Tuesday 22 July 2014

Peter Matthew Bauer Can't Make Us Forget About The Walkmen Yet



American band The Walkmen never manager to break through to a big audience, despite several attempts and well received albums and shows. Last year November the band announced a long hiatus, that now looks like a definite breakup. Meanwhile several members started working on solo albums, including singer Hamilton Leithauser's debut, that was released recently. And now here is the first album Liberation! by Peter Matthew Bauer, keyboard player of the band, who played bass guitar in the beginning.

Peter Matthew Bauer - Liberation! (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)

The breakup apparently took place in good terms, since former band mates Leithauser and Matt Barrick cooperated on the album. The title doesn't refer to the liberation of the band he was part of for thirteen years, but to break loose from your surroundings, to experience freedom in all its shapes. He's mostly using his personal experience for inspiration which you can tell from a title like 'I Was Born In An Ashram'. Despite the personal songs he hasn't quite developed his own sound yet. 'Irish Wake In Varanasi' is a The Walkmen song and you can hear some Bruce Springsteen in 'Fortune Tellers'.

But the songs do have something in common, except for the piano piece 'Istanbul Field Recording', since they are all easy on the ears. Bauer has a bit of a nasal voice that brings Bob Geldof into mind now and then and is nice to listen to. The compositions are well thought through, have smart arrangements and are well performed. Bauer did try to give his sound a personal touch, like in 'Philadelphia Raga', that has some Indian influences as the title implies. But too often you will hear something familiar.

Liberation! turned into a decent debut, where Bauer seems to be searching for the right direction. It's obvious The Walkmen were a group of very skilled musicians, in case we forgot. Maybe we will get a few new projects in its place, that will fill the gap the band has left behind. But probably more often we will think back about them nostalgically. Despite a good attempt Bauer has not yet succeeded in taking this feeling away.



This review has been published on Festivalinfo in Dutch over here.

Listen to 'Liberation!' on Spotify.



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Saturday 12 July 2014

Rock Werchter 2014 Day 4: Dancing In The Rain



On the last day of the festival we wake up to a nice sunny day. But the forecast is one that expects heavy rain storms. We'll just see about that. Nothing our friend Joe Piler can't fix. Here we go!

Rock Werchter 2014 Sunday, July 6 2014



Reignwolf
On the main stage a small band is opening the day. Reignwolf is the project of Jordan Cook. It starts out as a three man band, while Cook is climbing a loose bass drum at the front of the stage. His music is blues and classic rock and indeed he can howl like a wolf. Then the other band members leave the stage and Cook gets freaky. He's playing guitar while at the same time holding his microphone. Or he's playing the bass drum at the same time. Or, sure why not, he's actually behind the drum kit playing it, while playing the guitar and singing. This guy is a one man band! It's pretty impressive and quite entertaining. Still I want to see other bands so I leave before the end.



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Oscar & The Wolf
I want to see the Belgian band Oscar & The Wolf, who make nice dreampop songs that take you away to tropical islands. And the stage looks exactly like that with palm trees scattered around and mostly red and green lights. Their music is the kind where you close your eyes and let it carry you away. It may not sound too exciting or energetic but the band succeeds in creating that tropical atmosphere, the high temperature inside helps too, with sultry versions of their music.



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Parquet Courts
And now for something completely different. No tropical atmosphere with Parquet Courts, but excellent punk rock songs. Their new album Sunbathing Animal shows more depth and melody while it still sounds powerful. The four guys play them quite convincingly, although it doesn't light the fuse as you would expect. That's because the band doesn't exactly go wild on stage. Still because of their strong repertoire it is a nice show, but could have been a lot better.



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Royal Blood
There are only two musicians in Royal Blood and still they know how to produce a very big and solid sound. Singer and guitar player Mike Kerr uses a heavily distorted bass guitar to lay down heavy riffs where drummer Ben Thatcher is putting very tight grooves on top. The duo from Brighton are convincingly playing their blues rock songs and have no trouble entertaining the full tent. It's remarkable how these two can create this sound by just the two of them.



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Bastille
We take a break and have some food outside the festival side. While we're inside a tent to eat, a heavy rain storm passes by. We're lucky that we can sit this one out. We return to the main stage for Bastille, where the side has turned into mud and everyone is soaking wet. It's still raining, but not that bad anymore. No one is letting the rain get them down. It seems as everyone is eager to party anyway and Bastille has no trouble making the people dance. Their music isn't that brilliant or special but it's the right band at the right place at the moment.



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Franz Ferdinand
Although we have seen Franz Ferdinand twice in the last couple of weeks, we decide to go see them instead of Foals anyway. Not because we don't like Foals, on the contrary, but because we don't want to go inside another full tent. And of course because Franz Ferdinand never disappoints. It's the same set as the previous time, which is a perfect festival set. Again it doesn't miss its effect at all. The build-up in the beginning with some hits, then the middle part with some more down tempo songs, followed by the big blog at the end where the field explodes. Any festival should try to book this band.



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Kings Of Leon
We want to have a look at MGMT, but the tent is too full. We stand outside for a bit, but then decide to go check out Kings of Leon. The band is bigger than ever and you know what you're going to get. They play a decent set with many of their hits and some songs of their successful but quality wise poorer last few albums. We can even see Caleb Followill smile a few times. But the band just doesn't add a lot to the live experience. There are no surprises, no improvisations, everything is well rehearsed. It is actually quite boring. I wish they would spice it a up and look for a bit of adventure.



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Interpol
It looks like Interpol have found their balance again. After Carlos Dengler left the band, it was as if Interpol was somewhat disoriented. Today they prove there's still enough fire in them to play a convincing set. Their songs sound dark and threatening again, full of tension and power. The new song the band is playing, sounds promising and I'm really looking forward to their new album later this year.



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Stromae
Although it looked as if Kings of Leon were the headliner today, actually Stromae is the one to close the festival. And although some people were questioning it, no doubt he deserves it. It may be a risky choice by the Rock Werchters programmers, but one that works out great. From seemingly nowhere he rocketed into the spot lights last year with his hit 'Formidable'. And he proves to be a wonderful entertainer. I don't like his music too much, especially the songs that are more or less eurotrance, but boy what a great artist. His mimicry is great, the way he acts on stage, everything looks magnificent. He's a worthy ending to another great edition of this festival.



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What a blast it was again. I wonder though, why the festival didn't really celebrate their 40th anniversary or give it more attention. But maybe they wanted to let the line-up speak for itself, since it worked out in a great way. The crowd is always lovely here, full of energy, and many bands did feel this and played great sets. But next year we won't be there. We can't handle the four day camping anymore and we want to try out some new festivals. But I'm sure we will return some day to this wonderful place.

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Rock Werchter 2014 Day 1
Rock Werchter 2014 Day 2
Rock Werchter 2014 Day 3

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Friday 11 July 2014

Rock Werchter 2014 Day 3: Red And Orange



Today the sun is not waking us up, which is good since we can sleep longer this way. It is bad at the same time since it is expected to rain today. We end up eating a great pancake with cheese and some nice rolls and head out to the festival site.

Rock Werchter 2014 Saturday, July 5 2014

It is clear there are two World Cup football matches today. Many Belgian and Dutch fans are wearing their team's colours and there's a vibe of excitement everywhere. This should be a good day.



The Temperance Movement
A temperance movement is a movement that criticizes excessive alcohol consumption. I assume this British band took this name as a joke, since alcohol consumption is definitely not moderated at this festival. Although it's a new band it consists of experienced and skilled musicians. This is showing since their blues rock songs sound great. Singer Phil Campbell has a good voice that reminds of The Black Crowes' Chris Robinson. It doesn't take long before they have almost everyone's attention at the main stage. This is a very promising start of the day.



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Haim
The three Haim sisters had a incredible start of their career. Before their first album came out they were already playing a lot of shows. The ladies look like they had a rough or short night, but still fly right into it. The songs sound more rough live which is quite nice. They definitely can handle their instruments and hit songs like 'Falling' and 'The Wire' sound great. But sometimes it gets a bit messy, especially when they are just jamming. The three do make up for that in enthusiasm though.

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Ozark Henry
We enter a pitch dark tent where Ozark Henry is playing. The Belgian musician and his band are hidden behind a partially transparent screen. From our position it seems it is not transparent enough. It does fit his music though which is slow and dark. The songs are quite lovely and they know how to build up tension, keeping the crowd focused. When the screen is lifted partly, the musicians are still scarcely lit as they pick up the tempo. It may not be to everyone's liking or easy to get into, but it looks like most of the people are staying until the end.

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Biffy Clyro
The Scottish band Biffy Clyro moved from kind of hardcore in the beginning to more middle of the road alternative rock on their last few albums and achieved quite some success with that. In the meanwhile their live reputation grew and they are playing the main stage today. Lead singer Simon Neil's voice sounds really good. The band is tight and especially in the older, more heavy songs they are excelling. When they are playing their bigger hits like 'Bubbles' and 'Black Chandelier' many people on the field are singing along.

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Triggerfinger
The three gentlemen from Belgian giants Triggerfinger are in a tough spot. The Belgian national football team, The Red Devils, are competing with Argentina in the quarter finals of the World Cup while they have to play on the main stage. There was nothing the organization could do about it. Fortunately their fear of playing a half empty field didn't come true, although people wearing the Belgian colours are hard to spot.

It doesn't put down this great band that will never disappoint. They play their heavy grooving songs with all the heart and energy we're used of them. The songs of the new album By Absence Of The Sun already sound familiar as if they have been playing them for many years. As a gesture the band has hired two lovely ladies to give us the score of the match. It's a bad score, since the Belgian team is behind, but over here Triggerfinger are winning by a landslide. At the end of the show the girls are handing them a gold record for their new album, which is well deserved.



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The Black Keys
The Black Keys are the ones to wash away the disappointment of the Belgian fans. Nowadays there are permanently two musicians backing the duo up on stage. It's a solid show where the band plays many of their big hits. Of course everyone is singing along to 'Gold On The Ceiling', 'Lonely Boy' and 'Tighten Up'. Although they are playing their songs well, it never gets really exciting and they are not trying really hard to make us forget about the Belgian loss.



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Pixies
Fortunately there's always Pixies. We had quite the dilemma at this point as Dutchmen: see Pearl Jam or Pixies or support our national football team in their quarter final match? We decided to watch a few Pearl Jam songs from a good spot, then see Pixies play and then come back again later for Pearl Jam. But Eddie Vedder and Co. take too long to start their show so we head for Pixies. We can hardly get in the tent where the band is totally blowing everyone away with a tight and hard rocking show. Black Francis doesn't waste a lot of time in between songs but instead is knocking out their songs one by one. The crowd is going absolutely mental. No one's thinking about any football match over here. The band finally finishes everyone off with 'Where Is My Mind?'.



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Pearl Jam
We head back to Pearl Jam who started half an hour later than scheduled. But there's still more than half of their show left, since they were supposed to play for three hours. It looks like it's a bit mellow and Eddie Vedder is trying to read a speech in Flemmish. It's all part of a Pearl Jam show where you know things will pick up in the end as the band is growing. It's no different today when they play Pink Floyd cover 'Mother' and 'Jeremy' back to back, and 'Black', 'Daughter' and 'Porch' later on. You just got to love this band. By the time they start 'Alive' we hear the Dutch team have just won their game on penalty kicks. Naturally we're going crazy and have now forgotten about the Belgian loss and the rain earlier today. 'Rocking In The Free World' never sounded sweeter and when Pearl Jam close the night with 'Yellow Ledbetter' we just want to party.



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This day totally ended on a high and calls for celebrations. But there's another day coming so we better not go all the way.

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Rock Werchter 2014 Day 1
Rock Werchter 2014 Day 2
Rock Werchter 2014 Day 4

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Thursday 10 July 2014

Rock Werchter 2014 Day 2: Cool Ending Of A Hot Day



Our tent turned into an oven when we wake and we're slowly being cooked. So after a bit of breakfast we are on our way to the festival site again to see the first band.

Rock Werchter 2014 Friday, July 4 2014

Yesterday we heard that Coely wasn't going to perform due to illness. Fortunately they found a good replacement in The Sore Losers.



The Sore Losers
The Belgian rock band look very pleased that they are allowed to fill in for Coely. They pick up this chance with both hands and play a energetic and rocking set. The new album sounds a bit more light compared to the raw blues and rock songs of their debut, but all songs go down very well with the crowd. The band are obviously having a lot of fun on stage and make it a great start of the day.

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The Strypes
Four teenage boys that already performed at Glastonbury a year ago, playing old style rhythm and blues songs. The Strypes are an Irish band that are doing exactly that. As if they only listened to the record collection of their grandpa. Singer Ross Farrelly, with his sunglasses on, looks like a young Liam Gallagher, expressing the same kind of arrogance. But he knows just how to keep it from going over the top. The Irish young men have quite a few nice songs, enough to make the crowd move a little. But the music and the performance stay somewhat on the safe side and it never gets really wild.



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Rodrigo y Gabriela
Puggy have cancelled their performance, so we wander around a bit and chill out until Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero are starting their show. Armed with only an acoustic guitar, the two play a wonderful show. Coming from a rock and metal background they know how to blend different styles together. Next to their own compositions they also play a cover by Metallica. It never gets boring contrary what you may expect, since they know how to use their instrument in a versatile way, adding percussion elements by hitting or slapping the guitar. At the end the duo plays Radiohead's 'Creep' so everyone can sing along with Rodrigo, who proves that choosing guitar as his instrument was the right choice.



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The Naked And Famous
We're able to catch the last bit of The Naked And Famous who are playing in one of the tents where it's really hot. Their electro pop songs are catchy but sometimes also dreamy. It's a nice mix that definitely catches on with the crowd. Especially when they play their big hit 'Young Blood' the crowd is going nuts.



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Foster The People
The same goes for Californian band Foster The People, who have plenty of danceable indie songs to offer. Singer Mark Foster has no trouble playing the crowd who are eager to party. Of course everyone is jumping to 'Pumped Up Kicks' while the temperature is rising to boiling point.



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Paolo Nutini
Scotsman Paolo Nutini surprised everyone with his soulful new album 'Caustic Love' and even more with his passionate performances. Today is no different and many people are out to see him. His voice misses a bit of depth and stays too high to my liking, but his songs are definitely of high quality. He has certainly grown and his move from pop to soul and R&B is a good one. It sounds like his "new shoes" days are over.



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Arctic Monkeys
After their slightly disappointing performance a short while ago at the Pinkpop Festival I was hoping to see a strong Arctic Monkeys show today. And I am not disappointed at all this time. Although the setlist is similar, the flow of the show is much better. This way the songs sound a lot more powerful and more spot on. The slower songs of AM may not have the same danceability as a 'Brainstorm' but they are played so perfectly groovy and lazy. This whole band is all coolness today. They look exactly how they sound: pure rock 'n roll and sex with lots of swagger. While playing their last song 'R U Mine?' you can read the answer to that question in every girl's eyes.



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It's a fine ending to a pleasant day that wasn't as impressive as yesterday. But that's fine and we celebrate with another beer or two and a warm cervela.

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Rock Werchter 2014 Day 1
Rock Werchter 2014 Day 3
Rock Werchter 2014 Day 4

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Wednesday 9 July 2014

Rock Werchter 2014 Day 1: Day Of Legends



This year is the fourtieth edition of the Rock Werchter festival in Belgium. In all those years it grew out from a small festival to a huge one with 80,000 visitors every day and the biggest headliners. This year the line-up looked better than ever, so we really couldn't stay home.

Rock Werchter 2014 Thursday, July 3 2014

After a smooth journey we find a queue at the camping ground, but fortunately it moves fast. Within no time our tents are up and we're sipping a well deserved cold beer in the sun. This way we also make it to the festival ground in time for the first band.



Radkey
The three Radke brothers surprised me a few weeks ago on the Best Kept Secret Festival and are the opening band on the huge main stage. But the three young men don't mind and play another convincing show. They bring their Ramones infused punk rock with a lot of energy and try to shrink the huge gap, the square Metallica ramp and pit causes. It's a shame that all the bands have to fight this pit where no one is allowed in yet. Radkey don't seem to mind and make a well deserved victory round on the ramp at the end of their set.



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Daptone Super Soul Revue
A two hour soul party follows with the best the Daptone Records label has to offer. We missed the beginning and the first few acts and enter the show at the moment where Charles Bradley makes his entry. The "Screaming Eagle of Soul" never lets down and brings his soul songs with all his heart. A bunch of flowers is thrown on the stage and the gentle singer is handing them out one by one to people at the front at the end of the show.



He's followed by the afro-beat band Antibalas. Fronted by the charismatic Duke Amayo, dressed and painted in bright colours, the band starts a dancing party and heats up the hot tent even more. The horns section all get a chance to show their stuff and the band know how to play the crowd.



After that it's Sharon Jones' turn, who will close this super soul show. And you can leave that to the small but powerful singer whose strong performance wraps everyone around her finger within no time. Backed up by her great band The Dap-Kings, she puts up a very good show. Although I'm still not sure what to think of her music, she's showing today what a great singer and performer she is.



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Miles Kane
Another great performer is of course Miles Kane. He has proven that many times. On this hot afternoon his show takes off maybe a bit slow, but after a few songs his hard work is paying off. The still fit crowd is coming alive and soon everyone is dancing to the catchy rock tunes. And so by the time Kane is playing his final song 'Don't Forget Who You Are' everyone is joining in for the "nanana" part.



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White Lies
The bright sun light doesn't look like the right environment for the dark songs of White Lies. The band never was really able to impress me on stage before, but today they actually play a good show. Of course the group has many hit songs that are scattered throughout the set. Somewhere in the middle it sounds like they are letting it slip away again as the attention of the crowd is fading. But then they pick it up and win back the willing crowd.



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Robert Plant And The Sensational Space Shifters
Many people have shown up to watch the legendary singer of Led Zeppelin. Robert Plant is in great shape and knows exactly what the crowd wants to hear. He is throwing around some Zeppelin songs, that sometimes get different arrangements with African influences which sound amazing. His voice is still quite good for his age and backed up by his great and tight band, just now and then you almost feel you're listening to that legendary band from the past. When they start off 'Whole Lot Of Love' a big roar rises from the crowd and the place is totally exploding. Plant himself is looking very pleased with this response and for a good reason. Sensational indeed.



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Damon Albarn
Hardly recovered from that, we find our way to the next legend. To me Damon Albarn is one of the best composers and musicians around. And he is showing that today, with songs from his entire career, Blur of course, but also The Good, The Bad & The Queen, Gorillaz and even Rocketjuice & The Moon. Naturally Albarn is playing many songs of his solo album Everyday Robots, which is a down tempo record, but full of tension. The Heavy Seas Of Love, his backing band, are doing a fine job at combining all these styles into a homogeneous entity. The moments where Albarn is sitting behind the piano all by himself are beautiful and when he's playing my favourite Blur song 'Out Of Time' it is even magical.



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Metallica
The big closing headline of today is of course Metallica. Many people have come to the main stage to see the big metal band play songs that have been requested by the fans. It turns into a greatest hits show with some fan favourites, that is not so much different from all their shows we have seen them play in the past. From our position the sound isn't really great, the drums are too loud in the mix, but this could just be the spot we're in. The only surprise in the show is that their are no fireworks. Still the visuals on the massive screens look great as does the impressive light show with tons of lasers. It's quite a spectacle for anyone seeing the band for the first time I'm sure. For anyone else who's not a real fan, it's nothing more than a solid rock show.



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And so this festival was off to a great start. We're still in great shape and that means we are going to drink a few more beers. Where the party at?

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Rock Werchter 2014 Day 2
Rock Werchter 2014 Day 3
Rock Werchter 2014 Day 4

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Tuesday 8 July 2014

Jack White Shows Rock Is Very Much Alive



Sometimes karma throws you a bone and then you don't hesitate and pick it up. Jack White was supposed to play my home-town when I was away to the Rock Werchter festival. But then it was moved forward a few days into the available part of my calendar. Of course I didn't hesitate and bought tickets right away.

Jack White at Heineken Music Hall Amsterdam, July 1 2014



The Amazing Snakeheads are the ones to warm us up. I listened to a few of their songs which were quite interesting. Their raw punk rock reminds a bit of the music of Nick Cave's The Birthday Party. But tonight it doesn't sound convincing. Their set is a bit messy and the breaks between songs are sometimes too long.



Jack White released his sophomore solo album Lazaretto a few weeks ago which, like his first one, is full of raw blues and rock songs. In his career he made enough songs to fill this night with great music. Prior to the show we are requested to watch the show in 3D and not at the tiny screen of our phones. Although I only take pictures throughout a show, I respect this request and only shoot a couple of pictures to user for my social media accounts. The rest of the images are downloaded from Jack White's website as he allows everyone to.



This time he didn't bring two bands but brought the all-male band of his previous tour and added violin player Lillie Mae Rische This band is wonderful with the incredible drum player Daru Jones It's very tight and offers White the right backup for a rough and solid rock show. He's offering the best of his impressive discography. Many songs of The White Stripes are mixed with songs of his solo albums, his other projects The Raconteurs and even a The Dead Weather song 'I Cut Like A Buffalo'.



He doesn't waste any time talking in between songs a lot and the tempo of the show is very high. One great song after another is fired upon us. The White Stripes songs like 'Hotel Yorba' and 'The Hardest Button To Button' sound amazing with a full band, adding a rougher edge, and personally I prefer these arrangements. They sound fuller and groove more, played by this amazing bunch of musicians. The Raconteurs song 'Steady As She Goes' sounds a bit more vicious than the original. Charming violin player Lillie Mae is also singing the female vocals parts in some of the songs like 'We're Going To Be Friends' and does a good job, adding a softer touch.

We get treated to a long six song encore where White and his band go all the way one more time. When he closes the set with the anthem of a generation, 'Seven Nation Army', we have been treated to a rocking twenty song set. Jack White proves tonight that even though people keep saying that "rock 'n roll is dead", it is actually very much alive inside this brilliant musician.



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Setlist:
01. High Ball Stepper
02. Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
03. Hypocritical Kiss
04. Lazaretto
05. Hotel Yorba
06. Trash Tongue Talker
07. I Cut Like a Buffalo
08. Top Yourself
09. Stop Breaking Down
10. We're Going to Be Friends
11. Alone in My Home
12. The Same Boy You've Always Known
13. Just One Drink
14. Steady, As She Goes

Encore:
15. The Hardest Button to Button
16. Missing Pieces
17. Sixteen Saltines
18. Three Women
19. I'm Slowly Turning Into You
20. Seven Nation Army


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Wednesday 2 July 2014

New Sounds: Antemasque



After At The Drive-In called it quits, there was The Mars Volta. After that ended, Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala formed Antemasque. A few first tracks sounded promising and now you can listen to the full self-titled album. Despite rumours Flea is not a member of the group but he is playing on some tracks. Listen to it below.



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Tuesday 1 July 2014

Sniffing The Grass: A Rock Werchter 2014 Warm Up



We've been going to the Belgian festival Rock Werchter for many years, but the festival is much older. This year is the 40th edition so we don't want to miss it. And boy do they have a great line-up for us. It's gonna be busy as hell and I'm pretty sure we're gonna be naggered after four great days of music. So what's there?



Well, their will be great food (oh yeah, friet stoofvlees) and our best of friends Mr Joe Piler. And many great bands of course. Too many to choose actually. But let's give it a shot.

Thursday
We really have to make sure we're there on time, because we don't want to miss Radkey. And what about a two hour Daptone Super Soul Revue with stars of that record label like Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones. Maybe have a peek at Bombay Bicycle Club's show as well, although they never really impressed me. Miles Kane won me over long time ago and every show of him is worth while. I'm not too sure about blues player Valerie June, but want to see it, to know for sure. And this time I definitely want to see the full show by rock legend Robert Plant and his Sensational Space Shifters. I like Placebo, but I will have to leave their show early since I don't want to miss anything of Damon Albarn's show. We've seen Metallica perform so many times, but we'll probably enjoy them with a few beers and then afterwards maybe grab a bit of Arsenal.



Friday
No need to rise and shine early today, except when it gets too hot. But then we're off to a great start with the rhythm 'n blues youngsters The Strypes. After that I want to check out what Puggy are all about. Who's up for Mexican? Rodrigo y Gabriela are going to show their amazing guitar skills. I heard good things about New Zeeland band The Naked And Famous and their catchy electro indiepop. Maybe now it's time to dance with the Parov Stelar Band and their jazzy dance tunes. Hopefully Foster The People can give us a good time as well. Paolo Nutini turned into a soul man and is impressing everyone with his sincere songs. Arctic Monkeys should be able to close this night on a high.



Saturday
It's the third day of the festival and slowly this is starting to wear on us. But I want to make it in time for The Temperance Movement since I heard good things about them. I'm not too sure about blues man Jonny Lang but who knows if he can surprise us. Midlake was quite entertaining two weeks ago, although nothing to go really wild about. But it's good for a nice mellow moment of the day. I'm sure the ladies of Haim, who were here last year as well, will be able to rock us again. Let's see what Ozark Henry can cook up for us. The rockers of Biffy Clyro could be a nice warm up to the heavy and always convincing rock shows of Triggerfinger who are playing a home game. The Black Keys are growing bigger and bigger and will most definitely rock the main stage. Maybe dance a little at Trentemøller before we have to make the toughest choice of the festival since Pixies and Pearl Jam are playing at the same time, what's up with that Werchter!? As if that by itself isn't already a devilish dilemma, the Dutch soccer team are playing their quarter finals game of the world cup. I guess I'll make it two out of three and make it up to our Orange team when they are playing in the semi-finals. And I'm convinced they will.



Sunday
Last day of the festival and this one is all about survival. But there's no time to take it slow. Kuroma are leading off, but I also want to see Reignwold and Oscar & The Wolf. That is a tough choice. Parquet Courts should be able to blow us away and make us forget about our aching bodies. I don't expect a lot from Pete Dougherty and his Babyshambles reunion. Royal Blood may be a far better choice. Time to slow things down maybe with Metronomy and dream away. But after that we're gonna dance again with Foals and dance even more with Franz Ferdinand. How are MGMT doing these days? Do they still got it? And what about Kings Of Leon who are bigger than ever but their last couple of albums don't work for me and their live shows feel uncomfortable. I'm sure Stromae will close down the festival with an impressive show. The Belgian musician is one of the fastest rising stars this year.



I'm not sure if we're going to survive this edition if we want to make all these bands. But I'm sure gonna try. Wish me luck. See the full line-up over here.

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