Rock Werchter 2013 Day 3: On Fire

Summertime is really trying to make a point now and the sun is getting really hot. It's impossible to make it past 10.30am in our tent and we arrive at the festival ground early. Plenty of time to down a few espressos and get ready for the first band.



Rock Werchter 2013 Day 3, July 6 2013



The Van Jets
Rock Werchter usually has a Belgian band open the main stage one of the days and I got to know some fine bands because of that like Triggerfinger. I already know The Van Jets and I like their pop/rock songs. The band is playing a tight set where front man Johannes Verschaeve is working hard. With songs like 'Broken Bones' and 'The Future' there's plenty ammunition to win over the crowd. But it's hard to compete with the sun and hangovers. Many people decide to lie down in the grass and watch the stage from there, although I do think they have made a few new fans. Better go see this band in a club next time.



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Graveyard
A Swedish band that is playing old school hard rock and blues is always a good thing to check out. Graveyard look like they stepped into a time machine in the seventies. Singer Joakim Nilsson has an interesting voice. It has a lot of bass when he's singing low registers, but gets more hoars when he's singing higher. They bring their blues and hardrock songs with a lot of heart. The band looks quite unmoved, but they are letting their music speak. Bluesy ballads are followed by heavy grooving rock songs. This is what I like a lot so I'll be watching these guys more closely from now on.



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Stereophonics
I used to really like Welsh rock band Stereophonics. But their last few albums just don't cut it for me. Also their last performance I saw a few years back on this exact same stage was quite poor and uninspired. But I'm glad to see the band are doing well again. The songs sound convincing and the band are enjoying themselves. Singer Kelly Jones never was a talker, but he is even chatting to the crowd now and then. Hits like 'Maybe Tomorrow' and 'Mr. Writer' never sounded better and are pleasing the crowd. Of course everybody is joining in on closer 'Dakota' and I think Stereophonics made many friends today.



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Django Django
Django Django has too many friends. The tent is overcrowded and very hot. There's a big party starting wherever they play and today is no exception. Although many people are leaving after they played their hit song 'Default'. Too bad since this band deserves full attention for an entire set. Their intelligent mix of percussive dance music and fresh catchy guitar riffs is wonderful to hear.

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Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
The times I saw Nick Cave perform here before, I was up front in the pit and was stunned. This time I kind of keep my distance to the stage. It makes it harder for me to get into his performance. It's not easy getting into his dark poetic songs when the sun is burning your skin. But Cave doesn't take things easy and is working hard to please the crowd. He's spending a lot time at the front, where he's even signing autographs during his performance. In the end he definitely knows to grab me again with brilliant songs like 'Into My Arms', 'Mercy Chair', the wonderful 'Red Right Hand' and a vicious 'Stagger Lee'. See you in November Mr. Cave.



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Tame Impala
If your forgot to pack some items to "broaden your mind", don't worry. Who needs drugs when you have Tame Impala? I always have trouble getting into their live shows. I really love their music. Mastermind Kevin Parker is a true genius, but something is missing on stage. It still is quite a mind-blowing performance once again, with long spacy jams, hallucinating vocals and great versions of 'Mind Mischief' and 'Elephant'. So I do leave on a high without even using mushrooms but only Joe Piler by my side.

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Volbeat
Short of options we decide to hang around the main stage. And so we're "lucky" enough to see Volbeat struggle through their set. It seems to get worse every time I see them. Their music only is loud and uncouth, with no subtleties. Their set is far from tight and even the cover songs sound horrible. Singer Michael Poulsen's voice is not too good and is getting quite boring after a while. So does their performance. Too bad they keep popping up at festivals a lot.

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Rammstein
Hopefully Volbeat were watching Rammstein after their own set. I've seen them several times and their music doesn't really appeal to me. But once again I was impressed with their amazing show. A tightly directed flaming roller-coaster ride through their music catalogue. Sometimes it gets real cheesy like during 'Bück Dich' when singer Till Lindermann uses a dildo to spray some fluids all over keyboard player Christian Lorenz. But somehow they can pull it off. Of course the fireworks are impressive and well timed. This is the reason why programmers keep booking them for closing headline spots at festivals. They sure deliver on it.



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After the sun has been burning our skin and Rammstein burning our eyes it's time for some refreshments. Now Mr. Piler where are they keeping those cervelas since I still haven't had any!

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Rock Werchter 2013 Day 1
Rock Werchter 2013 Day 2
Rock Werchter 2013 Day 4

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Crystal Ball: What A Way To Celebrate A Birthday

Dutch alternative radio station KinkFM and music magazine LiveXS both had their 15 anniversary this year. And what better way to celebrate that by teaming up and inviting some great bands to the Melkweg? It turned into a small festival with several bands taking two Melkweg stages. With bands like The Mad Trist, The Van Jets, Tim Knol + Anne Soldaat and The Black Box Revelation it promised to be a good party. To top it off I won two VIP tickets and two more friends took over the tickets I already bought. We were ready for a night of good music.

Crystal Ball at Melkweg Amsterdam, September 24 2010
There's a line for the guest list when we arrive while our friends don't have to wait at all. I also have to find someone from the LiveXS staff for the other part of my prize. Later on it turns out it's a glass mug that I decide to leave with him until I go home since it will be empty without free refills anyway. Time to check out the first band.

The Phoenix Explosion (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
The new band of Green Lizard's Remi Tjon Ajong combined with members of Beef and Krezip plays heavy rock that continues where Green Lizard left off. It sounds promising but it needs more work. Of course they are skilled and experienced musicians but they probably need some more time on the road to refine their live act. I'm interested to hear their album though once it's finished.



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Lola Kite (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)
This band already finished their album and people think highly of them. But it wasn't easy to swallow. Singer Keez Groenteman sounds out of tune now and then and although their synthpop songs are catchy and interesting from time to time they really need to spice it up. Bringing in a drummer on stage could already make it a more lively performance.

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The Mad Trist (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
I was looking forward to see these guys again. Their heavy stoner-rock is just what I like and they didn't disappoint me. They fire off big fat testosteron overloaded drum and guitar grooves and Queens of the Stone Age is never far away. The band sounds tight and are enjoying themselves. Playing live is paying off as they seem to grow in sound. If they can find their own sound these guys could definitely live up to their potential.

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The Van Jets (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
Like the day before The Van Jets put on a convincing performance. With a varied well balanced set and lots of energy they made a good impression. They definitely impressed a couple of my friends so I'm sure they won many people over. I just couldn't leave until the end of their set. Sadly it turned out Tim Knol already was wrapping up his set with Anne Soldaat so I missed him again! Hopefully next time Tim.

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Kensington (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)
The surprise act of the night wasn't Go Back To The Zoo as I thought but Dutch rock band Kensington. On paper they sound promising: indie rock like Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs. But it all sounds a bit thin and alike. From what I read they sound more polished and less rough as they used to. Maybe put back in a bit of that rough side again.

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Black Box Revelation (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
The last band of the night made sure it would end in a climax. Only a drummer and a guitarist is what you need when you're called Black Box Revelation. Like The Black Keys who work with the same formula they play rough and sweaty garage blues/rock. Only when you listen closely you'll notice there's no bass player involved. It's impressive how they bring variation in their songs and never sound weary. Great way to end the live gigs.

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We decide to call it a night and skip the rest of the party. I cannot find the guy from LiveXS anymore who was supposed to give me the glass mug that I won so we leave home without it. Too bad I didn't get free refills with it but then again now I can go home without being totally wasted.
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The Many Faces Of The Van Jets

The Van Jets are a Belgian band that I first saw on Rock Werchter earlier this year. Over there they already made it to the main stage although as opening act. But here they are still relatively unknown and so they were playing the small Paradiso stage. Although I really wanted to see more of them I didn't get tickets since I would be seeing them at the Crystal Ball party the next day. Fortunately for me I won tickets to their show thanks to alternative.blog.nl.

The Van Jets at Paradiso Amsterdam, September 23 2010 (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
When we get to small Paradiso room 10 minutes before the gig there is hardly anyone there. Maybe most people are checking out a bit of Lifehouse on the main stage to kill time. We decide to do so as well but are glad that we only get to see two songs. It still doesn't get really crowded but the Belgian band doesn't get discouraged and immediately kick off with their modest hit 'The Future'. From then on they take us on a tour through their repertoire that shows a variety of styles: garage rock, pop, glam rock, it's all there.



Front man Johannes Verschaeve is a charismatic singer that seeks interaction with the crowd regularly. In the beginning that doesn't lead to a lot of response so he asks everyone to move up closer to the stage. The band plays a convincing set and gradually win most people over. Even some of the Lifehouse fans that decided to take a peek at this gig as well after their show was finished . They already won me over at Rock Werchter but this time I was even more impressed. A song like 'Matador' is so different from the Bowie cover 'Fashion' but they still manage to give it their own sound. Despite the small crowd they are still willing to do an encore. Immediately after the show they sign their albums and are chatting with fans. This band deserves to be so much bigger than they have been so far. Hopefully they can win more people over in the future. That shouldn't be a problem when they keep on playing these great rock shows.



The Van Jets Official Website
The Van Jets on MySpace
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Rock Werchter 2010 Day 4: A Day With The Rock Gods

Again the sun was relentless and it would turn out to be another hot day. The heat was getting the best of us but we would hang in there. Time for some screaming guitars to wake us up! And a nice zeppelin in the sky to accompany us. Do you think John Paul Jones saw the air vessel?



The Van Jets (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
And this band was just what we needed. In the shade of one of the light towers we watched them pour their rock riffs over the decently filled field. This promising band has some nice solid 70s inspired rock songs. Singer Johannes Verschaeve is a convincing frontman that is able to transfer his energy to the crowd so they received a good response.

Sweet Coffee (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
I like a good cup of coffee especially one of those sturdy espressos. Nice and bitter so without sugar. I was expecting a more jazzy sound from this Belgian band but it turned out to be a mix of soul and dance. It kind of sounded like Faithless on valium. Not bad though and the vibes were pretty good. Just maybe a bit too sweet for my tasting.

The Black Keys (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
Nothing sweet about this rocking duo. Especially drum player Patrick Carney was putting lots of effort in his drum playing. His face turning more and more red and sweaty during the set. For a moment they had two more musicians helping them out. But they really didn't need them to produce their rough blues and rock songs. The main stage does seem a bit big for only two people. By this time the burning sun really got too much so we stayed in the shade of one of the food stands to check out the next couple of bands.

Alice in Chains (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
Their glorious return with the album 'Black Gives Way To Blue' put them back on the rock map. They played a tight set and looked more comfortable than the great gig back in August. The slow heavy grooves were going down well with many people and the new songs blend in nicely with the older hits. It looked like the boys were enjoying it a lot and I'm sure they have won some hearts over. Ending the set in style with 'Rooster' while Dave Grohl was watching in approval.



Vampire Weekend (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)
It's hard to write an objective review about this band. I tried to watch them objectively as well but could not. Their happy tunes do not remind me of Africa at all but really get on my nerves. Their live performance wasn't that special either so I really don't get all fuzz. Don't worry, it's me not them I guess.

Them Crooked Vultures (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
I cannot watch this band objectively either. With members of my favourite bands including one of my favourite drum players showing off his skills and the fun they are having every performance of these guys is a treat. Great grooves, killer riffs and mouthwatering jams always make my day. So I left my shady spot to get a closer look once again. Too bad this time the zeppelin didn't swing by.

Arcade Fire (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
I never really paid much attention to Arcade Fire. Although I heard good things about them they somehow never really crossed my radar. It must be the combination with indie folk that kind of puts me off. But it was a pleasant introduction to their music. Good moments alternated with weaker parts but all in all they played a good set. They haven't really won me over but they sent out good vibes.

Pearl Jam (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
The ultimate festival band was closing this year's edition of Rock Werchter. They are one of my favourite rock bands and I don't agree with all the sceptics that say their best years have long gone. And they showed they're still on top of things with an energetic and convincing set. A weird moment was when they all left the stage early in their set but maybe Dave Grohl called that the burgers were done. Eddie Vedder mentioned they were having a backstage bbq with Alice in Chains and Them Crooked Vultures and Grohl was minding the grill. Vedder looked really eager and aggressive just the way I like it. Their show flew by and before I knew it they were playing their last song MC5's 'Kick out the Jams' with the Them Crooked Vultures members and fireworks helping them out. I guess they were done bbqing.



The fire continued on the festival site where small fires were started. Fire and heat surely seemed to be the common theme this year. The level of the bands was very high and we had seen great music. For the last time we walked back along the many bars and food stands, got ourselves a last cervela and returned to our tent fully satisfied where we laid our sore overheated and tired bodies to rest. The next morning we woke up it was cloudy and raining. Time to go home.

See more pictures over here:
Rock Werchter 2010 Day 4 Pictures

Rock Werchter 2010 Day 1 Review >
Rock Werchter 2010 Day 2 Review >
Rock Werchter 2010 Day 3 Review >

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