Pukkelpop 2016 Saturday

The Lowlands festival has been on top of my festival list for many years and therefore their sister festival Pukkelpop in Belgium, that takes place in the same weekend, has always been a no-go. But since we gave Lowlands up a few year ago, we are now finally able to head down south and visit this festival in Kiewit for one day.

Pukkelpop Saturday at Kiewit Belgium, August 20 2016

The day starts out very smoothly and from our friends' house only half an hour away, it is a quick drive down to the parking lot. There we hop on a shuttle bus and find ourselves on the festival site sipping a Belgian lager within no time. The sun has come out as well, so we couldn't be off to a better start. We explore the site a bit and then go into one of the tents for the first show of the day.

Andre Brasseur & Band
Andre Brasseur is a Belgian organist and keyboard player that rose to fame in the sixties and seventies, mainly in his own country, although he had a few international hits most notably the song 'Early Bird'. The 76-year old musician may have started his second youth as he is looking very lively and enthusiastically behind his organ. The swinging rock, jazz and blues songs are a wonderful way to start the day. Brasseur has formed a good band around him who remain a bit on the background. Of course the star of the show is the old veteran himself, who is enjoying his festival appearance and the mostly young crowd.



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VANT
We get reacquainted with the British band VANT that we saw play the Best Kept Secret festival a few months ago. The lads look pretty good again and give it their best. It's still early so it's not really crowded in front of the stage. But the group doesn't let that get them down and play their catchy rock songs with a lot of heart. Maybe it's the relatively low turn up today or maybe I need to get into it a bit more myself, but their show looks less convincing this time and more played on routine. The band is working hard however and if they can keep going like this I guess things will work out for them in the end.

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Highly Suspect
The trio Highly Suspect is a band on the rise especially since they earned a few Grammy nominations last year. It's about time we get to know them a little better. Their music is a mix of hardrock and alternative and sometimes you can also hear a bit of grunge in there. The band is tight and also play in an intense way. Singer Johnny Stevens' voice isn't always to my liking but that's my personal taste. The three rockers play a convincing show in the end and are another band to watch.

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Defeater
By then hardcore band Defeater have already started playing their set at a half full "The Shelter" stage. It's not bad what they are showing and some songs do sound pretty good. At those times the band is powerful and singer Derek Archambault is moving around the stage a lot. But his voice isn't very versatile and their songs do sound alike a lot.

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All Them Witches
We hear the sound check of All Them Witches and it sounds very promising. Their psychedelic and dark blues rock sounds very vintage from time to time. When I listened to their music I instantly liked it and it is convincing live on stage as well. I read about their growing live reputation and that doesn't prove itself today. The band looks solid but it isn't exactly an explosive show. It is nice enough to keep an eye out for in the future though but for now we leave to make sure we don't miss too much of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.

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King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Because I know out of experience that this band's live reputation is very justified. Their last record Noganon Infinity blew me away as well so I simply had to see them play again. The seven piece band doesn't disappoint for a bit. It's an energetic long jam that almost doesn't stop, just like the record. The band simply doesn't let go and the two drummers keep the psychedelic trips going with full force. Singer Stu Mackenzie picks up his flute now and then to add an extra dimension to the psychedelic trip but especially when he's rocking his guitar the music is excelling. I love this band! The best thing is I get to see them again in two weeks time at the Into The Great Wide Open festival. Live is sweet! And shaped like a purple doughnut at the moment...

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Grandaddy
In the nineties I was pleasantly surprised with Grandaddy's music which now seems like a lifetime ago. I lost track of the band around Jason Lytle and when they split up, this kind of went passed me. They have reformed a few years ago and this is the first time I get to see them play again. Their spacy fuzzed out music takes me back twenty years again and I immediately remember why I like their music. It's the warm sounds of their music combined with some melancholy but with a very light edge. It's nice to see them again and I'm looking forward to their full show later this week.

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Biffy Clyro
We get back to the main stage together with a wonderful Belgian "frietje stoofvlees" (fries with some kind of meat stew, simply delicious). Biffy Clyro have come a long way and their music evolved a lot. From quite complex rock songs they moved to a more mainstream sound with sometimes easy and simple sing-along lyrics. It has brought them a lot more fans and therefore I expected more people at their show. They are playing at the end of the afternoon on the main stage while, the weather has turned into full blown summer sun. The Scottish band always play with a lot of heart and that's not different today. Songs like 'Bubbles' and 'Black Chandelier' are still major crowd pleasers and the band sounds very tight as always. I don't really like the poppie songs that are aimed at teenage girls to sing along to, but their more powerful and rough songs are quite good.



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Thrice
We hang around the main stage for a while, where more of those lovely Belgian beers follow. Then Bring Me The Horizon starts playing which turns out to be metal for teenagers who act like they are really tough. Moments later we find ourselves at Thrice, which would normally not be my top choice either. The emo hardcore band is playing a pretty solid show though. It's just that this is simply not my kind of rock music and I find it hard to stay focused. Somehow this type of rock music sounds all alike to me. Still not a bad way to kill some time with friends and a few cold beers.

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Graveyard
By now it's time for the toughest choice of the day. One of the reasons I wanted to come here this day, was because of LCD Soundsystem. But they are playing at the same time as Swedisch rock band Graveyard. I decide to stay for a few songs at the Graveyard show and am happy I did. The band is amazing and it's a shame I keep missing them when they play nearby. Their swamp blues sound is heavy and laid back and the band are always playing in a relaxed style. The short part that I see is very tight and it's hard to pull myself away from here.

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LCD Soundsystem But by the time I make it to the main stage I'm really happy to see beloved LCD Soundsystem there, who rose from their ashes not too long ago. This disco punk rock band fronted by James Murphy, are always a delight to watch. I love their edgy and groovy songs with that rough wild side. Within no time I'm totally into their music and show again that is supported by a great light show and visuals. Of course the big disco ball is hanging above the band as well. The show is taking off slowly like a heavy machine speeding up, but once it rolls on full speed there's no way stopping it. By the time it is starting to rain no one cares at all and you can only keep on dancing. The set list is not a surprising one but does have all those great song on it. 'Daft Punk Is Playing At My House' is there of course and early in the set, but especially 'Turbulation', 'Yeah' and a vicious 'Dance Yrself Clean' do their job. 'Losing My Edge' couldn't be closer to the truth and 'All My Friends' ends their show in style. What a band!



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Soulwax
One other highlight of the day should have been those genius Soulwax brothers, but it's a long journey to the Dancehall stage for us and by the time we get there it's packed of course. We stay outside and dance to the music while trying to catch a glimpse from what's going on inside. Their show is called "Soulwax Transient Program For Drums and Machinery" and I see two drummers high up in the air at either side of the stage and find out later there is a third one in the middle as well. Of course it's one big party in there and the two brother blend their music into one big rough funky disco party. It's a bit of a let down that we made it to the stage so late and couldn't get inside, but on the other hand we had a good time there.

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Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg
Now it's time to go out with a legend. Unfortunately the Ramones are no longer there since all members of the original line-up are jamming at the great gig in the sky. Marky Ramone was the drummer for the Ramones for a long time as well though and is the only surviving member of their most famous era. Now he's keeping their legacy alive as Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg and doing a great job at it. He found a fine bunch of friends to play with him including a very convincing Ken Stringfellow on vocals. It's great to hear all those classics like 'Rock n Roll Highschool', 'I Wanna Be Sedated', 'The KKK Took My Baby Away', 'Pet Sematary' and of course 'Blitzkrieg Bop'. This may be the closest you can get to what a Ramones show must have been like. I can try to write a long story about it, but it's better to just raise my fist and shout "Hey Ho! Let's Go!". What a way to end this day!



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We celebrate a wonderful day at Pukkelpop with a couple of last beers before we head home in the same smooth way as we sailed in. This was a very good first time at this festival and we are already thinking about coming back next year for the full three days.

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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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Rock Werchter 2013 Day 1: Wild Start

After our traditional pre-Werchter BBQ at friends in Belgium we make our way to the festival in no time. There's quite a big line outside the camping ground and we're afraid we may miss out on the first bands. But the line outside the festival site turns out to be quite short when we get there. We stack up on food and drink tickets, assure ourselves that Joe Piler's beers are fine again and find our way to the new KluBC tent that replaces the Pyramid Marquee.

Rock Werchter 2013 Day 1, July 4 2013



Fidlar
There we find a bunch of young lads working up a sweat playing punk songs. Fidlar, an acronym for "Fuck It Dog, Life's A Risk" (what's in a name), take the stage by storm. Their excitement is quite contagious and it doesn't take long before we see the first crowd surfers of the festival. It's nice to see this young band play a convincing set. It's only the first band of the festival and already we're smiling and feel right at home again. Keep them coming!

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Palma Violets
Another young band are making their way over here from the UK on a small hype. Their hit song 'Best of Friends' was made the national anthem for this year and as I experienced myself earlier this year they know how to throw a party. They sure give it a good try but it's much harder to please a festival crowd this early at the day when they are still admiring the festival site and sipping their first beer. Although their big hit does make for a wild pit in front of the stage, many people decide to take a look elsewhere.



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Vintage Trouble
I didn't exactly get swept off my feet after listening to a few of Vintage Trouble's songs. It's a mix of soul and good old rhythm 'n' blues that seems a bit too neatly on record. But after seeing their performance on the David Letterman show, I knew it's a totally different ball game when they play live. They sure showed that today. Singer Ty Taylor is a charismatic entertainer who is really working hard to please the crowd. He's backed up by a lively and solid band. Their songs that sound more rough live on stage are definitely going down well with the crowd. It makes for the first pleasant surprise of this weekend.

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Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
We catch half of the show of Black Rebel Motorcycle club who have an early spot on the main stage. They're always good for some solid rock 'n' roll. The songs of the last album are a bit more slow though and this makes it hard for them to win many people over. Of course they have a few smash hits like 'Spread Your Love' up their sleeves to end on a high. But I'd rather see them in a dark sweaty club rocking me off my socks.



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Balthazar
Belgian band Balthazar sure have come a long way since I saw them live for the first time over here a few years back. Their second album is a huge success and their fanbase is growing fast. The tight set is showing why. The band is focused and the songs of both albums mix well. The skilful tracks leave a big impression in the tent. People all the way to the back are joining in to the 'Blood Like Wine' lyrics "Raise your glass to the nighttime and the ways". And so we raise our Joe Piler to the sky as well.

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Biffy Clyro
I'm not really fond of this Scottish band's music. Especially their last few albums don't do it for me, after they made their sound more accessible and their music became more predictable. It turned into music for teenage girls now. But their big live reputation is preceding them so I want to see that for myself. They do a good job and play their songs well. It's a convincing performance that is enjoyed by a full tent. But still their music doesn't really appeal to me. Fans of the band had a great time though I'm sure.



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The National
It's a different story for The National. I love their sad music. I don't care when people call it "music your dad likes". Live on stage it makes an even bigger impression. Singer Matt Berninger's intense performance and thundering voice give the songs even more power. He seems to be more relaxed and comfortable nowadays though. A huge screen that fills the entire back of the monstrous stage, supports the songs that are a nice overview of their catalogue. Berninger is looking for contact with the fans a lot and finds himself among them later on while continuing singing. The euphoria and bright environment are a strange contrast to the gloomy songs of this strong show. Looking forward to seeing their full show in November in the dark Heineken Music Hall!



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Bloc Party
A drawing that was left in the dressing room at a festival last week, made clear this is going to be the last Bloc Party gig I'll ever see. The band is slowly imploding and will probably call it quits after they finish their tour later this month. In the meanwhile drummer Matt Thong already left the band. It is clear the band is in trouble. The chemistry is gone on stage and singer Kele Okereke isn't the charming, happy and chatty person he normally is. Instead the band is playing on routine and are probably dragging themselves to the end of the tour. It is still turning into a big party because the crowd is willing to throw one. Every song is greeted with big cheers. The big hits make the tent explode. This eventually has a positive effect on the band, who are playing better than to be expected. They couldn't have wished for a better Belgian farewell party.

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Green Day
After Billie Joe Armstrong had a breakdown last year, things didn't look good for Green Day. However rehab made him overcome his problems and Green Day are headlining festivals across Europe again. It's nothing you haven't seen them do before. It's the usual circus complete with dress-up parties and craziness. I don't think their music is that interesting and it is way too cheesy. But Armstrong looks like he's in shape, is performing well and the band are playing a worthy headline set.

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We dance a bit with Netsky before it's time to check out some of the bars outside and go search for a cervela, that nice Belgian sausage, to celebrate this amazing day. But they're not selling them or are all gone. Better luck tomorrow.

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Rock Werchter 2013 Day 2
Rock Werchter 2013 Day 3
Rock Werchter 2013 Day 4

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