Best Kept Secret 2014 Day 1: Jungalow Galore

It's hard to keep a secret. The Best Kept Secret festival couldn't keep it a secret that they had a dream start last year with their first edition. So this second edition we decided to check it out for ourselves. For the first time on a festival, we would not be camping but we were going to stay in a bungalow, or jungalow how they are called here, since the festival is at the site of safari park Beekse Bergen. This is a winner right from the start.

Best Kept Secret Festival Day 1, June 20 2014

After we are settled in in our comfortable leopard print jungalow in the woods, we head to the festival site but are not in time to catch Telegram. Sorry guys.



To Kill A King
So instead we end up at to Kill A King's set. This band wasn't on my list and for a good reason. They aren't exactly my cup of tea with their folky indie pop music. Of course the main stage along the lake is the right setting but it gets to weary in the end.

Official Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify



Circa Waves
Circa Waves are the ones who really kick off the festival for me and the band from Liverpool do a good job. The four piece bring garage rock from the catchiest kind with guitar hooks, singalong lines like The Strokes can (or could?) do so well. This band is not even one year old and already looking good. Now we're eagerly awaiting their debut album.

Official Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify



Daryll-Ann
The pride of Dutch alternative music are taking their reunion tour to Hilvarenbeek as well. It should be the ideal setting for them, on a festival whose target group are all potential fans. But the band are playing a routine set that is actually a bit slow. Instead of a magical moment things are only turning nostalgic for those who fell in love with the band back in the nineties. There's no spark like at their Paradiso show earlier this year.

Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Spotify



Birth Of Joy
Fortunately three piece rockers Birth Of Joy are the ones replacing MØ, who are eagerly taking this chance. Within no time they are setting fire to stage Two, playing their contagious blues rock with plenty of heart. The guitar is screaming, the drums are rolling, the organ is boogying and the crowd is going mental. It turns into an unexpected highlight of the day.



Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Spotify



Midlake
Midlake are taking it more slow on the main stage, or stage One. Their dreamy folk rock is actually quite nice at the start of the evening, when the beers are starting to sink in. It's nothing to go wild about, but it feels nice dozing off to the light tunes that are circling around our heads.

Official Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify



Breton
But it's way too early to doze off and we need a good wake up call. Bring on Breton! The Londoners are just the right amount of pepper we need to spice things up. Their highly danceable songs catch on really well with the crowd who are all switched on to party mode by now. Dancing and partying is exactly what they want us to do.

Official Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify



James Blake
But then James Blake comes in to bring us down again. This one probably goes into the category "it's me, I know, but I don't get it", since everyone seems to love this electro music producer except me. I'm pretty sure his minimal electronic songs will go down better in a much darker place, than right now on the main stage while the sun is still up. But it simply doesn't do anything for me. His music is too slow to my taste and his voice is annoying me. Time to grab me one of those burgers I guess.

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



Interpol
It's been a while since we last heard from Interpol. That's about to change with a new album coming up and here they are back on the road again. Their show is quite intense and tight, especially songs from their earliest and best records. It doesn't offer any new insights though, so I'm curious how the new album is going to sound.

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



Pixies
The highly anticipated album by the Pixies was quite a disappoint in April. The urgency and impact they had is gone now and so all that's left is "just" a good rock band. This was already clear from the shows I saw them play over the past few years. But today Black Francis and his band mates are doing well, playing a tight and fierce set in the dark on the main stage. Now and then you can even see a few traces from their golden years shine through.



Official Website | SoundCloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify



Bombay Show Pig
The golden years for Bombay Show Pig are still ahead of them I think. They are getting better and better every time I see them and their is still so much potential. The duo are now a trio since they added a bass player. It is a smart move, because it gives their music more body and depth. The bass is emphasizing Linda van Leeuwen's grooves, making the songs more powerful. I can't wait to hear their new album.

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



Caribou
We close the night with Caribou. Although the beers are setting in by now, I understand why people are so excited about this musician's live shows. His electronic music sounds really natural and quite intense. It reminds me of Atoms for Peace whose music has the same feel and Caribou and his live band also know how to make his music breath and how to sound organic.

Official Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify

We are off to a great start on this first day of the festival. It's a lot of fun exploring the festival site that is new to us. The program was really full today, but still I managed to see a lot of the bands I picked out. But how am I ever going to have time for all the great food that's around?

More Pictures

Best Kept Secret Day 2
Best Kept Secret Day 3

Read more!

Bombay Show Pig Impress With Convincing Penguin-Friendly Rock Show

After the Alabama Shakes show we're lucky to to catch almost most of Bombay Show Pig's show upstairs in the small hall. When we get there they have only just started. Earlier this year the duo released one of the most surprising records in our country this year, Vulture/Provider. This night just keeps getting better.



Bombay Show Pig at Paradiso Amsterdam, November 8 2012

When you listen to their music it's hard to believe it's only two people creating this much noise. Samples, loops and other effects are used in a smart way. Drum player Linda van Leeuwen is occasionally throwing in some keyboards to spice up the music. This way the firm rock songs are built up from layers and sound full. It enable Mathias Janmaat to play his creative riffs and on top of van Leeuwen´s heavy grooves. Somehow he also manages to play bass lines with pedals and loops at the same time.



With a tight setlist that keeps the tempo high, the crowd stays focused. The small hall has filled up nicely, maybe also with a few people who, like us, came here after the show downstairs. Unfortunately I missed the song 'Fingerprint', where Joppe Molenaar is playing the drums, dressed in a penguin suite like he does in the 'Sancho Panza' video. But Molenaar, who's the respected drummer for Dutch alternative bands Voicst and Bettie Serveert when not dressed up as a penguin, is more than willing to get his picture taken with me afterwards.



It's clear the duo has played a lot this year. The songs are tight and both are well attuned to each other. Strong songs like 'Stuck In My State Of Mind', 'Shackles And Chains' and 'Sancho Panza' prove that they are able to come up with catchy crowd pleasers. When the show is over there's even another surprise. Van Leeuwen and Janmaat play two more acoustic songs at the merchandise table in the back. Accompanying images of the album's artwork artist are shown on an overhead projector (old school!). I'm pretty sure they have won over many people tonight, maybe even some of the Alabama Shakes fans.



More Pictures
More Videos

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

Read more!

Bombay Show Pig Have A Lot To Show Off

I already wrote about this band a few times. Dutch duo Bombay Show Pig seem to have come out of nowhere, but the truth is that they have been around for some years. Drum player Linda van Leeuwen and guitarist Mathias Janmaat have been out there for quite some time in other bands. They formed this group while studying at the music college. Originally they started out with three but singer Christian Kratzsch fell off the wagon down the road. Now the remaining two are taking turns singing. Last month they released their first full album Vulture/Provider.

Bombay Show Pig - Vulture/Provider (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)

The physical record itself (and I'm looking at a vinyl copy) already is worth the purchase, since the art work is just stunning. And this is representative for the whole album. It's obvious they spent a lot of time and effort on it. The production is spot on, the songs are of a high level and the music is great. They recorded the album in producer Simon Akkerman's Epic Rainbow Unicorn Studio at the same location as Colin Benders' (who we know as Kyteman) Kytopia studios. So whenever they needed help, they could just ask anyone who happened to be around. As a result the record has several guest musicians, and this gives a broad variation in music. By taking turns in vocals, the songs get a different character, adding even more to the variation.

There's some use of electronics like drum loops and samples, laying down several layers in the music. 'Sharp Like' is a good example of this. It starts out with strings and then slowly builds up to a big explosion of noise. Most songs have a tight heavy groove as a foundation. Van Leeuwen is doing a great job here. It gives songs like 'Heart In A Headlock' and 'Ill Intention', which are quite heavy, the solid support they need.

Most tracks are short, but still there are enough twists and turns to give them enough dynamics, without losing a to-the-point feel. Only once does a song run beyond five minutes, 'Start/Rewind', that bundles the essence of the whole album: noisy, heavy parts are followed by quieter more mellow pieces. And this is exactly how the record turns out: many songs are quite heavy and full of noise, with room for more mellow tunes, like the very catchy 'Stuck In My State Of Mind'.

It's good to see, and remarkable at the same time, that they have managed to find a way to play this rich variation in songs convincingly live on stage with only the two of them. They are both taking care of the electronic instruments next to their regular instrument. I can only recommend to go see them perform. And at the end of the show get that great looking album. Preferably that eye-popping vinyl beauty.

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

Read more!

Hot Sweaty Rock Night With Drive Like Maria And Bombay Show Pig

A few years ago Drive Like Maria blew me away with their first album Elmwood. Great rock songs with big grooves and riffs played with a lot of energy. Live it sounded even better. Then it got quiet for a while but now they're back with a new album simply titled Drive Like Maria. They were gonna play a special 3voor12 showcase to present the album and I was one of the lucky ones to go. As a bonus Dutch duo Bombay Show Pig, who just released their exciting debut album Vulture/Provider, were the ones to warm us up.

Drive Like Maria/Bombay Show Pig at Desmet Studio's Amsterdam, May 10 2012



It wasn't really necessary to warm us up since the temperature in the small venue was already hitting tropical numbers. Nevertheless Bombay Show Pig turn the heat up some more. I've seen this duo a few times now and it's great to see them play with so much fire and pleasure. Their songs have a lot of variation and they use electronic effects in a very creative and playful way, giving the songs that little bit of extras. Even though they are only a duo and there's no real front man or woman, they still know how to keep an audience focused. Good songs, tight playing and a lot of musicality do the rest.

Watch full Bombay Show Pig show here on 3Voor12

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



So by the time Drive Like Maria take to the stage we're already sweating our pants off. They don't give us time to cool down, but fly right into it. Of course many new songs come by, that sound more heavy than on the album that I already got to listen a few times. They don't always sound exaclty the same as on the album. That's a good thing and this way they mix very well with the older songs. 'Like A Train' and 'So' of course are still one of the favourites, but new songs 'Black Horses' and 'Ghostrider' could be fan favourites soon too. By bringing in drummer Bram van den Berg, singer Bjorn Awouters now only has to focus on guitar and vocals. This makes their performance even more lively and energetic. It looks like the band members are now interacting more.



Guitar player Nitzan Hoffmann is still an attraction by herself, with her screaming guitar licks and solos. In her lively performance she's going through some of the best rock poses, while getting the most out of her guitar. It's good to see that they have a wider sound on the album, exploring new directions, but at the same time know how to stay true to the soul of their sound. I hope I will see a lot more of both bands, maybe at the summer festivals. You can expect a review of both albums soon on this blog.

Watch full Drive Like Maria show here on 3Voor12

Click here for more Pictures from both shows

Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify Read more!

RSD 2012: The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

I guess Record Store Day is kind of like Christmas to me: the records are the presents and the record stores with all the music lovers and musicians are like a big family. First I went to buy many of the special releases. After that I went hopping around to see the bands play.

Fortunately the stores aren't really wide apart in Amsterdam, so it was easy to visit Fame, Velvet Amsterdam, Concerto and Record Friend. This way I got to see many bands: after buying a lot of records, I caught one and half song by Face Tomorrow, who were kicking off early, Maurits Westerik of GEM while queuing to buy some more records, Wooden Saints whose individual members were spread all over the country at ten record stores, Houses, Jungle by Night, Case Mayfield, who was doing eleven store gigs at one day, and Bombay Show Pig. Thanks all for great day!

Face Tomorrow, Record Friend

Maurits Westerik (GEM), Concerto

Wooden Saints, Velvet Amsterdam

Houses, Velvet Amsterdam

Jungle By Night, Concerto

Case Mayfield, Concerto

Bombay Show Pig, Velvet Amsterdam

All RSD Pictures

Read more!

High Quality Rock With Shaking Godspeed and Bombay Show Pig

Every time I want to see Shaking Godspeed perform it turns out I can't make it to their live dates in Amsterdam. So after seeing them play in Eindhoven, this time I went to Haarlem to see them team up with new and promising band Bombay Show Pig.

Bombay Show Pig/Shaking Godspeed at Patronaat Haarlem, March 31 2012

When I arrive at the smallest of two venues in the Patronaat, it is still pretty quiet. It turns out the show is scheduled half an hour later than announced on the website and ticket.

Bombay Show Pig (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)



By the time this duo takes the stage it has filled up nicely. The mallets of Linda van Leeuwen hit the drums by force, laying down a solid groove. Together with guitarist Mathias Janmaat she is sharing vocals. They use loops and samples in a smart way. You never have the idea that you're listening to a duo. Their music is catchy with solid grooves and some heavy guitars now and then. It's a varied set, played with lots of confidence. It's obvious that they are no newbies. Van Leeuwen was in girls band ReBelle for a while and Janmaat has played with Dutch indie bands Voicst, Dazzled Kid and GEM. I for one am looking forward to their first album that's coming out on the 3rd of May.

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



Shaking Godspeed (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
When it's time for the three members of Shaking Godspeed to play, the venue looks less full to my surprise. In my opinion they are tonight's main act and certainly not to be missed. I guess the people who left didn't know what was coming. It doesn't prevent the three from playing a solid set of their heavy rockers. On the contrary, it seems to make singer/guitar player Wout Kemkens even more determined. He's trying to encourage the crowd, but doesn't get a lot of response.



This by no means has anything to do with the quality of their performance. Their set is tight and I already knew that their songs are great. This combination of old hardrock, blues rock mixed with some stoner is just brilliant. The songs of their last album 'Hoera' are great and show even more variety. They have managed to come up with their own unique sound and know how to play with passion and energy. I really wish these guys will get their big break soon, since it doesn't get much better than this. Expect a review of 'Hoera' soon on this blog.

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

More Pictures

Read more!