On Stage: Black Mountain @ Melkweg

Last year I first met Canadian band Black Mountain at the Best Kept Secret Festival and liked their psychorock a lot. They had no record out but were celebrating the 10th anniversary of their self titled debut album. This year they did release a new album IV that sees them exploring psychedelic and stoner rock even more. Time to meet them again!

Black Mountain at Melkweg Amsterdam, April 15 2016

On every album they do have songs that are not completely on par with the rest. Epic long psychedelic jams are followed by somewhat not so interesting rock songs which in the end leave you with mixed feelings. The same goes for their concerts when there are moments in the show where they lose the momentum and your mind starts wandering. This is not the case today at the beginning of the show when they kick off with the IV's epic opening track 'Mothers of the Sun', a long jam that slowly builds off and then hits you with a killer riff. Like on the album it is followed by the rocking 'Florian Saucer Attack'.

When Black Mountain is rocking they are peeking. Big stoner grooves inspired by the mighty seventies rock bands Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin mixed with early Pink Floyd psychedelica. But again now and then the music loses its edge and it can get a bit weary. Singer Amber Webber's voice is strong and really fits the music but like I noticed last year she's not really a charismatic performer. When the band is going into the long instrumental jams she looks lost as if she doesn't knows what to do with herself. The band is in the dark for the first part of the show and has to ask for more light twice.

Stepping out of the dark, you can see they are all totally into the music. Master mind Stephen McBean is sometimes bent over his guitar with his eyes closed, playing his strong riffs or mind blowing solo's. Keyboard player Jeremy Schmidt's part is very important in the band's sound, giving their music its psychedelic edge and especially on the new songs his part seems to be more prominent. But in general I think the band are at their best when they play hard rocking or grooving songs like 'Tyrants', a blues rocker like 'Wilderness Heart' or a slowly building psychedelic long track like '(Over and Over) The Chain' that opens their encore. Of course they end their set on a high with the heavy rocking 'Don't Run Our Hearts Around' showing what makes this band so good. And if they can get over those moments where things go weary it could put them over the top.



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Setlist:
01. Mothers of the Sun
02. Florian Saucer Attack
03. Stormy High
04. Druganaut
05. Cemetery Breeding
06. Tyrants
07. You Can Dream
08. Line Them All Up
09. Wilderness Heart
10. Defector
11. Wucan
12. Space To Bakersfield
Encore:
13. (Over and Over) The Chain
14. Don't Run Our Hearts Around


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Best Kept Secret 2015 Day 3

Last night's sudden and nasty end of the second day had one advantage: I had a great night's sleep and am totally ready for day 3! Not after we had bacon and eggs of course and a lot of coffee. This is going to be a long day! No, really, it's midsummernight so it's the longest day.

Best Kept Secret 2015 Day 3, June 21 2015

Although I slept a good night I don't make it in time for Johnny Greenwood and the London Contemporary Orchestra, which is too bad because it would have been quite nice.



Marmozets
Instead we end up at the main stage for something completely different. Marmozets are going full force with powerful rock songs and singer Becca Macintyre is screaming her lungs out. It's not really crowded yet and the rain that is falling at one point doesn't help. But it gives us a good spot at the front to see the band put in a lot of effort. Maybe not all songs are really original, but the band adds so much energy it turns into a fun performance.

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Wolf Alice
Wolf Alice's name has been buzzing around lately and their first album My Love Is Cool that came out this week, is getting raving reviews. I listened to it a few times now and it had to sink in, but now I love it. The group sounds more heavy and less electronic on stage, with the clear voice of Ellie Rowsell. Once and a while they will take it a bit more slow which balances out the set very nicely. It's a very convincing show and the band wraps the crowd around their finger with great ease. Bought tickets to their show later this year right away.

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Waxahatchee
Katie Crutchfield recorded her first album in her bedroom. She formed a band to play it live and recently released her third album. Her melancholic music is quite interesting and sounds pretty good. But her band are almost invisible and her performance would have made a bigger impression without them. It's simply not enough to keep your attention, no matter how good the songs are.

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Alvvays
Canadian band Alvvays are all ready for the summer with their positive music. The dreamy indiepop songs are bit rough around the edges giving them a bit of a bite. I do like the sound, with the feel good tunes, but the band with singer Molly Rankin still look a bit shy on stage. Although I really want to like it and music wise I do, the performance is not impressing me.

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Black Mountain
Time for some dark and heavy psychedelic rock and Black Mountain are the right band for that. The start of their show is a bit slow, where the band looks kind of static and singer Amber Webber looks a bit lost. But once they are warmed up and get in the groove, the songs become longer and sound more dangerous. Sometimes it's leaning towards Pink Floyd especially when the songs have a dark repeating groove. Guest saxophone player René Evers adds a nice touch to the dark rock songs and in the end this turns out to be a good show.



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Rats on Rafts
One of the most interesting Dutch bands still is Rats On Rafts, the band Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos loves so much. And that's for a good reason since the band's no nonsense new wave punk music is working again today. The band grow into their set and have mixed in more surf music. I still haven't listened to their new record properly, but I really like this sound. I'd rather see them in a small dark club though and I have to leave halfway since I want to see Future Islands as well.

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Future Islands
It's clear you either love or hate this band, telling from the reactions around me. I love their danceable electronic pop music, although the sound is terrible today. But fortunately Samuel T. Herring's performance makes up for that. Some say it's all just an act, but I think this is actually the way he feels the music. He just has to add the silly dance, the expressions and the grunts. I think he really pulls it out of his soul. It's not their best performance and it's too bad I missed my favourite song 'Sun In The Morning'. Herring pulls another stunt today where he ends the show off stage, runs towards the fence and climbs over to get back stage again.



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Royal Blood
British rock duo Royal Blood are shooting up in the music scene like a comet and are playing every festival there is this year. That's not bad for a band who formed two years ago and released their first album in August last year. Although the songs not always have a lot of variation, the powerful grooves are too damn good. Live on stage they are knocking them out with great force. Big hit 'Figure It Out' is even early in the set and should set this place on fire. Bass player and singer Mike Kerr looks unhappy with the crowd's response which seems to make him even more determined. If you're into this music like me and the people at the front in the big pit, this show is simply irresistible.



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Alt-J
We stick around for the big headliner of today, Alt-J. Their music is definitely not my cup of tea which I find simply boring. But of course they have become a big name so there's a large turn up. Despite an impressive light show, their performance is very static and combined with the music it can't grab me at all. Too bad for me, however it seems most people are definitely enjoying the show.



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Instead we end in style ourselves with white wine and great oysters. By the time we finish them, all our friends have gathered there as well and we make sure today and the festival ends on a big high. This was another great edition of this festival with a lot of good performances, great food, wonderful vibes and a lot of fun. Hopefully they can keep this up and I will keep visiting.

More Pictures

Best Kept Secret Day 1
Best Kept Secret Day 2

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