On Stage: Savages @ Melkweg

A few months ago Savages released their second album Adore Life, that continued their dark post-punk sound, but also showed a more mellow side of the all-female band. It only makes their music even more intense. Let's see if this also is the case live on stage.

Savages at Melkweg Amsterdam, March 16 2016

Unfortunately I don't make it on time to catch support act Bo Ningen, which is a shame, since the London based Japanese band sound interesting enough to check out. Black is the colour of Savages so the ladies are all dressed in black on a dark stage lighted by bright spots and strobes now and then. It all is part of the Savages world, a dark and sometimes gloomy place, dominated by strong women. Their music is quite aggressive and always edgy where singer Jehnny Beth's piercing eyes are staring at you while she spits out her lyrics.

But on the new record the band is taking it slower now and then and also show a more friendly face. This makes their sounds more balanced and interesting where both faces are showing in a song like 'Slowing Down The World'. These moments make the heavy songs even more impressive and their show profits from this as well. Of course songs like 'Husbands' and 'Evil' are plenty with their pounding almost techno like grooves and heavy guitars. But the tracks 'Mechanics' and 'Adore', show a more sensitive side of the band and Beth as well. It narrows the distance between the crowd and her and she can show a more charming side of her.

Beth is a great front woman any way, performing with a lot of heart and convincingly, seeking contact with the people at the front, never losing control. At one point she fearlessly steps into the crowd who are holding her up like a modern Cleopatra, while she keeps on singing. In the final encore the group, who seem to be enjoying themselves, go full speed ahead one more time with a violent 'Fuckers', while the members of Bo Ningen join them one by one. It's a beautiful ending to a tight and convincing show from a band in killer shape.

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Setlist:
01. I Am Here
02. Sad Person
03. City's Full
04. Slowing Down the World
05. Shut Up
06. She Will
07. Husbands
08. Surrender
09. Evil
10. When In Love
11. I Need Something New
12. The Answer
13. Hit Me
14. No Face
15. T.I.W.Y.G.
16. Mechanics
17. Adore
18. Fuckers


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ITGWO 2015 Thursday and Friday

This year we are among the fortunate ones again that managed to get tickets for Into The Great Wide Open. But apparently some of those lucky people can't handle bad weather and days before the festival many tickets are up for sale on the internet for lower prices. The weather forecast is really bad though, but if you bring the right clothing and are prepared you can still have a wonderful time. So let's go back to the island of Vlieland!

The trip starts with a 45 minute effort to leave our city Amsterdam because of traffic accidents and closed down highway entrances. In the end we do make it on time for the ferry and even have 10 minutes left. On the boat the weather already gets grim and there's a cold wind blowing. It's a little preview of what we can expect this weekend. We do get treated on a waterspout in the distance that I fail to capture on camera.

Into The Great Wide Open 2015, Thursday September 3 2015

Once we get settled in at our cosy little apartment we try to see story teller Jaap Boots but the the little theatre already if full. So we have a beer instead and make our way to the Fortweg stage in the dunes.



Intergalactic Lovers
There we meet the wonderful Belgian band Intergalactic Lovers again, that we saw a week ago as well, that time in a warm tent when it was sunny outside. Now they are playing while the sun is setting and it's getting really chilly. The place of the stage is lovely but very windy and the sea breeze cools the place down considerably. Singer Lara Chedraoui looks like she's pretty cold indeed, wearing a big winter coat, but their warm music warms up the band and the crowd. The lovely pop songs go down well and Chedraoui's charming personality and humour turn this into a enjoyable first show at this stage.

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PAUW
We stay in the dunes to watch the Dutch psychedelic band PAUW. The young trio are successfully working their way up in the music scene with a convincing EP and performances across the country. The setting is great between the dunes in the dark and the group treats us to a hypnotic trip with dazzling guitar licks, floaty synths and groovy rhythms. Guitar player and singer Brian Pots is impressing with his guitar skills and his floating melodies. It is clear why this band is drawing so much attention. They close the set with the epic song 'Shambhala' with a very contagious guitar hook. I'm looking forward to their first album a lot.

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Into The Great Wide Open 2015, Friday September 4 2015

We wake up to a grey, windy and rainy new day and count our blessings that we decided to rent an apartment this time. Today is the first full day of the festival and the line-up is incredible! Forget about the weather, because this promises to be a long but fulfilling day.



Bruut!
The grim weather has turned the sports field into a mud field and to make the main stage more accessible the organization has dumped a layer of beach sand in front of it, with a small plastic palm tree on it. That's right, we are ignoring the weather and are determined to have a good time. Jazz combo Bruut! are helping with it by playing groovy and jazzy tunes that are easy to dance to. The catchy jazz music isn't very hard to swallow, even when you're not into jazz too much. It's all about the groove with nice light solos sprinkled on top. This is exactly how a swinging jazz combo should sound nowadays. The foursome make the rain stop and magically the sun appears.

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Bewilder
We cycle to the stage in the dunes where Bewilder has started their set. It's a new band with singer Maurits Westerik that presented their strong first album Dear Island last week. The songs are also working well live on this stage and once again the sun is showing itself. Westerik is a hard working musician and Bewilder looks like a good band for him. Of course his fellow band members are no strangers to him so it is a group that has proven to work in the past. The music is a blend of Bob Dylan, Neil Young and The Velvet Underground with a touch of Springsteen mixed in. Westerik looks like he borrowed some dance moves from the boss which seems fittingly. In the end the band receives a well earned applause.

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Afterpartees
Then we have to rush back to the sports field again since we don't want to miss too much from our favourite Dutch punk rock band Afterpartees. If there's one band who can turn any stage into a party, come rain or come shine, it's this young band. Singer Niek Nellen only seems to work harder when the elements are against us and the crowd is not jumping and laughing hard enough. He's cracking his best jokes and showing his best poses and by now you know he's going to jump into the crowd to drag everyone into the wonderful Afterpartees world. Their cover of 'Have You Ever Seen The Rain' is their way of saying they don't care about the weather either. And so once again everyone is laughing while the rain comes pouring down.

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Kevin Morby
We find former Woods bassist, Kevin Morby, in the woods which is a good place for him. His gentle patient rock songs sound good between the trees, where everyone is listening closely. His songs seem to come alive in this forest and that is a good thing since Morby isn't really adding a lot himself to it. But sometimes you just don't need a lot to play nice music.

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My Baby
When we return to the sports field My Baby has already started their set. It's a group that consists of Dutch singer Cato van Dijck with her brother Joost and New Zeeland drummer Daniel Johnston. Their music is describes as "Delta trance Louisiana dub indie funk" which comes down to very groovy danceable blues rock with funky and sometimes spacy vocals. The exotic looking Cato is slapping her guitar while screaming, shouting and singing. At the same time brother Joost is playing rocking solos and Johnston is taking care of the heavy beats to make it danceable. This actually works well and it is very contagious so that many people are rocking away with them. After a few songs you notice though that many songs are similar and Cato's high pitch shouts can get too much. But who cares today, when it's nice to dance to. Hey, isn't that the sun!?

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Wand
By then it's time to leave the daylight and go over to the dark side. Wand are playing in The Bolder stage, the only indoor stage of the festival. The dark psych rock music of this band is at the right place here. Lots of noise and drones are drowned in reverb and fuzz with the high pitch voice of singer Cory Hanson. It may scare some people away but this is a very interesting band that sounds pretty good today. Long stretched jams put you in a trance and make you forget about the wet world outside.

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Savages
We stay in the dark with the ladies from Savages, who played an impressive show here a few years ago (that I missed) even before their first album was out. Now they are working on their second LP and are here to try out some of the new songs. It's not exactly a light party band and the crowd seems somewhat reluctant. But singer Jehnny Beth (real name Camille Berthomier) doesn't take no for an answer and with an impressive performance the four women take the crowd by the throat who can only give in. It's an intense show, even more intense than I have seen them play in the past and one that raises a high anticipation for the new LP next year.

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Girl Band
We return to the indoor stage for another band that flourishes best in the dark. Irish band Girl Band definitely isn't one for the masses, the strange blend of noise rock and dance, which is the opposite of what their name suggests. Instead it's a dark rock interpretation of aggressive techno with pounding drum grooves, noisy guitars and the staccato vocals that sometimes turns into hysterical singing as if singer Dara Kiely is trying to exorcise his demons. This is really intense and one of the highlights is a violent version of Blawan's 'Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage'. Definitely a band to watch.

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De Staat
We are back at the dunes to close this amazing day with Dutch rock band De Staat who turn out to be in great shape. Their heavy grooves work well at this surreal place between the dunes. The songs sound more tight and coherent than ever and the group treat us to a smooth solid rock show. Singer and master mind Torre Florim never looked more convincing and relaxed on stage. He introduces four new songs they will play back to back and by the sound of it the new album is going to be a killer once more. This show was the icing of the giant and wonderful tasting cake of this day which proved to be one of my best festival days ever.

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This calls for a celebration and we head to the camping restaurant where two Afterpartees members are spinning records and close this day in style with a lovely set of punk and rock n roll record that they are singing and dancing to themselves the hardest. I just don't want to go to sleep!

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Into The Great Wide Open Saturday and Sunday

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Savages Are Unstoppable

It's been quite a year for Savages. They released one of the finest records of 2013 and have been touring extensively. The four women leave a real impression with their intense live shows. Tonight is their last show of the year and singer Jehnny Beth says she's glad to be playing that one in Paradiso.



Savages at Paradiso Amsterdam, December 3 2013

Beth left her high heels at home tonight. It doesn't really make a difference for her performance. While she's standing in the middle of only a few spot lights, her piercing eyes are going around the hall. It is as if she's trying to take in every one of us. The dark show together with the fierce and sometimes hypnotizing music still hasn't lost any of its impact.



A large part of the powerful music comes from the strong rhythm section. Drum player Fay Milton is confidently pounding out the solid grooves. Bass player Ayse Hassan adds great bass lines that give the songs an unstoppable drive. It sounds as if the band is playing even tighter than the last time I saw them. 'Shut Up', 'Husbands' and 'No Face' sound incredible that way. The mix of dark new wave, punk and noise music is contagious. In the more quiet songs like 'Waiting For A Sign', everyone is so quiet that you can even hear the amps buzz.



Even though the four have been on the road for quite a while, they are not showing any signs of exhaustion. The set list is slowly building up to a climax with faster songs at the end of the set. Of course the show isn't really long, since they don't have enough material yet for a two hour show. It doesn't really matter when a performance is this intense. Especially not when they end with an inspired version of 'Fuckers', which they stretch out to a seemingly endless version. The repeating grooves put you right into a trance. It's the perfect close of a still impressive and at some points even astonishing show.



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Setlist:
01. I Am Here
02. Shut Up
03. City's Full
04. I Need Something New
05. Strife
06. Waiting for a Sign
07. Another War
08. She Will
09. No Face
10. Hit Me
11. Husbands
12. Dream Baby Dream (Suicide cover)
13. Fuckers


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Savages Stun Everyone With Intense Show

British all female band Savages already left a big impression with their music before their first album even came out. They also proved to be quite a sensation live on stage as well as I experienced myself during the London Calling festival. Now with their album Silence Yourself out they are taking on the Melkweg this time.

Savages at Melkweg Amsterdam, May 15 2013



We were able to catch the last bit of the set of Johnny Hostile when Savages singer Jehnny Beth was just making her guest appearance. They were both in John & Jehn after all and are still working together. After the support the lights stay off while a low feedback keeps buzzing, making for a gloomy and threatening atmosphere. When the four ladies take the stage they break this uncomfortable feeling with aggressive opener 'Shut Up'. Beth is taking her familiar pose, high heeled and firm, like a soldier going to battle, ready to fire off her vocals. The band leaves no mistake, they will not stop before we all surrender to their music.



And that's not a hard thing to do. Compared to the London Calling show, which obviously was much shorter, it has gotten more stunning. Although drummer Fay Milton is struggling with her moving drum kit throughout the show, she's playing a very tight and powerful set. Together with bass player Ayse Hassan they are the strong engine pushing this band forward. Their record has plenty of great songs to build a thrilling show. 'City's Full', 'No Face' and 'Husbands' offer enough ammunition to fire at the crowd. We also get treated to a new song 'My Condition' that is equally intense, completely justifying the band name.



It also proves that the band sounds best when the engine is going full throttle. Slower songs like 'She Will' kind of miss that same intensity. So there's enough room for the band to grow as well. Imagine what this could lead to in the future. In the meanwhile Savages has everybody down to their knees at the end of the show. Closer 'Fuckers' ends the gig in style. No encore? Who needs it when your show is this overwhelming and strong.



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Setlist
01. Shut Up
02. City's Full
03. I Am Here
04. Give Me a Gun
05. She Will
06. Strife
07. Waiting for a Sign
08. My Condition
09. No Face
10. Hit Me
11. Husbands
12. Fuckers


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London Calling Throws Great 20th Birthday Party

After skipping a few editions of the London Calling festival we decided it was time to pay it a visit again. This year they are celebrating their 20th anniversary and for this edition came up with a great line-up. Both days have some great and interesting bands lined up. Like always we only visit the second day. And because the small hall upstairs can get pretty crowded we decide to stay downstairs for the whole night and watch the bands playing the small stage on the big screen. Also traditionally we miss out on the first bands. So hopefully we can catch Peace and Oppossom some other time.

London Calling 2012 #2 at Paradiso Amsterdam, November 3 2012



Savages
This all-female band fronted by high heeled Jehnny Beth, who some may know as Camille Berthomier from John & Jehn, still have to come up with their first album, but already are the talk of the town. And so the main hall is buzzing with anticipation when the dark and punky songs pound away. It's a thrilling show, where especially bass player Ayse Hassan is impressing with great pumping grooves. They could use more variation and dynamics though, but it's obvious why this band is drawing all this attention. The combination of Beth's twitching moves and her dark, almost aggressive stage act, is intriguing to watch.



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Exitmusic
On the big screen we watch Exitmusic play their show in the upper small hall. Their shoegaze inspired music sounds interesting but also quite messy. The band members look static and show no interest in the crowd. Somehow it doesn't want to stick to me and just kind of passes by.

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Jessie Ware
Probably because of her little hit song 'Wildest Moments', Jessie Ware is programmed to play the main stage. Her experience as backing vocalist is paying off and her voice is golden. But it never exceeds the performance of any Idols or X-Factor contestant. Music and performing is more than just being able to sing. Her songs are mediocre and boring. Her band are anonymously playing their parts and are probably session musicians just doing their job. She really needs to spice up her act and music or just stick to backing vocals.

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Micachu & The Shapes
Without a doubt one of the weirdest bands music wise on this edition. Micachu & The Shapes, fronted by Mica Levi, are making complex music full of twists and turns. It may not be the right time and place for this band tonight. The music fails to grasp me for a bit. I'm pretty sure it's all thought-through and pretty skilled, but it sounds to me they are just making it complex to sound interesting and are really over complicating their music.

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Wild Nothing
Over complicating is one thing Wild Nothing cannot be accused of. Their music sounds catchy and they have many nice songs. It's still a bit rough around the edges and not everything works equally well. If singer Jack Tatum could improve on his singing and use more dynamics in his vocals it would already help. Now his voice sounds a bit thin most of the time. But this band is definitely showing potential.



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Theme Park
Another band with potential are Theme Park. They are one of those band where this festival once started for in the first place. The songs are good, well-written and very pleasant to listen to. When they play their cards right they should have no trouble finding plenty of festival slots next summer.



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The Walkmen
It was quite a surprise when The Walkmen were announced to play London Calling. Among the bands that still have to release a first album they are the biggest and most professional of all with over ten years of experience and seven studio albums. And that is showing tonight. It's the absolute highlight of the night. Hamilton Leithauser is looking confident and has a good voice. It is one of those voices though, that some people may dislike, but he's a strong singer. The set list has a lot of variation with catchy up-tempo songs, and intimate acoustic ballads. Especially Leithauser and Paul Maroon, on guitar and piano, are excelling tonight. I'm sure they have won over many fans and should be able to come back to this stage on their own next time.

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Melody's Echo Chamber
We catch a bit of Melody's Echo Chamber and although Tame Impala's Kevin Parker, who I saw here less than a week ago, helped her out, it fails to impress me. Of course she's lovely to look at and sometimes the music is spacing out Parker-style. But it's not enough to keep us in. Maybe it's because we're watching it on the big screen, combined with several beers, but we decide to call it a day.

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And what a night it was! Afterwards I hear we missed a great show by Chromatics later that night, not in the least because of Ruth Radelet's appearance. But today was already chuck full of good performances and promising bands, something that we missed the last couple of times we attended. It will be hard to top this in a next edition I guess.

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