorbed by the music pouring out his guts and soul while he seems to be facing his demons. And all we can do is watch in total admiration.



Two Door Cinema Club (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)
It was no use anymore checking out Placebo so we decided to watch this band instead. Their songs are catchy and the crowd are eager to party so the vibes are good. But the guitar licks and chords all sound alike while singer Alex Trimble's voice is too thin. This makes every song sound alike and it does get really weary in the end.

Queens of the Stone Age (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
Time for the final blow of the festival. And you can leave that to Queens of the Stone Age. They must have taken that literally. The sound is poor: it's very loud with lots of bass causing a wall of noise to hit you. Of course their music is powerful and rough but it does kill all the subtleties that some of their songs have. The band is really eager though and Josh Homme sure looks in a good mood. He's chatty and repeatedly mentions what a great time he was having. The crowd is eager to party one more time and every ending of a song or guitar solo is greeted with loud cheers. When they finish their set 15 minutes before time the crowd goes crazy for an encore. But when it is clear this is really the end it changes into an even louder booing. Just one or two more songs would have made this a perfect ending and maybe even a memorable performance. Now it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and only a 7-rating instead of a higher one.

And so Lowlands 2010 has come to an end. We check out some more comedy have a few more drinks, finish all our coins and more than pleased go to sleep. Only to wake up to horrible rainy weather the next day. In a rare dry moment we quickly pack up and go home. But this cannot change our merry mood since this was a great Lowlands edition with so many quality performances and great music. Better get your ticket on time next year since I'm sure it will only sell out even faster.

See more pictures over here:
Lowlands 2010 Day 3 Pictures

Lowlands 2010 Day 1 Review >
Lowlands 2010 Day 2 Review >

2 comments:

  1. so, in the end the national and lcd were your favourits. My top 5: 1) Plastikman, 2) Caribou, 3) The National, 4) Tame Impala, 5) Nosaj Thing/Gonjasufi. I think you might have given Tame Impala more points if you would have gotten to know the album before you went. Great grooving psychedelic band. And the setting was absolutely fantastic with the sunset on a hot night. I find it a very promising band. http://www.vimeo.com/12255327
    Laterzzz.

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  2. I read good things about Tame Impala afterwards so I have the feeling we should have stayed longer to fully appreciate it. Maybe next time. That's the drawback of Lowlands. Too much to see so sometimes you just don't give bands enough time and hop onto the next one. Nice top 5 btw.

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