ITGWO 2019 Day 3 + 4

Halfway the festival I notice the island is sucking me in again. I've said it many times, but this place is simply amazing. You only see smiling faces around and we are all simply spending four days in our own perfect happy little bubble.



Into The Great Wide Open 2019 Saturday August 31

Bobby Oroza

Finnish soul singer Bobby Oroza kicks off the day at the main stage. There’s a small group of people that are enjoying his classic soul music. He has a nice sound and the songs are quite groovy. His voice is a bit thin though and the songs miss variety. Oroza is a nice guy although he looks bit serious. But he is chatting with the crowd, cracking small jokes. Not a bad way to wake up I guess.

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Jordan Mackampa

We make our way to the woods where Jordan Mackampa has drawn a much bigger crowd at the small stage. His pleasant soul songs are comforting with the warm voice of Mackampa. He introduces his songs with short stories in a soft voice, but from our position in the back we can’t really hear them properly. Fortunately it's the soulful music that counts, which sounds lovely between the trees. I really like his band as well, who are adding a lot of depth and groove to the music. Judging from the fact that hardly anyone leaves, the crowd seems to like it a lot as well and thank Mackampa at the end with a heartfelt applause.

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Pip Blom

Dutch singer Pip Blom had quite a run this year. She released her debut album and played many festivals including Glastonbury. I’ve seen her a couple of times before of course and enjoy her music a lot. You notice that she and her band are spending many miles on the road. The band has grown without losing their young enthusiasm, including the always happy looking Blom herself. Among all these happy musical eruptions you could easily forget how mature her songs actually are. If she's able to keep up writing clever songs like 'Daddy Issues' one can only imagine what the future can bring for her.

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Personal Trainer & The Industry

Like Pip Blom we have to rush ourselves to the indoor stage where Canhaker Pi's Willem Smit is playing with his Personal Trainer playground project. He was asked to record new songs on the island the week before and has gathered even more of his friends to help him out. Most of them are here tonight to play them live on stage with him. You can leave it up to Smit to come up with interesting music in such a short time. The result are interesting indie songs ranging from slow and edgy to wild post punk ones. Pip Blom joins later in the set with her own little children's choir, which is totally adorable. Mixed in are Personal Trainer songs and tracks of the guest musicians. It makes the show lack structure and cohesion and an unbalanced setlist. The eager group of youngsters in front of the stage also have trouble following it, very willing to form a wild pit. But the band compensates largely for this in enthusiasm and some members are running all over the stage, dancing around and simply having an amazing time. You can only admire this young group of people for being so creative and working together on exciting new music. You simply have to look at Smit and his friends to know the future of the Dutch alternative scene is looking very bright.

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Tamino

A few years ago, Belgian musician played the smallest stage in the woods, that was already too small for his fast rising star. Since then the word was out about his remarkable voice and the wonderful music of the kind singer. So this year he got promoted to the main stage at one of the best spots in the schedule, the time the dawn is setting in. It is the perfect setting for the slow, dark but gorgeous songs of Tamino. Don't let the swooning school girls and house moms fool you, since his music is of great quality. His songs are a mix of fellow Belgians Balthazar, Radiohead and a large scoop of Jeff Buckley. His voice is clear even live and the young men has an incredible range. With the spotlights on him for most of the show, you would almost forget the other two musicians who build the structure of the song. Especially drummer Ruben Vanhoutte is playing his drum grooves very convincingly, making sure to never take away the focus from Tamino. The singer is able to impress most of the people here, slowly and patiently performing his songs. Of course he closes with 'Habibi', his first hit song that started it all and that still never fails to impress.

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Flamingods

We are in for a bit of a party and Flamingods from Bahrein are the ones to give us just that. I saw them play at Klikofest a few months ago very late at night and liked their psychedelic music with oriental influences. Singer Kamal Rasool is the core of this band of multi instrumentalists where every member seems to be able to play every instrument. They smoothly switch positions and instruments in between songs, although I never have an idea why. It doesn't matter since tonight the band has found the perfect balance in their show. They keep the party going at all times and the crowd is loving it. This is no straightforward psychedelic rock, but a tasteful oriental twist on it that sounds amazing tonight between the trees in the dark.

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Wand

At the indoor stage Wand have already started their show, who played here before at the same spot. We continue the psychedelic rock party but this time from a different angle. Singer Cory Hanson is the centre point with nice solos and skilful guitar playing. It makes sense Ty Segall is a big fan of them, releasing their debut on his own label. The band have slowly made their sound more heavy, but are able to balance this out nicely. The songs can explode into wild jams, with lots of reverb and fuzz. However it is always in a subtle way, effectively using dynamics in their music. The band may look a bit serious on stage, but are slowly loosening up towards the end of the show, that is the last one of their European tour. I'm sure this is a great place to end a tour and have a big party to celebrate. I know that's what we're going to do.

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Into The Great Wide Open 2019 Sunday September 1

It is the last day of the festival and the one where it I don't want to rush to shows. I just enjoy the island, the festival, the people and a couple of good bands instead.

Beraadgeslagen

At the small stage in the woods we find two musicians entertaining quite a large crowd. Beraadgeslagen are keys wizard Fulco Ottervanger and drummer Lander Gyselinck who play modern, groovy jazz music with a twist that isn't hard to swallow. Normally the duo likes to be playing in the audience, surrounded by people. So towards the end of the show Ottervanger invites anyone who wants to on stage. It is a nice view, all those happy people dancing around the duo. When they ask the audience to rap on a song, only one man is brave enough to hold the mic. Parts of his rap are sampled immediately and the duo improvises a song around it. It doesn't get more interesting, creative and exciting than this, which is what jazz is all about.

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Strand Of Oaks

At the main stage we find Timothy Showalter and his band. I like the kind big guy, who apparently has to go through a rough time in order to find inspiration for his music. This shines through in his songs, that are full of emotion, where Showalter will dig deep into his soul and bare it all. His songs may not be the most innovative ones, but they are honest and full of heart. It makes his shows worthwhile and today is no exception. Showalter himself seems to enjoy the beautiful weather and the festival, which seems to put him in a good place. Many people with me enjoy this moment and his music with him.

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Parcels

It's that time of the festival where it's time to party one more time at the main stage. You actually don't want it to come, since you want the festival to go on for ever. But when the moment is there, everyone is ready to dance and close the main stage in style. Parcels are the perfect band with their Bee Gees inspired disco. The band members seem to have stepped into a time machine in the seventies that brought them here. The Australians know what this crowd wants and play a funky set full of happy disco tunes. You can also hear the Daft Punk influences mixed into their music. I find the variety in their music a but limited and don't really like the falsetto harmonies all the time, but Parcels are clearly playing at the right place and time here.

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Another wonderful edition comes to a close and we couldn't have wished for more. The weather, the food, the people, music and most of all the island were wonderful. Can't wait 'til next time!

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Into The Great Wide Open 2019 Day 1 + 2

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Best Kept Secret Festival 2017 Day 3

After a glorious second day of the festival the last day promises to be a real killer. Temperatures are going to rise into tropical measures and today has a program that may kill me. Can't blame a guy for trying.

We want to see the first band of the day, The Homesick. Although we are running a little late, we should be able to see the second half of their show. Unfortunately we run into the huge line at the entrance and by the time we make it through, the band has already left the stage. We're a little bumped, but a cold beer should be able to change that.

Iguana Death Cult

Fortunately this band from Rotterdam is about to take the stage and I know we will be good. They made one of the most fun records of the year and the band already proved to be a true energy bomb on stage. Today the foursome look thrilled to be playing this festival and deliver an even more energetic performance than ever. Their songs are adrenaline filled garage rock anthems where the young men are putting all their heart in. Singer Jeroen Reek is all over the place with a big grin on his face when he's not sticking out his tongue. Needless to say that this sparks a cheerful party early on the day where the band gets the well deserved circle pit they asked for.

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Canshaker Pi

We have hardly caught our breath when the next young Dutch band climbs the stage. Their songs are a bit more heavy and borrow a lot from bands like Pavement. This bunch looks just as much pleased to be playing here and continue the festive atmosphere started earlier by the previous bands. The band's power play approach works well and their fine songs do the rest. Some of them are true gems filled with little twists and turns to keep you on your toes.

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Zeal & Ardor

This Stage Five bears nothing but quality bands today. Zeal & Ardor promise a mix of Negro Spirituals and black metal. This can either turn into something good like strawberries with chilli peppers, or into something awful like burnt steak with whipped cream that's gone bad. Fortunately it' the first one and we witness a true revelation. The singers sing in harmony like in Gregorian chants and then the music explodes into powerful and dark metal with delta blues intermezzo's. It works really well as the songs are full of dynamics and are performed really well. Only the drummer is sitting at the back while the rest of the band are all lined up at the front. This makes this all even more impressive. These are the kind of acts you want to discover on a festival.



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Strand of Oaks

We head to the main stage where the temperature has risen to “bloody hot”, turning the open space with yellow sand into a desert that most people want to avoid. It won't get a man like Timothy Showalter down and he brings his usual charm and stage presence. The songs on his latest album may be more standard rock tunes, but he is still able to tell a heartfelt story with a lot of heart and soul. No one cares about the smouldering heat and Showalter delivers once again.



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Henry Wu Presents The Kamaal Williams Experience

Keyboard player Kamaal Williams, aka Henry Wu, collaborated with drummer Yussef Dayes which resulted in the wonderful jazz album Black Focus. They were supposed to go touring together but something must have happened and now they are doing separate tours around that same album. Today we see Kamaal Williams together with drummer MckNasty (Joshua McKenzie) and bass player Tom Driessler. If you think it is weird to have a jazz band on a music festival like this, think again, since it is a vibrant performance with plenty of crazy break beats and grooves that make everyone dance. The musicians challenge each other where MckNasty plays with a huge grin and stands up regularly from his drum kit. The exciting music draws plenty of curious people inside Stage Three and turns it into another highlight on this amazing day.

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Soulwax

And we still have a few big ones coming up, because here's Soulwax totally blowing away Stage Two with their Transient Program For Drums And Machinery that already knocked me off my feet two times, the last time only a couple of months back in Paradiso. The stage setup is still the same with three drummers and a lot of equipment that looks like the bridge of a spaceship. Playing a lot of music from their excellent new record From Deewee, the two Belgian brothers treat us to a hot dancing party with percussive and powerful dance music. Too bad we have to leave before the end if we want to have a decent spot for Radiohead.



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Radiohead

This legendary band are like the holy grail of any festival right now. With their new album A Moon Shaped Pool they are currently touring the world, playing a set of festivals this summer. You never know where they are going or what they will play, because every night it's a different set. Tonight we get treated to a more quiet and mysterious side of Radiohead with a setlist that holds a few of my favourites like 'Street Spirit' and 'Pyramid Song'.

The band plays the perfect soundtrack for this hot day in June, while the sun is setting and more than 20,000 people are completely quiet. This band is painting with music notes, carefully placing them while the image slowly reveals itself, but the meaning is left to your own imagination. The band plays a stunning version of 'Exit Music For Film' with Thom Yorke's emotional vocals, whose cry outs in between songs are incomprehensible and awkward.

Tonight this band asks quite a lot of effort from the crowd, since this is a set that will be appreciated a lot by the true Radiohead fan, but may be a bit hard to get into for others. It explains the divided reactions after the show where some are completely over the moon and others expected more hit songs. For me it has been a dream ending to an amazing three days of gorgeous weather and wonderful music.



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Best Kept Secret got criticised by many people last year for a good reason, including me. They failed at many levels and couldn't handle the bad weather and big crowds. However they took all that criticism seriously and totally worked it out, proving they are able to have this number of visitors and deal with them. This fifth edition simply was almost perfect in every sense and this festival has totally set the standard for me, which is a well deserved and huge compliment to the organization. At the same time they have raised the bar very high now and it's going to be interesting to see how they can cope with that next year.

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Best Kept Secret Festival 2017 Day 1
Best Kept Secret Festival 2017 Day 2

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Best Kept Secret 2015 Day 1

Last year we decided to visit the Best Kept Secret festival for the first time. The festival at the edge of the safari park down South in The Netherlands immediately stole our heart with its razor sharp line-up, wonderful food and excellent vibes. And of course the bungalow made us aware that our camping days are over. Time to return for the third edition.

Best Kept Secret 2015 Day 1, June 19 2015

Of course once again we booked one of the bungalows and we're lucky because we get one that is closer to the festival site. So after a smooth ride and check in, we stock our fridge and sit down to relax and open the complimentary Jupiler beers. When we decide to leave for the festival site we find out we were given the wrong key. Fortunately we can sort that out quickly and hurry back where the first band awaits us.



METZ
Canadian noise rockers Metz have already started their set that is loud and tight. Solid rock songs are relentlessly fired upon us with without slowing down. Guitarist and singer Alex Edkins is screaming his lyrics like his life depends on it. Now that is a great start of the festival!

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The Coathangers
The three ladies of The Coathangers are playing catchy alternative and punk rock songs that sound good enough to get a party started. However their stage performance looks quite uninspired where they hardly look into the crowd. That's probably their image for a large part, but it also makes them quite disconnected from the crowd and therefore doesn't grab me. This might work better in a small dark club, but here it fails to be convincing.

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Klangstof
Klangstof are a new band formed by Moss bass player Koen van der Wardt. He asked some of his fellow Moss band members to join him and so we can see Moss drummer Finn Kruyning on keyboard and guitar player Michiel Stam on stage with him. Their electronic music is a bit alienating and sounds interesting although I get the feeling some work needs to be done to be convincing live as well. Their detached performance makes it hard to get really into it.

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FIDLAR
We make our way to stage Two where garage punk band FIDLAR are still playing. They have no trouble turning their show into a lively performance. "Fuck It Dog Life's A Risk" is their motto and is what FIDLAR is an acronym of. Singer Zac Carper put on his finest Aloha shirt and surf shorts to play their uplifting songs for an excited crowd that forms a pit in front of the stage. Their easy going punk songs are welcoming at this point of the day and sets the right mood.



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Strand of Oaks
By the looks of Strand of Oaks singer Timothy Showalter you would expect a loud Southern rock or hard rock band, but instead their folkrock music is very easy to digest. Fortunately it is more rock than folk, in a kind of Bruce Springsteen way. It sounds good but the music is a bit middle of the road. However Showalter turns it into a very enjoyable performance with his outgoing presence, never ending excitement and lots of positive energy, which rubs off on the people watching.



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Daniel Norgren
Swedish singer/songwriter impressed me a few years ago at the Into The Great Wide Open festival with his magical performance. Without rainbows this time, once again his wonderful songs, that carry some of the Swedish cold, grab me. Norgren is totally into his music which turns it into an intimate performance. He can make you feel as if you're the only one watching and listening.

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Eagulls
We decide to skip Circa Waves since it's not t-shirt weather at all and instead go into the dark with Eagulls. Singer George Mitchell doesn't look like a front man of a post-punk band at all, but instead looks like he just came from the office. Don't let that look fool you though, since his voice cuts through everything and the band plays a convincing show with plenty of reverb and songs that remind of The Cure.



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OFF!
Time for some good old fashioned punk with Keith Morris and OFF!. The veteran may look older but still is fired up and critical about the American society and government. His vocals are sharp and once and a while he will address the crowd with his critical opinions. At the same time his fellow band members are rocking away where especially bass player Steven McDonald is a delight to watch.

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The Jesus and Mary Chain
It's been almost thirty years since Psychocandy came out, the influential and ground breaking debut album of The Jesus and Mary Chain. The sound of that album changed the music scene and today they are showing that it hasn't lost any of its impact and the songs sound impressive as ever. The band sound great and in the dark tent the songs and band take off to a high. Psychocandy can still work its magic after all those years.



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The Pop Group
It's a tough choice between The Libertines and The Pop Group, but we decide to go see the latter. This is another legendary band that is one of the front-runners of post-punk with their blend of punk and funk that inspired many artists. Especially their live performances are legendary and I can see why. Singer Mark Stewart is totally into the very groovy music. Funky bass lines and drums mix with heavy rock and are getting everyone excited. It's the perfect spot in the line-up at this time of night where everyone simply wants to go crazy.

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Pissed Jeans
Crazy isn't enough to describe Pissed Jeans, mental is getting closer. Singer Matt Korvette may not look like a front man that will go nuts and tear the roof of a place, but wait until you see him get all fired up. The loud punk music is turning him into a mad man who is all over the stage. He's crooning, crawling, jumping, takes off his shirt, makes love to the microphone and at one point is tying his belt around his sweaty body. Punk veteran Iggy Pop would be proud of this out of control band, that are one of the highlights of today.

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And so an incredible first day ends on another high. Today there were so many bands lined up that it was hard to choose, and many of them also delivered big time. Time to grab a beer outside our chalet and get ready for day two.

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Best Kept Secret 2015 Day 2
Best Kept Secret 2015 Day 3

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