Rock Werchter 2013 Day 1: Wild Start

After our traditional pre-Werchter BBQ at friends in Belgium we make our way to the festival in no time. There's quite a big line outside the camping ground and we're afraid we may miss out on the first bands. But the line outside the festival site turns out to be quite short when we get there. We stack up on food and drink tickets, assure ourselves that Joe Piler's beers are fine again and find our way to the new KluBC tent that replaces the Pyramid Marquee.

Rock Werchter 2013 Day 1, July 4 2013



Fidlar
There we find a bunch of young lads working up a sweat playing punk songs. Fidlar, an acronym for "Fuck It Dog, Life's A Risk" (what's in a name), take the stage by storm. Their excitement is quite contagious and it doesn't take long before we see the first crowd surfers of the festival. It's nice to see this young band play a convincing set. It's only the first band of the festival and already we're smiling and feel right at home again. Keep them coming!

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Palma Violets
Another young band are making their way over here from the UK on a small hype. Their hit song 'Best of Friends' was made the national anthem for this year and as I experienced myself earlier this year they know how to throw a party. They sure give it a good try but it's much harder to please a festival crowd this early at the day when they are still admiring the festival site and sipping their first beer. Although their big hit does make for a wild pit in front of the stage, many people decide to take a look elsewhere.



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Vintage Trouble
I didn't exactly get swept off my feet after listening to a few of Vintage Trouble's songs. It's a mix of soul and good old rhythm 'n' blues that seems a bit too neatly on record. But after seeing their performance on the David Letterman show, I knew it's a totally different ball game when they play live. They sure showed that today. Singer Ty Taylor is a charismatic entertainer who is really working hard to please the crowd. He's backed up by a lively and solid band. Their songs that sound more rough live on stage are definitely going down well with the crowd. It makes for the first pleasant surprise of this weekend.

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Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
We catch half of the show of Black Rebel Motorcycle club who have an early spot on the main stage. They're always good for some solid rock 'n' roll. The songs of the last album are a bit more slow though and this makes it hard for them to win many people over. Of course they have a few smash hits like 'Spread Your Love' up their sleeves to end on a high. But I'd rather see them in a dark sweaty club rocking me off my socks.



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Balthazar
Belgian band Balthazar sure have come a long way since I saw them live for the first time over here a few years back. Their second album is a huge success and their fanbase is growing fast. The tight set is showing why. The band is focused and the songs of both albums mix well. The skilful tracks leave a big impression in the tent. People all the way to the back are joining in to the 'Blood Like Wine' lyrics "Raise your glass to the nighttime and the ways". And so we raise our Joe Piler to the sky as well.

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Biffy Clyro
I'm not really fond of this Scottish band's music. Especially their last few albums don't do it for me, after they made their sound more accessible and their music became more predictable. It turned into music for teenage girls now. But their big live reputation is preceding them so I want to see that for myself. They do a good job and play their songs well. It's a convincing performance that is enjoyed by a full tent. But still their music doesn't really appeal to me. Fans of the band had a great time though I'm sure.



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The National
It's a different story for The National. I love their sad music. I don't care when people call it "music your dad likes". Live on stage it makes an even bigger impression. Singer Matt Berninger's intense performance and thundering voice give the songs even more power. He seems to be more relaxed and comfortable nowadays though. A huge screen that fills the entire back of the monstrous stage, supports the songs that are a nice overview of their catalogue. Berninger is looking for contact with the fans a lot and finds himself among them later on while continuing singing. The euphoria and bright environment are a strange contrast to the gloomy songs of this strong show. Looking forward to seeing their full show in November in the dark Heineken Music Hall!



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Bloc Party
A drawing that was left in the dressing room at a festival last week, made clear this is going to be the last Bloc Party gig I'll ever see. The band is slowly imploding and will probably call it quits after they finish their tour later this month. In the meanwhile drummer Matt Thong already left the band. It is clear the band is in trouble. The chemistry is gone on stage and singer Kele Okereke isn't the charming, happy and chatty person he normally is. Instead the band is playing on routine and are probably dragging themselves to the end of the tour. It is still turning into a big party because the crowd is willing to throw one. Every song is greeted with big cheers. The big hits make the tent explode. This eventually has a positive effect on the band, who are playing better than to be expected. They couldn't have wished for a better Belgian farewell party.

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Green Day
After Billie Joe Armstrong had a breakdown last year, things didn't look good for Green Day. However rehab made him overcome his problems and Green Day are headlining festivals across Europe again. It's nothing you haven't seen them do before. It's the usual circus complete with dress-up parties and craziness. I don't think their music is that interesting and it is way too cheesy. But Armstrong looks like he's in shape, is performing well and the band are playing a worthy headline set.

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We dance a bit with Netsky before it's time to check out some of the bars outside and go search for a cervela, that nice Belgian sausage, to celebrate this amazing day. But they're not selling them or are all gone. Better luck tomorrow.

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Rock Werchter 2013 Day 2
Rock Werchter 2013 Day 3
Rock Werchter 2013 Day 4

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Rock Werchter 2010 Day 2: Divine Orange

The forecasts were promising a hot day and they didn't lie. We saw the temperature sign hit 42 degrees centigrade and boy was it hot. But this day was gonna heat up even more since the Dutch national soccer team were playing Brazil in the quarter finals of the world cup. Where were we gonna watch the game? But first a few bands to start the day (after some coffee of course).

Rock Werchter Festival Werchter Belgium, Day 2 July 2 2010
An early rise and shine resulted in the second day in a row we arrived at the festival side early. So in a relaxed mood we got our coffee and started slowly by sitting in the grass checking out the first band on the main stage.

Customs (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)
Suited up with a singer that looks like that guy (Ross) from the endless soap 'The Bold and the Beautiful' Customs play music inspired by Editors, Interpol and Joy Division. Not the most happy music and with a gorgeous day like this not an easy first band to swallow. But certainly enjoyable although Editors would prove later that day there's still a long road ahead of them.

Balthazar (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
This young indie pop band was a pleasant surprise with their fresh sound that's already pretty unique and hard to describe. I read somewhere it was a mix of dEUS and Arctic Monkeys but that's not really accurate. I'm definitely gonna check out their debut album 'Applause' that was released a few months ago.

Then it was time to find a place to watch soccer. They were supposed to show it on our campsite but we were told they didn't get permission. In the end we walked into the small Werchter town and found out that a few k's further there was a bar showing it on TV. Later on we heard the local government didn't allow any public screenings of the event so were in luck. Through the sweltering heat we made it to the bar that was absolutely packed with Dutch soccer fans. Somehow we made it in a few meters and were able to watch our team beat the Divine Canaries with 2-1 in a mad game while the temperature in the bar seemed to reach boiling point. Needless to say the place was absolutely going nuts when the final whistle blew. Absolutely epic!


Editors (Ronald Says 9 out of 10)
Now we felt like celebrating and although Editors doesn't really play party music it was great. Although their performance last year was brilliant and hard to top this one comes really close. If you hear all those great songs it's hard to believe they only made three records so far.



The Specials (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
And the party continued with The Specials. I was surprised to hear that not many people knew this legendary ska band. But I'm sure many people do now. It was impossible and too hot to go into the Pyramid Marqee tent and watch them closer so we decided to dance outside instead.

Green Day (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
So many people are always excited about this band's live performances and by the look of all the people watching them many seem to like them. They do have very lively performances and put a lot of effort in it but with all the people they pull on stage and the silly jokes it gets a bit corny after a while. More than two hours are really long and it all feels like a circus act. Once you take off all the make-up of a clown there's nothing special about it anymore.

LCD Soundsystem (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
Fortunately I didn't have to watch Green Day's full set but had a good excuse to leave them. Probably one of the last times I'd see them on stage James Murphy & Co. put up a lively set sending out good vibes. At the end everyone was dancing in the light of the large disco ball at the center of the stage.



So an orange coloured day comes to an end. Time to cool off with a few more beers and some sleep before the relentless golden ball comes to wake us up again.

See more pictures over here:
Rock Werchter 2010 Day 2 Pictures

Rock Werchter 2010 Day 1 Review >
Rock Werchter 2010 Day 3 Review >
Rock Werchter 2010 Day 4 Review >

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15 Minutes Of Fame: Green Head Motherfucker

Pinkpop had some nice performances but nothing really epic. Although one man probably became a Pinkpop legend of his own: Sander Bosch with his green hair. After Green Day singer Billy Joe Armstrong asked him on stage to sing 'Longview' he didn't hesitate, jumped on stage and totally rocked Pinkpop. Respect! Make it past the singing girl first before the real fun begins:
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