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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All Pictures Day 1

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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All Pictures Day 2

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On Stage: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at Oedipus Brewery

Two things that go together very well are rock music and beer, or even better live music and beer. A rock band playing in a brewery sounds like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately I was too late to list myself among the first hundred people on the Indiestadpas facebook who were allowed to go to one of the two shows of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard with their Indiestad pass. Apparently I was at the top of the reserve list and was among the lucky ones after all.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at Oedipus Brewing Amsterdam, February 20 2016

The Oedipus brewery is a small brewery that embraces craft beer and cooks up some crazy brews. They have always been active on festivals and other cultural activities so it's a good match to host a rock show. The brewery isn't exactly centrally based in Amsterdam, but can be found in a small industrial area in Amsterdam North across the IJ water, which includes a ferry ride from the central train station. The second show starts at midnight and the weather is simply horrible. Many people arrive at the brewery soaking wet and maybe this is why it doesn't seem to fill up completely although it is sold out. Probably some people decided to stay at home, especially the ones with a Indiestad pass, which is a shame because I'm sure plenty would have loved to take their place.

With so many beers to chose from this night will become a feast for our taste buds and ears. Since there's no real stage, I can only see the heads of the band members that are standing. I really can't see both drummers, no matter how hard I try. The people that did make it to the brewery are in a great mood and when the band starts playing, the first few rows immediately start dancing and jumping. The psychedelic rock songs sound great, even though the sound isn't really good. But what can you expect in a large hall that was not built to host rock concerts. The fuzzed out vocals of singer Stu Mackenzie sound great but it makes it almost impossible to understand what he's saying. It doesn't matter since the music can do the talking for them and it goes down well with the crowd who keep dancing and crowd surfing.

The group is great at playing the groovy hypnotic songs that seem to drift between prog rock and garage rock with a jazzy twist here and then, some of them driven by bluesy harmonica. Mackenzie plays the flute on some songs which is a nice touch, but also a risky one since it's a controversial instrument that is not everyone's favourite. But songs like 'Trapdoor', 'Hot Wax' and the wonderful 'The River' are a delight to hear live while sipping one of those wonderful beers. Apparently some of us had a bit more than just a few beers, as one guy climbs the top of the bar, to make a giant dive into the crowd from quite a big height while the band shake their heads to keep him from doing it. It sounds crazy but he could have hurt other people and himself for that matter. For the encore Mackenzie returns all by himself for an acoustic song to end the night in style. Even though it's not the perfect location for a rock concert, the brewery definitely is one with the right vibes and with a band like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard you really can't go wrong.



All Pictures

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