Rock Werchter 2012 Day 3: Time For Fireworks

After yesterday's stunning day it will be interesting how this day will turn out. My body is slowly starting to ache and protest so it's good we can start slow.

Rock Werchter 2012 Day 3, June 30 2012



Michael Kiwanuka And what better way to kick it off with some warm soul? Michael Kiwanuka is a brand new star that is rising fast. And for a good reason. His voice is a classic soul voice, full of emotion and comfort. His songs could have easily been written forty years ago but still sound fresh. Live they sound great because his band is playing them with a lot of heart like Kiwanuka himself. He looks pretty happy and relaxed while pouring his heart out in songs like 'Tell Me A Tale' and of course 'Home Again'. If Otis Redding was looking down today he must have been really pleased.



Official Website | MySpace | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify



Alabama Shakes We continue with more soul and blues. Even faster than Kiwanuka, who was watching right behind us at the beginning as well, this band has risen to stardom. Singer Brittany Howard has a great part in this. Her impressive appearance together with an even more impressive voice are quite a spectacle. The rest of the band are doing a good job, but it's Murphy who lifts this band to a higher level. Together with good blues and soul songs and a lot of heart it is a real treat watching them play. The boogie-woogie songs are less successful. It's clear their power lies in blues and soul. And what a power! This stage clearly wasn't big enough, telling from the crowd around the tent throughout the show.



Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify




Black Box Revelation You don't need a big band to play loud rock 'n' roll. Belgian duo Black Box Revelation prove that. We weren't really close to the stage, but I have seen them play several times now. And even the big main stage is hardly big enough. Songs like 'High On A Wire' and 'Rattle My Heart' sound as if a full band is playing them. They do struggle a bit to keep everyone's attention. Still they play solid grooves and great guitar riffs in a mix of garage rock and blues. No wonder that people are picking them up in the US at the moment. Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify



Wolfmother We continue with some honest rock. Wolfmother hardly needs any introduction any more. Their seventies style hard rock sounds live even more loud and groovy than on their records. It's just too bad that the songs on their second album are not of the same quality as the ones on their epic first self-titled album. This is also showing in their set today. Long jams even get a bit weary at some point. But who cares when they close the set with their top song 'Joker and the Thief'.

Official Website | MySpace | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify



Simple Minds Time for some golden oldies. Once we arrive at the tent where Simple Minds are playing they already have started. The Barn tent is chuck full with mostly forty year olds going crazy with 'New Gold Dream', 'Waterfront' and of course 'Don't You Forget About Me'. Simple Minds are restricting themselves to their first five and best albums which is a wise choice. It's clear that this should have been scheduled for the main stage. Singer Jim Kerr is loving every minute of this trip down memory lane. His voice has gotten weaker over the years. But together with him we're singing one more time,"lalalala lalalala lalalalalalalala".



Official Website | MySpace | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify



Kasabian Time for some rock again. Kasabian are huge in the UK where they are considered the ones who can take the gap Oasis left behind after their split. Although releasing some successful albums and having played many big stages, today they are not proving to be able to fill that gap. Their set is played on routine and never gives you the feeling that they want to leave a lasting impression. Only when playing their biggest hit 'Fire' you get the feeling the band is connecting with the crowd.

Official Website | MySpace | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify



My Morning Jacket It is showing that Mumford & Sons are playing on the main stage at the same time since the tent is half full when we arrive at the My Morning Jacket show. Are they as good as many critics claim they are? Yes, they are. Singer Jim James's voice is clear and pure. Their true American style country rock sounds great, combined with long jams, solo's and psychedelica. The hairy musicians are totally into their own music and deserve a much bigger audience. Although this way we can get close to the stage and see them work through an exciting and varied set. I guess they still are a well-kept secret somehow.



Official Website | MySpace | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify



Editors Editors were one of the highlights in 2010 on this festival. Working on their fourth album they parted with guitar player Chris Urbanowicz More synths on the new album? It doesn't show tonight. It's always a real treat to watch and hear Tom Smith sing, totally into the music, eyes closed, his baritone thundering across the field. The stage is looking gloomy, while it's already dark outside, which totally fits the music. 'In This Light And On This Evening', which they didn't play, couldn't have been more appropriate. Editors have grown into the perfect festival band. Always reliable, with a big catalogue of hit songs: 'The Racing Rats', 'Munich' and of course 'Papillon' that closes the set. 'No Sound But The Wind', that turned into a magical moment in 2010, can't miss from the set list either of course. "That song belongs to Rock Werchter now" says Tom Smith. And so do the Editors when the fireworks complete their performance.



Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify

Another great day has come to an end. But not before we party a little more on camping site A1. How much more can my poor body take?

Click here for more pictures

Rock Werchter 2012 Day 1
Rock Werchter 2012 Day 2
Rock Werchter 2012 Day 4

Read more!

Black Box Revelation Are Thinking Big

A few weeks ago Black Box Revelation, a Belgian duo, released their third album My Perception. It has been recorded in the USA and they were even able to hire Alain Johannes as a producer. It's clear they are aiming to conquer the USA as well with their blues/rock sound. It makes sense to compare them to The Black Keys who in the same set-up play similar music. Black Box Revelation are a bit more rough around the edges though. It finally was time for their postponed show 5 months later and to hear the new songs.

Black Box Revelation at Melkweg Amsterdam, October 26 2011 (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)



But first we were going to check out support act Automatic Sam. I listened to some of their music before the gig and was interested in seeing them play. They didn't disappoint a bit. The band played their hard rocking songs with heavy grooves convincingly. Good honest garage rock crafted from granite with stoner influences. I will definitely follow them more closely from now on.



By the time the main course is ready to be served, the small venue has filled up nicely. The sound is good and the duo is looking focused. The new songs aren't that different from the older material. They are nicely mixed throughout the set. Although they are only with two musicians the songs and sound never gets thin.



Drummer Dries Van Dijck has a large sized drum set and produces a big sound with his heavy grooves. Singer/guitarist Jan Paternoster has several amps to create a wall of guitar sound. It all soungs nice and rough. But sometimes the songs sound alike a lot, which causes the set not to have enough variation. They play a long encore that's the most interesting part of the set. Here the songs do have more variation and it immediately makes it more exciting. It's going to be interesting to see if they can make it internationally.

More Pictures

Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify

Setlist
1.Mad House
2.Rattle My Heart
3.Bitter
4.Gravity Blues
5.I Don't Want It
6.High On A Wire
7.You Got Me on My Knees
8.I Think I Like You
9.Never Alone / Always Together
10.White unicorns
11.Skin
12.Shiver
13.My perception
14.Sealed with thorns
Encore
15.My Girl
16.Do I Know You
17.Sleep While Moving
18.Love Licks
19.Set Your Head On Fire
Read more!

Crystal Ball: What A Way To Celebrate A Birthday

Dutch alternative radio station KinkFM and music magazine LiveXS both had their 15 anniversary this year. And what better way to celebrate that by teaming up and inviting some great bands to the Melkweg? It turned into a small festival with several bands taking two Melkweg stages. With bands like The Mad Trist, The Van Jets, Tim Knol + Anne Soldaat and The Black Box Revelation it promised to be a good party. To top it off I won two VIP tickets and two more friends took over the tickets I already bought. We were ready for a night of good music.

Crystal Ball at Melkweg Amsterdam, September 24 2010
There's a line for the guest list when we arrive while our friends don't have to wait at all. I also have to find someone from the LiveXS staff for the other part of my prize. Later on it turns out it's a glass mug that I decide to leave with him until I go home since it will be empty without free refills anyway. Time to check out the first band.

The Phoenix Explosion (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
The new band of Green Lizard's Remi Tjon Ajong combined with members of Beef and Krezip plays heavy rock that continues where Green Lizard left off. It sounds promising but it needs more work. Of course they are skilled and experienced musicians but they probably need some more time on the road to refine their live act. I'm interested to hear their album though once it's finished.



Official Website | MySpace | Spotify

Lola Kite (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)
This band already finished their album and people think highly of them. But it wasn't easy to swallow. Singer Keez Groenteman sounds out of tune now and then and although their synthpop songs are catchy and interesting from time to time they really need to spice it up. Bringing in a drummer on stage could already make it a more lively performance.

Official Website | Myspace | Spotify

The Mad Trist (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
I was looking forward to see these guys again. Their heavy stoner-rock is just what I like and they didn't disappoint me. They fire off big fat testosteron overloaded drum and guitar grooves and Queens of the Stone Age is never far away. The band sounds tight and are enjoying themselves. Playing live is paying off as they seem to grow in sound. If they can find their own sound these guys could definitely live up to their potential.

Official Website | MySpace | Spotify

The Van Jets (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
Like the day before The Van Jets put on a convincing performance. With a varied well balanced set and lots of energy they made a good impression. They definitely impressed a couple of my friends so I'm sure they won many people over. I just couldn't leave until the end of their set. Sadly it turned out Tim Knol already was wrapping up his set with Anne Soldaat so I missed him again! Hopefully next time Tim.

Official Website | MySpace | Spotify




Kensington (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)
The surprise act of the night wasn't Go Back To The Zoo as I thought but Dutch rock band Kensington. On paper they sound promising: indie rock like Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs. But it all sounds a bit thin and alike. From what I read they sound more polished and less rough as they used to. Maybe put back in a bit of that rough side again.

Official Website | MySpace | Spotify

Black Box Revelation (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
The last band of the night made sure it would end in a climax. Only a drummer and a guitarist is what you need when you're called Black Box Revelation. Like The Black Keys who work with the same formula they play rough and sweaty garage blues/rock. Only when you listen closely you'll notice there's no bass player involved. It's impressive how they bring variation in their songs and never sound weary. Great way to end the live gigs.

Official Website | MySpace | Spotify



We decide to call it a night and skip the rest of the party. I cannot find the guy from LiveXS anymore who was supposed to give me the glass mug that I won so we leave home without it. Too bad I didn't get free refills with it but then again now I can go home without being totally wasted.
Read more!