Rock Werchter 2014 Day 3: Red And Orange

Today the sun is not waking us up, which is good since we can sleep longer this way. It is bad at the same time since it is expected to rain today. We end up eating a great pancake with cheese and some nice rolls and head out to the festival site.

Rock Werchter 2014 Saturday, July 5 2014

It is clear there are two World Cup football matches today. Many Belgian and Dutch fans are wearing their team's colours and there's a vibe of excitement everywhere. This should be a good day.



The Temperance Movement
A temperance movement is a movement that criticizes excessive alcohol consumption. I assume this British band took this name as a joke, since alcohol consumption is definitely not moderated at this festival. Although it's a new band it consists of experienced and skilled musicians. This is showing since their blues rock songs sound great. Singer Phil Campbell has a good voice that reminds of The Black Crowes' Chris Robinson. It doesn't take long before they have almost everyone's attention at the main stage. This is a very promising start of the day.



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



Haim
The three Haim sisters had a incredible start of their career. Before their first album came out they were already playing a lot of shows. The ladies look like they had a rough or short night, but still fly right into it. The songs sound more rough live which is quite nice. They definitely can handle their instruments and hit songs like 'Falling' and 'The Wire' sound great. But sometimes it gets a bit messy, especially when they are just jamming. The three do make up for that in enthusiasm though.

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



Ozark Henry
We enter a pitch dark tent where Ozark Henry is playing. The Belgian musician and his band are hidden behind a partially transparent screen. From our position it seems it is not transparent enough. It does fit his music though which is slow and dark. The songs are quite lovely and they know how to build up tension, keeping the crowd focused. When the screen is lifted partly, the musicians are still scarcely lit as they pick up the tempo. It may not be to everyone's liking or easy to get into, but it looks like most of the people are staying until the end.

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



Biffy Clyro
The Scottish band Biffy Clyro moved from kind of hardcore in the beginning to more middle of the road alternative rock on their last few albums and achieved quite some success with that. In the meanwhile their live reputation grew and they are playing the main stage today. Lead singer Simon Neil's voice sounds really good. The band is tight and especially in the older, more heavy songs they are excelling. When they are playing their bigger hits like 'Bubbles' and 'Black Chandelier' many people on the field are singing along.

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



Triggerfinger
The three gentlemen from Belgian giants Triggerfinger are in a tough spot. The Belgian national football team, The Red Devils, are competing with Argentina in the quarter finals of the World Cup while they have to play on the main stage. There was nothing the organization could do about it. Fortunately their fear of playing a half empty field didn't come true, although people wearing the Belgian colours are hard to spot.

It doesn't put down this great band that will never disappoint. They play their heavy grooving songs with all the heart and energy we're used of them. The songs of the new album By Absence Of The Sun already sound familiar as if they have been playing them for many years. As a gesture the band has hired two lovely ladies to give us the score of the match. It's a bad score, since the Belgian team is behind, but over here Triggerfinger are winning by a landslide. At the end of the show the girls are handing them a gold record for their new album, which is well deserved.



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



The Black Keys
The Black Keys are the ones to wash away the disappointment of the Belgian fans. Nowadays there are permanently two musicians backing the duo up on stage. It's a solid show where the band plays many of their big hits. Of course everyone is singing along to 'Gold On The Ceiling', 'Lonely Boy' and 'Tighten Up'. Although they are playing their songs well, it never gets really exciting and they are not trying really hard to make us forget about the Belgian loss.



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




Pixies
Fortunately there's always Pixies. We had quite the dilemma at this point as Dutchmen: see Pearl Jam or Pixies or support our national football team in their quarter final match? We decided to watch a few Pearl Jam songs from a good spot, then see Pixies play and then come back again later for Pearl Jam. But Eddie Vedder and Co. take too long to start their show so we head for Pixies. We can hardly get in the tent where the band is totally blowing everyone away with a tight and hard rocking show. Black Francis doesn't waste a lot of time in between songs but instead is knocking out their songs one by one. The crowd is going absolutely mental. No one's thinking about any football match over here. The band finally finishes everyone off with 'Where Is My Mind?'.



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



Pearl Jam
We head back to Pearl Jam who started half an hour later than scheduled. But there's still more than half of their show left, since they were supposed to play for three hours. It looks like it's a bit mellow and Eddie Vedder is trying to read a speech in Flemmish. It's all part of a Pearl Jam show where you know things will pick up in the end as the band is growing. It's no different today when they play Pink Floyd cover 'Mother' and 'Jeremy' back to back, and 'Black', 'Daughter' and 'Porch' later on. You just got to love this band. By the time they start 'Alive' we hear the Dutch team have just won their game on penalty kicks. Naturally we're going crazy and have now forgotten about the Belgian loss and the rain earlier today. 'Rocking In The Free World' never sounded sweeter and when Pearl Jam close the night with 'Yellow Ledbetter' we just want to party.



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

This day totally ended on a high and calls for celebrations. But there's another day coming so we better not go all the way.

More Pictures

Rock Werchter 2014 Day 1
Rock Werchter 2014 Day 2
Rock Werchter 2014 Day 4

Read more!

Three HAIM Sisters Is A Treat

The three Haim sisters from Los Angels managed to cause quite a stir before even releasing an album. In their live shows they already revealed some of the songs that would make it onto their debut. A few catchy singles had many people looking forward to it with high anticipation. Last week Days Are Gone finally dropped and we're able to hear if it lives up to the hype.

HAIM - Days Are Gone (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)

Although the ladies seem to be coming out of nowhere they are not exactly beginners and play multiple instruments. They started out really young and already played in family band Rockinhaim with their parents. Guitar player Danielle and bassist Este were part of the all girl band Valli Girls that had some moderate success. Danielle also played with Jenny Lewis, singer Julian Casablancas (of The Strokes) on his solo tour and in Cee-Lo Green's backing band. According to critics the group sounds like a modern Fleetwood Mac with R&B influences. After listening to their record a few times this isn't such a bad comparison. Danielle has plenty of blues and classic rock licks on her sleeves. Este is adding playful bass grooves to the mix and youngest sister Alana spices up the mix with key parts. The only bloke of the group and none-family member, Dash Hutton, is the one to keep the ladies in control.

The sisters help him out with percussive elements throughout the album. It gives the songs a great drive especially in the up-tempo ones. Opener 'Forever' is a good example. With its staccato vocals it sounds even more rhythmic. Many songs are using percussion and repeating elements in a similar way. The start of the album is quite a strong one with three of their four singles in a row: 'Falling', 'Forever' and current single 'The Wire'. Their second single 'Don't Save Me', which gave them plenty of air-play, is halfway the record. Especially when listening to the beginning of 'If I Could Change Your Mind' Fleetwood Mac does come to mind. This is mostly because of Danielle's vocals. The electronic beats in 'My Song 5' are closer to R&B and hip hop.

You may think that a record company would rush out a full album as soon as possible and the rest of the songs are mostly fillers. That certainly is not the case. Most songs are just as strong as their singles and don't sound rushed at all. Plenty of effort has gone into making the album. Days Are Gone is a creative and sparkling sounding pop record with lots of variation. The girls are showcasing their talent and prove they are able to write good songs. In their live shows they add a bit of a rough edge to their music which is quite enjoyable. They will be touring for a while so there should be plenty of opportunities to catch them on stage.



Listen to Days Are Gone on Spotify.



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

Read more!

Lowlands 2013 Day 3: Girl Power!

After a sunny day we wake up to grey clouds and rain. But by the time we make it to the festival site the sun is breaking through. Within no time I'm eating an omelet in the sun. Ready to take on this last day.

Lowlands 2013 Day 3, August 18 2013



Jacco Gardner
More and more people are hearing about the boy wonder from the town Hoorn in The Netherlands, who got his inspiration from the psychedelic bands of the sixties. His album Cabinet Of Curiosities is full of beautiful songs in the same style. Live this may seem to lead to a static performance, but fortunately this is not the case. Gardner is chatting to the crowd from time to time in a relaxed way. His presence is kind of innocent and disarmingly. His music is doing the rest and it is creating a magical atmosphere. His band is his reliable support with his friends from Lola Kite and Mr Cool himself, Jos van Tol on drums. Surprisingly the India tent is only half full, but I'm sure next time he will draw bigger crowds.



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



Haim
Another hype are the Haim sisters. Just like Jacco Gardner they knew to create something of a buzz, without even releasing an album. Already they are getting bookings for festivals and club performances. According to the MC who's announcing her, they partied hard the day before. The girls do look a bit hung over and their set isn't always really tight. They sound a lot more rough on stage than they do on record. Guitarist Danielle knows how to handle her guitar, but her vocals don't always sound powerful enough. They help out drummer Dash Hutton on percussion a lot as well. Bass player Este Haim sounds pretty groovy despite her funny faces. All put together it is an interesting performance. Although not legendary it does sound promising. I'm looking forward to their album that is coming out in a few weeks. By playing many shows they should be able to grow more tight and sound better. I'm sure they'll be a different band within year.



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



Noah and the Whale
We decide to check out Noah and The Whale. The band from London make harmless indie rock songs. The band's performance is like their music: nice, happy and a bit too correct. It does make for an enjoyable performance though. And of course you don't expect to find a "wall of death" at their show. Despite some nice songs you could wish for a bit more bite though.



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



Alabama Shakes
Of course Alabama Shakes should already have been programmed last year. This year they are already considered big enough to perform on the big Alpha stage. The band does have Brittany Howard who can fill any stage and I mean that in the most respectful way. Her voice is so strong and her presence is overwhelming. It's a delight to watch her sing. The rest of the band have gotten tighter because of all the shows they played. They sound very laid back and have made peace that they are performing in Howard's shadow. It doesn't take long for the crowd to surrender to the intense soul and blues songs. Although the faster songs are less impressive they are a welcome variation and make for a merry intermezzo.



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



Foals
We rush ourselves to the other side of the festival site to catch the second half of the Foals show. I'm really glad to have made that effort. Their last album won many people over including myself. Their show is a lot more rocking than I expected. It sounds bombastic from time to time but always tasteful. The band is focused and knows what a festival crowd wants: dancing. The tent is more empty at the end of the show than at the point we came in, but that's probably because many people were already making their way to the Alpha tent for Franz Ferdinand. Foals deserved a bigger crowd for their hard work and convincing performance.



Official Website | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify

Franz Ferdinand
Indeed many people show up for the glorious return of the Scottish band. They have been away for a while but apparently not forgotten. I haven't seen the Alpha more packed this weekend. We cannot even get in for a good spot and decide to party outside. Since it's a huge party the band is throwing. They have so many songs that get a crowd to go wild. People are dancing and jumping everywhere, even on the slopes at both sides of the tent. New song 'Love Illuminiation' fits in seamlessly and already sounds like it's always been in their set. 'Can't Stop Feeling' is probably a homage to the late Donna Summer containing a similar hook. The band even mix Summer's hit 'I Feel Love' into the song. I don't think anyone expected this big welcome back for the band. But they showed to be totally worth the wait. I can't wait for their new album.



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



Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
So after this high, Nick Cave was going to close the festival. How was he going to top the party loaded set of Franz Ferdinand? By doing what he does best: play a dark and intense performance as if the devil himself is on his tail. Cave is all over the place in his usual fashion. Sometimes hanging backwards, his arms raised in front of him, like he's enchanting the crowd. Other times he's hanging over the front row, pouring out his sharp words on the first few rows. Or balancing skilfully on top of the fence, supporting himself by holding the hand of one of the fans. The terrific Bad Seeds know exactly how to back him up. Gently playing along in the slow and intimate songs, but wild and rough in the louder parts, sparing no one to enforce Cave's words.

This doesn't miss its impact. The performance is spot on. A vicious and evil 'Stagger Lee' follows the dramatic 'The Mercy Seat' and brilliant 'Higgs Boson Blues'. Songs of the new album sound just as strong as his best songs. 'Push The Sky Away' is dark, spooky and fills the big tent with silence. I've never heard a big crowd go so quiet. Many people were questioning if Nick Cave was a good headliner to close this last day. With this magnificent performance there's no doubt any more. He closes the set with the always gorgeous 'Into My Arms' which make this performance a perfect one.



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

Still stunned from the performance we get ourselves some of the last bitterballen and some beers. So what about finally going to the Titty Twister? Another huge line!? Crap! Grolsch Beugelbar it is then.

Another good edition of Lowlands has come to an end. I really noticed an increasing number of people come here to party and music comes in second. The Lowlands organization seems to targeting that group more and more, which is a real shame. Hopefully music will never come in second for them. Or should I start looking at a different festival?

More Pictures

Lowlands 2013 Day 1
Lowlands 2013 Day 2


Read more!