Into The Great Wide Open 2011 Day 2: Magical and Perfect Day

We wake up to a gorgeous sunny day. It will stay that way the entire day which is great for the fullest day of the festival. So no time to waste and we head for the first band.


Into The Great Wide Open 2011 Day 2, September 3 2011



Alamo Race Track (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
It's nice waking up with a cup of coffee and this Dutch band on stage. It's hard to put a label on their music. They have never restricted themselves to a music genre or even the laws of song writing. Their creative songs are definitely growing even more in a live setting. The band is focused but also a bit modest. Maybe they need to wake up a bit themselves too.
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Onder Invloed Sessions
One of the nice things are the live sessions with the musicians at different places on the island. We went to this one in the only village on the island, in a garden behind a dyke separating it from the sea. We just missed Roy Santiago and sit down when Rebecca Sier is playing a Nick Drake cover. All musicians were asked to play cover songs. And so Dave von Raven, front man of The Kik and MC on the main stage this year, is cracking jokes and playing songs by The Beatles and Herman's Hermits. Bettie Serveert's Carol van Dijk is also playing, but especially Case Mayfield's impressive and passionate version of Damian Rice's '9 Crimes' is
outrageously beautiful.
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Agnes Obel (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
After hearing about her highly acclaimed shows I was ready to be impressed. Her songs are beautiful and it's great how she and cellist Anne Ostsee can manage themselves on this stage. But somehow she's not focused enough today. The show is a bit messy, also due to a sliding pedal, and therefore it misses the impact I was expecting.
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La Pegatina (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)
Their show on Lowlands ended in a big party a few years ago, therefore this was expected to be a big hit. And with this great sunny weather the Catalan band turns the field into a Spanish fiesta. But at the same time it is clear how weak their songs are. It's all very cheerful and full of energy, but it's nothing more than playing easy party tunes. The musicians are loving it themselves and even when their time is up they continue playing in the crowd.
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GEM (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
Maurits Westerik didn't have an easy time after GEM's last album. The rest of the band quit and he was left behind. But now he's back with a great new band including fine musicians like bass player Daniel Rose (C-Mon & Kypski) and drummer Bram Hakkens (Kyteman, Dazzled Kid). The songs of the new album sound great with some potential hits and Westerik is a convincing front man. The stage in the forest is the perfect setting to show case the new album and I'm pretty sure it will put GEM back on the map.
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Kings of Convenience (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
After Erlend Øye played here with The Whitest Boy alive last year, he was so excited he really wanted to come back. And so this year he's here with his good friend Eirik Glambek Bøe as the Kings of Convenience. Their Simon and Garfunkel like songs are perfect for this sunny and warm day. Øye is looking completely at ease again and is enjoying every minute. When he brings in his other friends of Kakkmaddafakka who are playing later that day, it even turns into a happy party.
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dEUS (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
After this year's program was completed the organization had one more surprise up its sleeves: Belgian rock band and superstars dEUS were also coming. They played a small intimate set a day earlier in the forest that I sadly didn't know about, but tonight it's a full on greatest hits rock show. Front man Tom Barman is looking even more focused and driven as ever nowadays and we get treated to all the big hits and a few new songs of their upcoming album Keep You Close. Maybe the crowd is a bit too relaxed since it doesn't really catch fire but they prove once more how big a rock band they are.
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Crystal Fighters (Ronald Says 5 out of 10)
Because of their one hit 'Plage' Crystal Fighters are invited to many festivals. Although they turn the main stage into a big party, their songs are not interesting at all. It's actually a poor performance with just loud, messy songs. Even their big hit 'Plage' sounds pretty awful.
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Time to leave for better parties. After a while we find ourselves on the beach at one of the camp fires. People are playing camp fire songs and the boys of Kings of Convenience and Kakkmaddafakka are entertaining everyone by playing cheesy cover songs. Even Willy Wartaal is treating us to a song. Can this day get any better?

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Lowlands 2010 Day 2: Time To Party!

After a great first day and a decent night of sleep we woke up to a beautiful sunny day. Just not in time to see Dutch performer and rising star Tim Knol open the second day. Sorry Tim, hopefully I can catch you next time.

And So I Watch You From Afar (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
Time to get the sleep blown from our eyes by this Irish hard rocking bunch. Loud powerful guitar riffs combined with complex tempo changes, fast licks and a solid drummer were fired at us. No vocals since these guys don't need that with their lively stage performance. The guitarists and bass player are jumping and bouncing around stage while playing their amazing parts. Guitar player Rory Friers even continues playing while crowd surfing. Their eyes are twinkling when they receive the well earned cheers from the crowd.



New Cool Collective & Typhoon (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
Clearly awake now we move to the next party with Dutch jazz band New Cool Collective and Dutch rapper Typhoon. The Alpha stage is not the best place for this combination but it's convenient for the many musicians on the stage. Nevertheless they manage to put down a swinging set. What can you expect when you have one of the coolest and most swinging band on stage with awarded performers like sax player Benjamin Herman, guitar player Anton Goudsmit and drummer Joost Kroon. Rapper Typhoon cannot wish for a better band to back his raps and he manages to turn the place into a swinging party with the help of some other guests. Too bad the band only got to play one song by themselves.



The Soft Pack (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
Sitting in the grass enjoying a bit of sunshine we listen to The Soft Pack on the main stage. Their garage rock is catchy and their songs are good. They just didn't add enough fire to make it explode.

Mumford and Sons (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
I said it before that I don't like this kind of music. But I admit their show was pretty good. Well played songs and the packed Alpha tent was going crazy with every song. I still don't get why but so many people can't be wrong. I just wouldn't call it that brilliant as many others seem to do. So after 4-5 songs I decided to check out something different.

Admiral Freebee (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
The Belgian Admiral delivered a strong album earlier this year and already proved he can play great performances. Today however there wasn't enough chemistry between them and the crowd somehow. When he started playing some beautiful ballads on piano even more people left leaving only a few until the end of his set. By that time they seemed pretty frustrated and started throwing stuff to each other for fun. Hopefully he will come back to prove everyone of his skills.

The Gaslight Anthem (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
Things can go fast with a band. Within a short time this band has grown into a live act that can fill up a place like the Grolsch stage which is the second biggest stage of the festival. A big skull is laughing at us from the big back of the stage. Tattooed boys are on stage playing their middle of the road rock tunes. But this tough appearance cannot hide the boy inside. Singer Brian Fallon looks like he could have been in any 90s boy band. They are trying very hard but the sparkle wasn't there today. Their songs all sounded a bit even and they weren't able to live up to the high expectations that many people seemed to have.



LCD Soundsystem (Ronald Says 9 out of 10)
When front man James Murphy sticks to his intentions this was my last LCD Soundsystem gig since according to him there won't be a next record. This certainly was one of their better performances. Especially the old songs were solid and got many people dancing. The songs of their last album didn't sound as convincing but maybe that's because it's new material that everyone needs to get used to. All in all their set kept everyone going until the end. Probably because it had more cow bell.



La Pegatina (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
And then we arrived at the small Lima stage that was having a big party like so many times. The band from Barcelona must have been wondering what all the dancing plants were doing something that started last year and is beginning to turn into a tradition. Urban rumba or flamenco punk? I have no idea what it is but it's damn good! Check out a short video here.

To top it off we go watch the movie The Expandables which turns out to be so bad that it's not even funny anymore (7.5 on IMDB? C'm on!). But the people's cheers and reactions still make it good fun. And of course the beers and pop-corn help as well. Another great day ends in style and it only is getting better. We're wondering what tomorrow will bring.

See more pictures over here:
Lowlands 2010 Day 2 Pictures

Lowlands 2010 Day 1 Review >
Lowlands 2010 Day 3 Review >
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