On Stage: MIEN @ Sugarfactory

The members of new band MIEN may sound familiar, since the band consists of The Black Angels‘ Alex Maas, The Horrors‘ Tom Furse, Elephant Stone’s Rishi Dhir and The Earlies’ John Mark Lapham. They met on several different occasions which resulted in this collective, who are looking for a The Velvet Underground with Nico sound, reimagined by their respective bands. The result is a psychedelic journey rooted in the sixties. The group is now on a small tour that also crosses my hometown.

MIEN at Sugarfactory Amsterdam, September 25 2018

The show has been moved from the Melkweg to the smaller venue Sugarfactory. It is obvious why when I enter the small hall just before the show starts. Less than fifty people are in here and there still is plenty of room. It is nice to be up close to the band though who are on the same level as the crowd.

During the performance, visuals are projected on the back curtain to accompany the psychedelic music. There isn't a lot of light to show the band as they are performing mostly in dark blue lighting (which explains my dark fuzzy pictures). The sound isn't great during the show although it gets a bit better halfway. Especially the vocals which are full of reverb, are hard to pick up. Of course it is part of the psychedelic sound, but they seem to be drowning in the rest of the music, which is especially dominated by loud drums.

It makes it hard to get into the music, which should be right up my alley. I love all those bands, and I think this combination is quite interesting. Rishi Dhir is playing bass but sometimes switches to his beloved sitar, which simply is an instrument that goes perfect with this kind of music. But tonight the several layers aren't really blending together and the music misses its effect. Instead it all starts to sound alike. The band isn't really connecting with the small crowd, who mostly are waiting for something to happen. The last couple of songs sound better and we get a trace of what is possible: a psychedelic new wave version of The Velvet Underground. Too bad it is only a small part of the show that sounds good enough.

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Indiestadt Festival

With the Indiestad pass it is possible to see many bands in a year for just 25 euro. That way I get to see some bands that I probably wouldn't have otherwise. Once a year there's even a whole festival and this year it will even have four days. I wasn't sure if I could make all four but will definitely visit a few nights.

Indiestadt Festival 2017

Day 1 September 20 2017

I really don't want to miss out on the first night that looks like the best of all nights and I am expecting a lot from some of the bands playing tonight. It also is the night with the most bands which means it starts quite early. By the time I walk in, I still an catch the last few songs of Beach Fossils. This band isn't really my favourite band and the few songs I see prove that.

Elephant Stone

I sure want to see Elephant Stone whose elegant psychedelic rock music has always pleased me. Their last album showed a bit of a change where their music shifted a to more pop friendly songs. They have payed good attention to Kevin Parker whose last Tame Impala album was an incredible success. Live the band hasn't changed too much though, which means their music sounds pleasant with Rishi Dhir's soothing voice. It is still a great attraction when he's playing the sitar which at the same time is so important for their sound, adding the ultimate psychedelic touch. I like this sound a lot and enjoy their show again, but at the same time it doesn't reveal anything new for the band. This is why so far the group haven't been able to get to the next level and keep playing the small room of Paradiso. There's nothing wrong with that but I can imagine it could be frustrating. In that case the band may need more chances.

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A Place To Bury Strangers

A Place To Bury Strangers When I get back to the main hall it is dark and filled with smoke. A Place To Bury Strangers have taken the stage and are blowing everyone away with an impressive show. Stroboscopes and smoke machines are working overtime and together with their heavy noise rock it creates an intense atmosphere. We hardly get to see the band on stage and when all of a sudden blue lights point to a spot in the middle of the hall, we can't see what is going on there. It turns out part of the band have moved there with a mobile drum kit and start playing a techno kind of track. This group knows how to get and keep everyone's attention. They make sure to go out with a bang as well and leave us behind completely stunned.

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The Black Angels

I was really looking forward to seeing The Black Angels again after their show at the Into The Great Wide Open festival several years back impressed me a lot. Today they bring gorgeous visuals to support their psychedelic music. I love their sound and the way they create their own world with fuzzed guitars drenched with reverb. Their music has evolved over the years and although their newest album Death Song returns to their roots they seem to also have found their own sound. Of course they got their name from The Velvet Underground and with the new album they come full circle. That band is never far away and you can hear many references in their sound and songs but the new ones are more their own. Live they fit in perfectly with the rest and we get treated to a wonderful 60s inspired psychedelic trip.



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Bartek

The Dutch trio Bartek are playing all over the place and the three rockers look comfortable on stage. Their music is a wild trip and goes from garage rock to 90s inspired grunge. Especially those grunge songs sounds great where the garage rock songs are more of the same. There's plenty of variation now, but if they could focus more and find out where their heart really is, maybe it could make all of their songs interesting enough. Now you notice it is hard to stick with them, although they play with a lot of heart.

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Day 2 September 21 2017

The second day of the festival has quite a nice bill, but mostly these are bands that somehow aren't really for me. Still I'm going to check out a few of them since I keep hearing good things about them.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Once started as a five piece band, Alec Ounsworth is now the only remaining member of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah who released a new album The Tourist earlier this year. On stage there's a full band who have many good songs to choose from, since the band wrote many good ones. It's just that I don't really like Ounsworth's singing style which is kind of a deal breaker for me. No matter how good the songs are and how solid the band sounds, it just doesn't work for me because of the vocals. Their show has a few dips where you notice people are losing attention. It also is clear why people are here tonight, which is the next band.

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Portugal. The Man

I had no idea Portugal. The Man are this big, since tonight is completely sold out and now the main hall is packed. This is the band people are coming to see. Of course Indiestad pass holders like me are here as well, but I didn't expect this big a crowd. Starting with Metallica's 'For Whom The Bell Tolls', Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick In The Wall' and their own 'Purple Yellow Red And Blue' the group is off to an overwhelming start. Surrealistic visuals are projected behind the band who are mostly playing in the shades. Now and then singer John Gourley or bass player Zachary Scott Carothers will step into the light of the projector. After that flying start the band shifts into a more soulful vibe with Gourley's typical mostly falsetto vocals. The warm light songs are very groovy and easy to dance to, but sound quite complicated at the same time. The band make it sound quite easy and are totally into their music. There isn't a lot of interaction, something they pointed out themselves at the start in a projected text, but that also isn't really necessary. Together with the great visuals it is a well balanced show, although I just don't like singers that mostly sing falsetto. The band closes with another cover, an unimpressive version of Oasis' 'Don't Look Back In Anger', which ends their show with a sing along. But Portugal. The Man prove to be big enough to handle big crowds.



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Theme Park

Upstairs in the small hall Theme Park have just started their show and I decide to catch a part of it. The London based band are playing poppy funk rock songs inspired by Talking Heads. They do create a warm disco vibe tonight where it's easy to dance to, but unlike Talking Heads their songs are still a bit too pale. It all sounds pretty decent but it is also too much on the safe side. It does make people move but is probably not blowing anyone's mind.

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Floating Away With Elephant Stone

I absolutely love Canadian band Elephant Stone and their psychedelic oriental rock songs. Their music is both warm and uplifting. They just released a new album Three Poisons and are doing a club tour in support of it.



Elephant Stone at Paradiso Amsterdam, September 23 2014

The small hall of Paradiso isn't really full when the band is walking on stage. They want to start their set, but drummer Miles Dupire forgot his drum sticks. Singer Rishi Dhir is trying to kill some time, but since the small stage is all the way upstairs on the second level and the dressing rooms are in the basement, it takes a while. They decide to just walk off and walk on again, with the intro music playing once again. This sounds a bit as a tough start, but it actually sets the mood right for a relaxed performance.



The four piece is playing some songs of the new record that sound more full and have more depth. The tracks have more groove which adds body. This is obvious tonight when you hear the new and old songs side by side. I love the older songs too, but I like the direction the new record is moving in. The band members look relaxed on stage, putting down a convincing performance with their psychedelic music. Dhir's light voice combined with the fuzzy guitars and grooving drums make you float away into the clouds. The band is using loops and sequences in a smart way, adding more layers to music, mostly with sitar parts.



Of course Dhir brought his sitar with him and is playing it a few times. It sounds so much better live than the recorded loops, more natural and warm. Slowly the hall is filling up with more people, that are probably here for the second band of the night White Hills. Elephant Stone are winning everyone over tonight and in the end get a well deserved round of applause and cheers.

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White Hills
We decide to stay for White Hills, which is a totally different kind of ball game. Described by the New Yorkers themselves as fuzzed out motoric spacerock, they are building guitar drones on top of repeating drum grooves. Together with a fog machine, sparse lighting and freaky visuals it creates a dark atmosphere. Guitarist and singer Dave W., who looks almost like a copy of Alice Cooper, and bass player Ego Sensation are both dressed in black leather and their drummer is wearing a mask. Their music isn't really subtle with the loud and pounding drums and explosions of noise, but it does work. The repetition in the hypnotic songs put you in a trance and we let ourselves float away once more.

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New Sounds: Elephant Stone - The Three Poisons

Canadian psych rockers Elephant Stone are streaming their new album The Three Poisons on SoundCloud ahead of its release next week. The band is showing some real progress and of course there's plenty of sitar around. Listen to the album over here: Three Poisons on SoundCloud.



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Best Kept Secret Day 3: One Day Like This

Normally being in a tent is quite uncomfortable at festivals. By the time the alcohol is wearing off, you'll find yourself waking up in total agony. So after doing the bare necessities to give yourself a decent enough appearance you drag yourself to the festival site to see the first band. Since this isn't the case over here, we're way too comfortably waking up, having breakfast with freshly squeezed orange juice. I really love it, but the downside is we are missing out on the first few bands.

Best Kept Secret Festival Day 3, June 22 2014

So by the the time we make it to the festival site, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Truckfighters and Fucked Up are already done. But there's plenty to see today, so we head for the first show of the day.



Heavy Times
"Chicago's most hated band" had the same trouble getting up as us, or so it seems. Their show is very messy and not tight at all. It's the second show of their drum player the singer tells us, so maybe that's why their garage rock songs are not coming together today. It may also explain their set is cut 15 minutes short.

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Elephant Stone
I expect a lot more from Elephant Stone who impressed me last year with a wonderful record and a nice performance in the woods at the Into The Great Wide Open Festival. They don't disappoint at all. The band sounds more full and even more convincing than last time. It doesn't take long for their music to slowly lift me up and embrace me. The sitar of course is still a big add-on to the show and its amazing sound is incredible. The Horrors' keyboard player Tom Cowan is making a guest appearance at the end of the set, but that doesn't really add anything to an already convincing performance.



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The Horrors
Although the sun is shining at its brightest today, it's time to go into the dark. The Horrors released a new album this year, that didn't quite live up to the expectations. Fortunately their live performance does. Even better, the band has grown a lot since I've seen them. The songs on the new album make a bigger impact on stage than they do on the album, where they were kind of wearing off too quickly. The band sounds great and tight, while singer Faris Badwan is drawing attention with his stage appearance. slightly leaning forward most of the time. If only they could transfer this onto a record.

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The Notwist
German band The Notwist have been around for quite a while but never made it really big. Their music has transformed into indie pop songs with big arrangements. Today the band is showing to be capable of putting down a convincing performance. The song structures and sound are very creative and the band is very focused. This is no middle-of-the road indie band, but a very skilled team. It seems to go down very well with the crowd, although their performance is a bit static. But the way they handle their instruments and how they produce these smart compositions is stunning.

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Belle & Sebastian
At the beginning of the evening Belle & Sebastian have the perfect setting for a nice show in the sun, while everyone is feeling absolutely delighted. They also have the perfect songs for it, nothing too heavy on the heart. However somehow it doesn't really work for me. I don't really see the fire in their performance, although singer Stuart Murdoch is doing his best. It also doesn't draw a lot of response from the crowd, who are apparently dozing off in the sun. It's time we fire things up a bit.

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Deap Vally You can leave it to the two ladies of Deap Vally to rough things up with their sharp rock songs. Screaming guitars and vocals and heavy grooving drums in the style of the old rock legends. Together with their sexy appearance it causes testosterone levels to go up as well as the temperature. And it gives the security guy another hard time.



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Fat White Family
To rough things up more, Fat White Family are totally living up to their live reputations. The boys have already taken their shirts off and treat us to a high energy and aggressive show. Their garage rock is like a smack in the face and the band is giving it all on stage. Singer Lias Saoudi is screaming at the top of his lungs, while the rest of the band are working their way through a set of mean and gritty rock funk songs. And the crowd loves every minute of it.



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Elbow
Things slow down a bit when Elbow is starting their performance, already the last one of the weekend, closing down this magical festival in style. Backed up by his steady band, Guy Garvey is the charming gentleman he always is. His beautiful voice alone is already enough to please, but together with the band, a string and horn section and an impressive set of screens, Elbow take their show to the next level. It doesn't really matter that their last album is a bit of a let down, today everything sounds spot on. And they couldn't have been more right, closing the night with 'One Day Like This' singing "one day like this a year would see me right". Or three days like this would be even better.



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The festival closes down shortly after, which leaves us with a few cups that cost us a deposit and no way to get that back. Also it leaves us with some money on the chip on our wristband. Something for the organization to take into account next year and only a minor setback in an otherwise glorious weekend. We'll definitely be back then to enjoy a great festival and a comfortable jungalow.

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Best Kept Secret Day 1
Best Kept Secret Day 2

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Flying High On The Sitar With Elephant Stone

At the last edition of the Into The Great Wide Open festival an intriguing instrument is set up on the stage in the woods. On a low plateau the sitar is waiting until someone is going to play it. The man behind Canadian band Elephant Stone, Rishi Dhir, will only play it once during their successful performance at the festival. The sounds of the instrument are spreading throughout the trees and enchant its listeners. On their second album, simply titled Elephant Stone, you can hear it more often.

Elephant Stone - Elephant Stone (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)

Dhir is an established sitar player who already worked with bands like The Horrors and The Black Angels. Dhir, whose roots obviously lie in India, is mixing his background into his music in several ways. We can hear the tabla and other Hindu influences. According to Dhir he was inspired by Bollywood movies as well. Especially in 'A Silent Moment' you can here these influences including nice oriental singing.

The result is a spicy and tasteful mix that is lightly digestible. The psychedelic songs are easy on the ears and are never too heavy. The sitar is mostly used in a subtle way and only now and then acts as the main attraction, like in 'The Sea Of Your Mind'. This song really is one big jam that eventually ends in a delightful apotheosis with a repeating sitar and fireworks by the guitars. It's the highlight of the record. The sitar proves to be the ultimate psychedelic instrument. Everything is floating on the remarkable and almost spiritual sounds. No wonder George Harrison was studying the sitar later on in The Beatles era.

But the other songs are worth it as well. Because the rest of the album is full of fine songs. Sometimes they are Beatlesque tunes like 'Hold Onto Yr Soul' and 'Love The Sinner, Hate The Sin'. They are almost light easy listening pop songs. Others are explosive guitar jams, performed with a lot of heart. Rishi Dhir understands well how to attract attention by being different. His musical talents combined with his background are a smart move which results in a wonderful record.



This review has been published on ROAR E-Zine in Dutch over here.

Listen to Elephant Stone on Spotify.



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ITGWO 2013 Day 2: Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Today it's less hot and sunny. I'm in doubt whether to go for a swim, but decide not to, since it feels too chilly. We still have time for some breakfast in the small village at the harbour before we make our way into the woods for the first band.

Into The Great Wide Open 2013 Day 2, September 7 2013



Elephant Stone
Front man Rishi Dhir of Canadian band Elephant Stone has Indian roots. You can hear this in their psychedelic music. He's also playing the sitar which he brought along with him. For a while he sticks to playing the bass though. Their music couldn't sound better between the trees. The songs are full of reverb and fuzz and take you away from this planet. It reminds of The Beatles' psychedelic period at the end of their career. Halfway Dhir is finally sitting down on the small riser to play the remarkable Indian instrument, his legs crossed. It's the perfect instrument for this psychedelic music and a very nice twist.

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traumahelikopter
We go to the stage in the dunes, for a series of bands playing here in a row. You don't expect a punk band on this relaxed and idyllic festival, where small kids are experiencing their first live shows. But traumahelikopter don't care and will play any stage. And once again do a great job with their short and energetic punk songs. Kids are watching in awe, while their dads pogo in the mosh pit. One dad is even teaching his son how to join in. Singer Mark Lada is joking this is oldest crowd they ever played. He's trying out the length of his mic cable, jumps off stage and into the dunes. He is going to the top of the slope where small paper windmills are spinning in the wind. Two are pulled from the sand for the way back. Later guitar player Daan van Dalen jumps off stage as well, hands his guitar to a flabbergasted young lad and makes for his usual round of crowd surfing. The threesome prove that even punk music has its place at ITGWO.



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Parquet Courts
And why not continue that way with more punk music? Parquet Courts made a great record with spiky vigorous punk and garage rock songs. However in the beginning the boys seem a bit detached from the crowd, despite a small group at the front going mental. It gets better during the performance. Guitarist Austin Brown is singing some songs, but his vocals aren't really strong. The angry looking Andrew Savage (what's in a name) is a more convincing singer. His vocals are more aggressive and give the songs the right amount of bite. It's not a perfect performance, but it does show the band is capable of writing good rock songs.

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Dawes
Time to take it slow now. Dawes are playing rootsy country and blues songs. It actually is quite pleasant, but after a few songs it all sounds alike. The band isn't exactly charismatic either and after a while I'm getting quite bored with it. With this kind of music it could have been so much better on this stage in the dunes.

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Daniel Norgren
Swedish blues musician Daniel Norgren is doing a lot better later on with intense blues music. While picking his guitar, he's working a few pedals for the bass and snare drum. The only other band member, Anders Grahn, is adding contrabass to it. They both look like to be coming from some farmer's state in the US, with their lumberjack shirt and baseball caps. Norgren is mostly singing with his eyes closed, completely feeling his music. They both manage to keep most of the rain out and in the end get rewarded by a big round of applause and a beautiful rainbow.

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The Black Angels
When the dark sets in, the dune stage transforms in an even more atmospheric place. It turns out to be the perfect setting for The Black Angels. Their dark psychedelic songs are not missing impact. Red and purple lights are keeping the band in the shade. Vocals full of reverb are echoing across the dunes, while the band dives into lengthy jams. We're happily drifting along and slowly get lost in the gloomy sounds.

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Miles Kane
You wouldn't expect Miles Kane to be playing this festival. Although the program so far proved that louder rock bands can work well too. But the crowd on the sports field is a hard one. It is willing to party, however aren't typical rock fans. Kane is working hard like always. There just isn't a connection with the people tonight. Instead of trying to adjust to the more relaxed and intimate vibes, he seems to turn it up even more. Normally I like his music and performance a lot and don't mind his typical British arrogance. But tonight it just doesn't work. Hopefully he will be more convincing next month for his club show in Amsterdam

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Tonight we decide to take a look at the beach, where there are some camp fires lit. There's even a DJ playing on an improvised DJ desk. The music is faltering a lot due to some power restrictions I assume. The growing number of people doen't seem to mind. We have beer at one of the camp fires and then decide to call it a day. I'm pretty sure the rainbow we saw earlier struck gold right on the island today.

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Into The Great Wide Open 2013 Day 1
Into The Great Wide Open 2013 Day 3

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