Rock Werchter 2014 Day 1: Day Of Legends

This year is the fourtieth edition of the Rock Werchter festival in Belgium. In all those years it grew out from a small festival to a huge one with 80,000 visitors every day and the biggest headliners. This year the line-up looked better than ever, so we really couldn't stay home.

Rock Werchter 2014 Thursday, July 3 2014

After a smooth journey we find a queue at the camping ground, but fortunately it moves fast. Within no time our tents are up and we're sipping a well deserved cold beer in the sun. This way we also make it to the festival ground in time for the first band.



Radkey
The three Radke brothers surprised me a few weeks ago on the Best Kept Secret Festival and are the opening band on the huge main stage. But the three young men don't mind and play another convincing show. They bring their Ramones infused punk rock with a lot of energy and try to shrink the huge gap, the square Metallica ramp and pit causes. It's a shame that all the bands have to fight this pit where no one is allowed in yet. Radkey don't seem to mind and make a well deserved victory round on the ramp at the end of their set.



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Daptone Super Soul Revue
A two hour soul party follows with the best the Daptone Records label has to offer. We missed the beginning and the first few acts and enter the show at the moment where Charles Bradley makes his entry. The "Screaming Eagle of Soul" never lets down and brings his soul songs with all his heart. A bunch of flowers is thrown on the stage and the gentle singer is handing them out one by one to people at the front at the end of the show.



He's followed by the afro-beat band Antibalas. Fronted by the charismatic Duke Amayo, dressed and painted in bright colours, the band starts a dancing party and heats up the hot tent even more. The horns section all get a chance to show their stuff and the band know how to play the crowd.



After that it's Sharon Jones' turn, who will close this super soul show. And you can leave that to the small but powerful singer whose strong performance wraps everyone around her finger within no time. Backed up by her great band The Dap-Kings, she puts up a very good show. Although I'm still not sure what to think of her music, she's showing today what a great singer and performer she is.



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Miles Kane
Another great performer is of course Miles Kane. He has proven that many times. On this hot afternoon his show takes off maybe a bit slow, but after a few songs his hard work is paying off. The still fit crowd is coming alive and soon everyone is dancing to the catchy rock tunes. And so by the time Kane is playing his final song 'Don't Forget Who You Are' everyone is joining in for the "nanana" part.



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White Lies
The bright sun light doesn't look like the right environment for the dark songs of White Lies. The band never was really able to impress me on stage before, but today they actually play a good show. Of course the group has many hit songs that are scattered throughout the set. Somewhere in the middle it sounds like they are letting it slip away again as the attention of the crowd is fading. But then they pick it up and win back the willing crowd.



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Robert Plant And The Sensational Space Shifters
Many people have shown up to watch the legendary singer of Led Zeppelin. Robert Plant is in great shape and knows exactly what the crowd wants to hear. He is throwing around some Zeppelin songs, that sometimes get different arrangements with African influences which sound amazing. His voice is still quite good for his age and backed up by his great and tight band, just now and then you almost feel you're listening to that legendary band from the past. When they start off 'Whole Lot Of Love' a big roar rises from the crowd and the place is totally exploding. Plant himself is looking very pleased with this response and for a good reason. Sensational indeed.



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Damon Albarn
Hardly recovered from that, we find our way to the next legend. To me Damon Albarn is one of the best composers and musicians around. And he is showing that today, with songs from his entire career, Blur of course, but also The Good, The Bad & The Queen, Gorillaz and even Rocketjuice & The Moon. Naturally Albarn is playing many songs of his solo album Everyday Robots, which is a down tempo record, but full of tension. The Heavy Seas Of Love, his backing band, are doing a fine job at combining all these styles into a homogeneous entity. The moments where Albarn is sitting behind the piano all by himself are beautiful and when he's playing my favourite Blur song 'Out Of Time' it is even magical.



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Metallica
The big closing headline of today is of course Metallica. Many people have come to the main stage to see the big metal band play songs that have been requested by the fans. It turns into a greatest hits show with some fan favourites, that is not so much different from all their shows we have seen them play in the past. From our position the sound isn't really great, the drums are too loud in the mix, but this could just be the spot we're in. The only surprise in the show is that their are no fireworks. Still the visuals on the massive screens look great as does the impressive light show with tons of lasers. It's quite a spectacle for anyone seeing the band for the first time I'm sure. For anyone else who's not a real fan, it's nothing more than a solid rock show.



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And so this festival was off to a great start. We're still in great shape and that means we are going to drink a few more beers. Where the party at?

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Charles Bradley Fills Paradiso With Love

I think that soul music is at its best when it lives up to its name: music that is coming straight from the soul. Charles Bradley is one of those artists who only can make music from the heart. There simply is no other way for him. His remarkable life's story, covered in the movie 'Soul of America' adds context to his emotional performances. And that's something I can enjoy watching any time.

Charles Bradley at Paradiso Amsterdam October 24 2013



The venue is completely sold out for "The Screaming Eagle Of Soul". His band starts off without him and warm us up with some nice soul tunes. They are essential for Bradley, or "The Black Rose" as organ player Mike Deller calls him during his announcement of the singer himself. The musicians give Bradley all the spotlight he needs and stay away from it themselves. But the tight playing band also give him all the backup he requires.



The charming singer only needs to do what he does best: sing his honest soul songs with his powerful voice. It's impossible to dislike this wonderful man who will be turning 65 soon. He is telling how grateful he is for this chance he got to make a living as a singer. He's thanking us for buying his music and tickets for the show. But he doesn't need to tell us. You can see it in his eyes. The songs that tell his life's story like 'How Long' sound so genuine and impressive as if he's reliving those dark moments. This is remarkable since he's singing those songs night after night. But also when he's singing about lost love like in 'Crying In The Chapel' you see the heartache in his eyes. The tracks of his second album are somewhat lighter and make sure the show never gets too heavy on the heart. Instead there's plenty of time for love and smooth dance moves. Bradley picked up a few when he still was a James Brown impersonator. During 'Confusion' he's showing his best robot moves while working that fascinating instrument, the theremin.



Soul music is all about emotion and feeling. Bradley has plenty of it and will never disappoint his fans. If his crew wouldn't escort him off stage, he would give everyone a hug and thank us all personally. I read somewhere that this world needs more Charles Bradley. I think that's absolutely true.



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Rock Werchter 2013 Day 2: Blurry Night

Traditionally I get quite wasted the first day of a festival and pretty bad at the beginning of the next day. But today I actually don't feel that bad. The weather is only getting more beautiful and Joe Piler never looked better. The line-up today doesn't look that good, but I don't care. Since today I'm finally going to see Blur and that alone makes it a great day.

Rock Werchter 2013 Day 2, July 5 2013



Charles Bradley
What better way to start a day with a good hug? Charles Bradley not only gives out hugs during his show. His music feels like a one big hug. He may look like your grandpa, but what a cool grandpa. His voice is strong, his music a crossover between James Brown and Otis Redding. With his James Brown-impersonator past, he borrowed some moves from the "Godfather of Soul". They may not look that flexible all the time, but I'd like to see any of us doing them at 65. Sometimes Bradley picks up the mic stand and carries it around like a heavy burden on his shoulder. And telling from the documentary 'Charles Bradley: Soul Of America' he has quite a burden to carry. Every word he sings is full of emotion and sounds honest. In the end he fills the tent with his love and puts a smile on every person's face.



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Gary Clark Jr.
It's not a bad thing when you're called the new Jimi Hendrix. At the same time it's quite a statement to live up to. Gary Clark Jr. sure looks a bit like the legendary guitar player. His drummer could even be a new Mitch Mitchell with his curly hair. Clark certainly is trying to continue the master's legacy. His blues and rock songs are topped off with long guitar solos and jams. His guitar playing skills are unmistakable, but it misses the rough edges and urgency of Hendrix. Despite that it sounds promising and maybe he will be prove to be Jimi's reincarnation after all. I'll sure keep an eye out for him.



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Two Door Cinema Club
We catch the end of The Bots' show on the main stage. Two young boys on this huge stage. The end is a bit chaotic and we don't get to watch many songs since they're chatting a lot. I guess they need to grow more. There's still plenty of time for that. Two Door Cinema Club know how to deal with these kind of stages and crowds. By now many people have found their way to the festival ground and have met Joe Piler. And so the band find a willing crowd for jumping and dancing to their catchy songs. It actually sounds nice, but I notice many songs use the same off-beat pattern and follow a similar recipe. Although I enjoyed it, they still haven't fully convinced me. Some of their songs like 'What You Know' and 'Undercover Martyn' are great crowd pleasers of course.



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The Hives
I have witnessed a few The Hives shows before and never get bored of them. This time we decide to take a look up close and we like what we see. Of course they play their usual show. Singer Pele Almqvist is acting like the biggest rock star and his brother guitar player Niklas is adding funny faces to his over the top performance. But it's all part of a The Hives show. It may not be new anymore, but songs like 'Hate To Say I Told You So' and 'Tick Tick Boom' make everyone move. In the end we had a great time once again.



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Kings of Leon
Last year the Followill boys had quite a stormy end of their tour. It looked like the band had a complete breakdown and they needed a break. It has done them well. Their performance is solid, tight and powerful. But where is the fun guys? They play everything on routine and don't seem to enjoy themselves a bit. Although singer Caleb is trying to connect to the crowd more and more, there's still no passion or love. And isn't that what a band should do when playing live? It's still quite impressive though what 'Sex On Fire' can do to a willing crowd.



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Blur
Finally it's time for the moment I have been waiting for. Blur are kicking off with 'Girls & Boys' which is getting everyone to jump right away. Damon Albarn doesn't look really pleased in the beginning but they seem to be enjoying themselves after a while. With so many great songs to choose from they come up with a nice greatest hits show. Of course 'Beetlebum', 'There's No Other Way', 'Country House' all find their way into the set. Fortunately they also play my personal favourites 'Out Of Time' and 'Coffee & TV'. It's a nicely balanced set, with some quiet moments as well. The beautiful 'Under The Westway' brings out the goose bumps. Halfway the four lads seem to be totally into it and are exchanging smiles. I'm so pleased the many British fans around me are singing their number one Blur song 'The Universal' out loud. When 'Song 2' closes the show the whole field explodes into one big "woohoo!". Just magical!



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At this point I'm just intensely happy. So me and my friends grab Joe Piler by the hand and we dance away into the night.

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Rock Werchter 2013 Day 1
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Soul With A Lot Of Heart In Club Ziggo

After seeing "The Screaming Eagle Of Soul" Charles Bradley in the documentary 'Charles Bradley: Soul Of America', you only want to see and hear this wonderful man in real life. His life''s story, where he finally gets his break in music at 62, is just amazing. I got the chance to see him perform, when he was announced to play a showcase in Club Ziggo. Even better, he was going to sign records the day before in Amsterdam record store Concerto. Needless to say I went there to buy his latest record Victim Of Love, get it signed and shake the man's hand. It is touching to see how genuinely pleased he seems when you buy his record and tell him how much you love his music. I honestly believe he is grateful for the fact that you listen to his music. And why shouldn't you? It's top notch soul and there's only one thing better than listening to it: seeing it live on stage.

Sabrina Starke at Club Ziggo Amsterdam, April 7 2012
Dutch soul singer Sabrina Starke is the one to warm up the crowd. It's a full house tonight which makes the club a better and warmer place than the other times I was here, when it felt cold. And Starke is doing a good job. I never really noticed her although I knew her name, but she's a great performer. Her voice is strong and her songs are warm and pleasant. She's backed up by a good band who play a nice and grooving set. In the end they get most people to clap along to the music and already we're all feeling good.

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Charles Bradley at Club Ziggo Amsterdam, April 7 2012
But of course everyone is here to see the singer from Brooklyn New York. He didn't bring his full band but is playing an acoustic set instead with only three other musicians. This means only Thomas Brenneck, producer, guitarist, band leader and the one who's also looking after Bradley, is actually playing his guitar. The other two are joining him on harmonies and an occasional tambourine. But Bradley doesn't need much. His voice and appearance are more than enough to impress. When singing he's truly giving everything he's got. His voice is bearing his life story. It's raw and full of emotion and tells the story of a man who's had a rough life.

The songs of the new album don't have the same intensity as the ones on his first record. Those were about his life, the hardships he endured, the death of his brother and the heartaches. The new songs are less deep and tell more about love. But Bradley is singing them with the same amount of heart. Of course 'Love Bug Blues' doesn't have the same impact as 'Why Is It So Hard'. His history of James Brown impersonator is shining through in the way he moves around the stage. But he is mixing the manners of the "Godfather of Soul" with his own style now.

When he's telling everyone he's so thankful for showing up and how much he loves us, it sounds so honest that you just have to believe it. You have to forgive him in the end for repeating it so many times. How many musicians will actually step off the stage to hug some people in the audience? If there was enough time I'm sure we would all get a hug. This man not only is making soul music, this man IS soul music. And at least for tonight he made the world a little bit better for anyone who was lucky enough to be here.



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