ITGWO 2015 Thursday and Friday

This year we are among the fortunate ones again that managed to get tickets for Into The Great Wide Open. But apparently some of those lucky people can't handle bad weather and days before the festival many tickets are up for sale on the internet for lower prices. The weather forecast is really bad though, but if you bring the right clothing and are prepared you can still have a wonderful time. So let's go back to the island of Vlieland!

The trip starts with a 45 minute effort to leave our city Amsterdam because of traffic accidents and closed down highway entrances. In the end we do make it on time for the ferry and even have 10 minutes left. On the boat the weather already gets grim and there's a cold wind blowing. It's a little preview of what we can expect this weekend. We do get treated on a waterspout in the distance that I fail to capture on camera.

Into The Great Wide Open 2015, Thursday September 3 2015

Once we get settled in at our cosy little apartment we try to see story teller Jaap Boots but the the little theatre already if full. So we have a beer instead and make our way to the Fortweg stage in the dunes.



Intergalactic Lovers
There we meet the wonderful Belgian band Intergalactic Lovers again, that we saw a week ago as well, that time in a warm tent when it was sunny outside. Now they are playing while the sun is setting and it's getting really chilly. The place of the stage is lovely but very windy and the sea breeze cools the place down considerably. Singer Lara Chedraoui looks like she's pretty cold indeed, wearing a big winter coat, but their warm music warms up the band and the crowd. The lovely pop songs go down well and Chedraoui's charming personality and humour turn this into a enjoyable first show at this stage.

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PAUW
We stay in the dunes to watch the Dutch psychedelic band PAUW. The young trio are successfully working their way up in the music scene with a convincing EP and performances across the country. The setting is great between the dunes in the dark and the group treats us to a hypnotic trip with dazzling guitar licks, floaty synths and groovy rhythms. Guitar player and singer Brian Pots is impressing with his guitar skills and his floating melodies. It is clear why this band is drawing so much attention. They close the set with the epic song 'Shambhala' with a very contagious guitar hook. I'm looking forward to their first album a lot.

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Into The Great Wide Open 2015, Friday September 4 2015

We wake up to a grey, windy and rainy new day and count our blessings that we decided to rent an apartment this time. Today is the first full day of the festival and the line-up is incredible! Forget about the weather, because this promises to be a long but fulfilling day.



Bruut!
The grim weather has turned the sports field into a mud field and to make the main stage more accessible the organization has dumped a layer of beach sand in front of it, with a small plastic palm tree on it. That's right, we are ignoring the weather and are determined to have a good time. Jazz combo Bruut! are helping with it by playing groovy and jazzy tunes that are easy to dance to. The catchy jazz music isn't very hard to swallow, even when you're not into jazz too much. It's all about the groove with nice light solos sprinkled on top. This is exactly how a swinging jazz combo should sound nowadays. The foursome make the rain stop and magically the sun appears.

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Bewilder
We cycle to the stage in the dunes where Bewilder has started their set. It's a new band with singer Maurits Westerik that presented their strong first album Dear Island last week. The songs are also working well live on this stage and once again the sun is showing itself. Westerik is a hard working musician and Bewilder looks like a good band for him. Of course his fellow band members are no strangers to him so it is a group that has proven to work in the past. The music is a blend of Bob Dylan, Neil Young and The Velvet Underground with a touch of Springsteen mixed in. Westerik looks like he borrowed some dance moves from the boss which seems fittingly. In the end the band receives a well earned applause.

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Afterpartees
Then we have to rush back to the sports field again since we don't want to miss too much from our favourite Dutch punk rock band Afterpartees. If there's one band who can turn any stage into a party, come rain or come shine, it's this young band. Singer Niek Nellen only seems to work harder when the elements are against us and the crowd is not jumping and laughing hard enough. He's cracking his best jokes and showing his best poses and by now you know he's going to jump into the crowd to drag everyone into the wonderful Afterpartees world. Their cover of 'Have You Ever Seen The Rain' is their way of saying they don't care about the weather either. And so once again everyone is laughing while the rain comes pouring down.

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Kevin Morby
We find former Woods bassist, Kevin Morby, in the woods which is a good place for him. His gentle patient rock songs sound good between the trees, where everyone is listening closely. His songs seem to come alive in this forest and that is a good thing since Morby isn't really adding a lot himself to it. But sometimes you just don't need a lot to play nice music.

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My Baby
When we return to the sports field My Baby has already started their set. It's a group that consists of Dutch singer Cato van Dijck with her brother Joost and New Zeeland drummer Daniel Johnston. Their music is describes as "Delta trance Louisiana dub indie funk" which comes down to very groovy danceable blues rock with funky and sometimes spacy vocals. The exotic looking Cato is slapping her guitar while screaming, shouting and singing. At the same time brother Joost is playing rocking solos and Johnston is taking care of the heavy beats to make it danceable. This actually works well and it is very contagious so that many people are rocking away with them. After a few songs you notice though that many songs are similar and Cato's high pitch shouts can get too much. But who cares today, when it's nice to dance to. Hey, isn't that the sun!?

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Wand
By then it's time to leave the daylight and go over to the dark side. Wand are playing in The Bolder stage, the only indoor stage of the festival. The dark psych rock music of this band is at the right place here. Lots of noise and drones are drowned in reverb and fuzz with the high pitch voice of singer Cory Hanson. It may scare some people away but this is a very interesting band that sounds pretty good today. Long stretched jams put you in a trance and make you forget about the wet world outside.

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Savages
We stay in the dark with the ladies from Savages, who played an impressive show here a few years ago (that I missed) even before their first album was out. Now they are working on their second LP and are here to try out some of the new songs. It's not exactly a light party band and the crowd seems somewhat reluctant. But singer Jehnny Beth (real name Camille Berthomier) doesn't take no for an answer and with an impressive performance the four women take the crowd by the throat who can only give in. It's an intense show, even more intense than I have seen them play in the past and one that raises a high anticipation for the new LP next year.

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Girl Band
We return to the indoor stage for another band that flourishes best in the dark. Irish band Girl Band definitely isn't one for the masses, the strange blend of noise rock and dance, which is the opposite of what their name suggests. Instead it's a dark rock interpretation of aggressive techno with pounding drum grooves, noisy guitars and the staccato vocals that sometimes turns into hysterical singing as if singer Dara Kiely is trying to exorcise his demons. This is really intense and one of the highlights is a violent version of Blawan's 'Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage'. Definitely a band to watch.

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De Staat
We are back at the dunes to close this amazing day with Dutch rock band De Staat who turn out to be in great shape. Their heavy grooves work well at this surreal place between the dunes. The songs sound more tight and coherent than ever and the group treat us to a smooth solid rock show. Singer and master mind Torre Florim never looked more convincing and relaxed on stage. He introduces four new songs they will play back to back and by the sound of it the new album is going to be a killer once more. This show was the icing of the giant and wonderful tasting cake of this day which proved to be one of my best festival days ever.

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This calls for a celebration and we head to the camping restaurant where two Afterpartees members are spinning records and close this day in style with a lovely set of punk and rock n roll record that they are singing and dancing to themselves the hardest. I just don't want to go to sleep!

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Into The Great Wide Open Saturday and Sunday

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Amsterdam Woods Festival 2015 Sunday

After a successful first day we head back into the woods while the sun is up and warm. Another nice day awaits at the Amsterdam Woods Festival so we hop back on our bikes and before we know it are back at the festival site.

Amsterdam Woods Festival Sunday August 30 2015

It is still pretty quiet when we arrive so we drink a nice espresso from an espresso machine that is a small steam engine which tastes great. Then we head into the tent for the first performance of the day.



Intergalactic Lovers
It's been a few years since I got to know Belgian band Intergalactic Lovers and they have come a long way since. Their second album Little Heavy Burdens was released last year and is full of nice melodic pop songs. Singer Lara Chedraoui is a delight to watch, she's cracking small jokes with the crowd and her band members who manage to keep a serious face. It sounds like her voice got even better over the years and the band got more tight. The tent hasn't really filled up much but it doesn't get the group down. In their own country they are already drawing much bigger crowds and let's hope more people will get to know them over here. Chedraoui definitely wins best choreography with her killer moves.

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Jacco Gardner
After releasing his first album Jacco Gardner toured around the world a lot. Now his second album Hypnophobia is out and with a partly new band is on tour again. The new album focuses on an obscure sixties movie soundtrack sound. The dreamy melodies are still there but now they have gained more body. You can also hear this in his live set that is now more convincing as is his own stage performance. His music sounds more balanced with more heavy grooves in some of the songs. You still need to be in this kind of music though and appreciate the dreamy atmosphere of the songs.

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Afterpartees
About now it's time to stir things up a bit and one of the most fun bands of our country, Afterpartees, are exactly the right band to do that. When they start only a handful of people have gathered in front of the stage, but it doesn't matter to the young lads who never disappoint. They fire off their catchy garage rock songs at high speed and singer Niek Nellen as always is one big ball of energy. When he finds the crowd's reaction a bit too mellow he jumps off the stage to make them dance which a few people can't resist. In the end this band seem to be able to please every crowd and once again step off the stage as winners.

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The Brahms
We turn to the tiny stage where The Brahms have started their set with catchy danceable rock tunes in the style of Vampire Weekend. The same playful ringing African style guitar melodies can be heard and the band is looking pretty convincing. With their energy, enthusiasm and cheerful music it is hard to stand still and it turns the place into a happy party. This band definitely has plenty going on to get bigger.

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The Veils
By now the sun has set and it's already time for the last performance of the festival. The Veils are the ones to close the day and are the right band to do so. I don't always like their kind of dramatic 16 Horesepower style of songs but tonight they are more on the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds side of things with a darker sound. Singer Finn Andrews also stays on the right side of his dramatic performance and looks impressive enough when he sings his lyrics with a tormented face. It makes you curious for their new record that should come out next year. It definitely was a worthy finale of this new festival.

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With this line-up, atmosphere and the nice performances, the Amsterdam Woods festival proves to be a worthy addition to the over saturated festival market. It wasn't really crowded but fortunately they had the weather on their side, since otherwise it could have been a disappointing turn up. However the main stage tent never was more than half full and sometimes it was pretty quiet at the other stages, which can be hard on the bands. But hopefully more people will learn about this festival and next year's edition can draw a bigger crowd. This festival deserves it and is more than worth a visit, so count me in again for 2016's edition.

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Amsterdam Woods Festival 2015 Saturday

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Lovely Pinkpop Sunday

I wasn't planning on going to the Pinkpop festival this year. But with the prospect of good company, cold beers, nice weather and great music I don't need much more persuasion. The line-up looked really good with old legends The Rolling Stones on Saturday and indie legends Arcade Fire on Monday, but Editors and Arctic Monkeys on Sunday made us go for this day.

Pinkpop 2014 Sunday, June 8 2014

Driving up to the festival, the weather keeps getting better and better. It has come to our attention that we cannot park on our usual spot on the market square this time. So instead we are directed to one of the festival parking lots. By the time we arrive at the gates, there's quite a crowd and we miss the first band as a result. Nothing a cold beer can't fix.



Portugal. The Man
The first band we check out are Portugal. The Man. They are playing compact songs and have left their psychedelic side. In the beginning this is working quite well, although singer John Gourley's thin high voice isn't always easy to like. Halfway the show people are starting to lose attention and some are leaving. It is actually starting to get boring in the end so we decide to catch a bit of Fred Durst and co.

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Limp Bizkit
At the stage at the other side of the festival site Limp Bizkit is working their way through a trip down memory lane. Fred Durst is playing the tough guy like always and the crowd loves it. Although it results in a nostalgic party, it also isn't more than that. It gets a bit cheesy, especially when they start to play covers. Time for some ice cream I guess.

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The Kooks
It's been a while since I have seen The Kooks for the last time and that I heard from them. But here they are and Luke Pritchard is looking in better shape than I have seen him in a long time. His voice is good and he is bouncing around the stage throwing smiles around. They showcase a new song that sounds interesting enough. It could mean a change of direction and I'm looking forward to hearing their new album. It's the perfect weather for cheerful hit songs like 'Naïve' and 'Ooh-La' which seem to go down well.

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Intergalactic Lovers
A few years back I was pleasantly surprised to hear the melodic songs of this Belgian indie band. Now they have released their second album Little Heavy Burdens and I get a chance to see them again. It is clear they have grown a lot since that first encounter. Singer Lara Chedraoui's voice sounds great and the songs are well crafted. Slowly the tent is getting more empty though until it's half full. But the people who stay inside are completely into it and are singing along to great tunes like 'Delay', 'Howl' and new hit 'Islands'. In the end the ones who are staying get treated to a very pleasant show by a band who are far from using all their potential.

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Paolo Nutini
Paolo Nutini has come a long way since his pop hit 'New Shoes'. He had to dig deep and go through some dark times to come up with his new album Caustic Love which is totally different. It is full of intense soul songs and so is his performance today. His band is tight and sounds great just like Nutini himself. Unfortunately we can't stay until the end since Editors are waiting for us.

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Editors
We almost miss the beginning of the show because of some really slow burgers. I thought they called it fast food? Editors look stronger than ever today. They are playing hit after hit and it all sounds great. I still think the songs of the last album The Weight Of Your Love aren't as good as the rest, and also today I feel songs like 'Munich', 'All Sparks' and 'Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors' are simply better than 'A Ton Of Love' and 'Formaldehyde'. But it doesn't matter that much, because they will always deliver a strong performance. Of course they close the set with 'Papillon' that has grown into the perfect festival anthem, where every festival site seems to explode in the chorus.



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Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters
We may never see Led Zeppelin play and then Robert Plant may be the closest thing to come near. Unfortunately he's squeezed in between Editors and Arctic Monkeys so we only see a small part of his show. When we arrive he's just wrapping up 'Baby I'm Gonna Leave You'. It's great to hear this legend sing this epic song. Of course he's also playing some of his solo songs which I'm not really familiar with. 'Black Dog' gets a complete make-over with African instruments and singing where Bonham's solo used to be. It sounds really interesting and it is a brave act by Plant. But if anyone can do it, it's him. Too bad we have to leave him this early.

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Arctic Monkeys
We are leaving Robert Plant for the rock band who is shaking up things nowadays. The Arctic Monkeys have come a long way from the shy, introvert school boys they were ten years ago. Alex Turner has transformed in a modern James Dean of rock music and is confidently looking around the crowd with penetrating eyes. He's walking a thin line there though and he should take care not to overdo it, since it turn into too much of a gimmick. Their wild songs have been replaced with heavy grooving thoughtful tracks, which I love. Matt Helders is playing the slow grooves phenomenally and with a lot of power. But the breaks between songs are too long and so the show never really takes off. This isn't because of the slow songs, since they really sound great and the way Turner is singing them in a lazy fashion with his brilliant timing is spot on. It's far from perfect Arctic Monkeys show, but they still prove why they are one of the most interesting bands of today.



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With a day full of sunshine and some fine music this was a very nice festival day. When Pinkpop can come up with another great line-up next year, I will probably travel south once again.

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dEUS Better Than Ever

With a great new album out and club shows throughout Europe dEUS are taking the continent by storm. And this was a good dEUS year for me as well. I already got to see them three times playing live. But seeing them in Paradiso is of course too good to be true and the ultimate dEUS experience.

dEUS at Paradiso Amsterdam, November 21 2011 (Ronald Says 10 out of 10)



But first up are another band from Belgium, Intergalactic Lovers. They made a good impression on me at the Into The Great Wide Open festival a few months ago so we make sure to arrive in Paradiso on time to see their support show. And they are looking great again. As if they are used to playing venues and stages of this size, they comfortably treat us to their nice indie songs. When they end their show the hall has filled up considerably and they get a good round of applause. I think they made many new friends tonight. We even got a three song promo CD when we came in, but I wanted the real thing, so got me their full album. I hope to see and hear a lot more from them in the future.
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The sold out venue has now warmed up nicely for the main act. They get up on stage looking eager and Tom Barman has a big smile on his face. A smile that he will show more often tonight. Since it all seems to come together on this stage tonight. I mentioned earlier that this band looks and sounds very tight and that's more than showing tonight. Barman is directing his fellow musicians but probably doesn't have to. Every single one of them is completely into it. Drummer Stéphane Misseghers doesn't look too happy now and then. He seems to have some kind of technical or sound issue and is getting a roadie over several times. Whatever it is, that is bugging him, it doesn't show at all.



From beginning until the end the band is completely in control. And they have everyone eating off their hand. Their songs are always nicely balanced and they know how to build them up with energy. Their whole show is like this now. It just keeps building up energy which is just brilliant. The new songs already sit comfortably among crowd pleasers like 'Little Artithmetics' and 'Instant Street'. Personal favourite 'Bad Timing' never sounded better or more impressive. Before the show is ever they treat us to two encores with a threatening 'Roses' and a vicious 'Theme From Turnpike'.



When the lights come on again we've witnessed two hours of brilliant rock music. A show that ran so smoothly it felt like it was over in a blink of the eye. With beautiful visuals and lighting. I overheard people saying they thought the sound was pretty loud. But since I always wear earplugs I didn't notice anything wrong. This was a night that you want to last forever. A divine experience, music made by the gods, or at least as close as it gets, by dEUS.

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Setlist
01. The Final Blast
02. The Architect
03. Constant Now
04. Second Nature
05. Oh Your God
06. Little Arithmetics
07. Instant Street
08. If You Don't Get What You Want
09. Dark Sets In
10. Magdalena
11. When She Comes Down
12. Ghost
13. Keep You Close
14. Sister Dew
15. Bad Timing
Encore 1
16. Twice (We Survive)
17. Theme From Turnpike
18. Roses
Encore 2
19. Hotel Lounge
20. Easy
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Into The Great Wide Open 2011 Day 1: Relaxed Start

I heard so many good things about this intimate festival on the small island of Vlieland in the north of The Netherlands. Everyone was raving about the previous two editions, the atmosphere, the location and the magic that's happening to all visitors and artists. Therefore I really had to find out myself.

Into The Great Wide Open 2011 Day 1, September 2 2011

After a trip that started off pretty bad with us losing our car we finally arrive by the morning ferry on Friday. It's only a short walk to the camping site Stortemelk that's the centre of the festival and before we know it we are settled. Time to explore the site and head to the main festival stage on a big soccer field.



BCUC (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)
This band from South-Africa are kicking it off on the main stage halfway the afternoon. Their music is an exciting mix of soul, rap and traditional African music. The lyrics are about South-African politics a lot and the musicians are bringing it full of fire and dedication. But it's not coming over easily. It's maybe too early, but the crowd is not picking it up. Maybe the longs jams or the heavy lyrics that are hard to understand properly are asking too much of the crowd.

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Intergalactic Lovers (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
Next to the camping site's restaurant there's a small concert venue called De Bolder. One of Belgium's fast rising bands is playing there. Like we're used of these kind of Belgian bands, it's music with a nice twist, the Belgian touch. Lara Chedraoui's vocals are warm and her voice is strong. This is a band to keep an eye on.

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Bettie Serveert (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
One of the biggest bands in the Dutch alternative scene are celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their album Palomine that hit the Dutch music scene like a bomb at that time. They are playing the complete album and even in the original line-up with Berend Dubbe on drums. It's a nostalgic trip and all songs have stood the test of time. Title track 'http://youtu.be/dZ8QTo7NV5I' still sounds impressive and fresh. They save the title track 'Leg' for last because it's so hard to play according to the band. But it still gives everyone goose bumps.

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Pete and the Pirates (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
It doesn't get more British than Pete and the Pirates. The band looks British and their music is as British as Big Ben. It reminds me of Pulp now and then. They have some real catchy songs and many of them go down well. Of course like a good Britpop band they keep their cool and expose some theatrical arrogance. But maybe because of that they don't really connect to the crowd and it never gets wild.
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Bonobo (Ronald Says 5 out of 10)
Bonobo is the project of Simon Green, a British DJ/Producer. He brought a band with him on stage to perform his music live. The mellow trip-hop like songs could work out well after this nice day where everyone has enjoyed the weather and the beers. But the songs all sound alike and it's getting quite boring after a while. It's a bit of a disappointment after a good first day.
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After that it's time to find the best places for partying. The camping site is also the centre of these parties with camp fires on the beach. More and more we get sucked into the relaxing vibes of the festival.

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