Record store Concerto, concert venue Paradiso and music magazine Oor came up with this small festival. A collection of indie bands spread out on one evening. Oor gave away 200 guest list spots and I couldn't let that pass. It turned out that most visitors were on the guest list. So it was pretty quiet compared to let's say the London Calling festival. Good thing was you could walk from one performance to the other without worrying about getting in or standing in the back all cramped up.
Indievloot at Paradiso, June 7 2011
No Joy (Ronald Says 5 out of 10)
First up are this band from Canada They are unlucky to lead it off since only a few of the visitors have made it in by now. Singer/guitarists Jasmine White-Glutz en Laura Lloyd have thrown their hair in front of their faces and kick it off. Lloyd will even keep it there for the rest of the show which is loud, noisy and it's impossible to hear anything from the vocals. Of course this is all part of the music and image of a noise/shoe gazer band, but it makes the performance really static and hard to enjoy.
Official Website | MySpace
Blues Brother Castro (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
There's more to enjoy with this Dutch band. They play a varied set of garage rock songs. There's a lot of energy coming from singer Leon Caren while the rest of the band backs him up quite stoically. But their songs are convincing and sound solid enough to make this a good performance.
Official Website | MySpace
The Cave Singers (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
The only time that it's crowded this evening is when the Cave Singers take the stage of the small hall. It's completely packed and some people even have to stay outside. And they prove that this amount of interest is completely justified. Their mix of americana, country and folk is catchy and well performed. It sounds like a crossing between the old Kings of Leon and Mumford & Sons. The three men are obviously enjoying themselves and at the end of their set get a well earned applause.
Official Website | MySpace
Waters (Ronald Says 5 out of 10)
By then Waters have taken the stage in the big hall. This stage is clearly to big for them. Their songs don't really catch on and singer Van Pierszalowski (ex-Port o'Brien) doesn't have a great voice. He sings out of tune a lot and isn't able to catch the high notes. Although the bands tries hard it's not convincing.
Wye Oak (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
There's a lot of interest for Wye Oak as well. Their name is on the rise and many people want to check out the duo. The songs are dark and in slow tempos. Drummer Andy Stack is playing both drums and keyboars at the same time which is impressive but it causes the grooves to be simple and without a lot of variation. Singer Jenn Wasner has a pleasant voice that sounds a lot like Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie. It's quite a nice performance but there could be more variation. Maybe that's why only a handful of people make it to the end of the performance.
Official Website | MySpace | Twitter
Herman Dune (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)
The last act we check out is Herman Dune. They are described as an anti-folk band formed by the two brothers David-Ivar and Néman Herman Dune. Their songs are cheery and sound simple. The musicians aren't really charismatic though and not much is happening on stage. Many of their songs sound alike but it's clearly enough for some people to dance. Could be the beers working as well of course.
Official Website | MySpace
Hopefully more of these Indievloot events will follow. It's a nice concept with interesting bands and a diverse audience. Although it already drags a fair amount of hipsters, like most of London Calling's audience, that only seem to be interested in chatting to each other and looking hip instead of enjoying music. Hopefully it can attract more (music minded) people since that would make most of the performances and the festival itself more lively.
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