Alabama Shakes Are Full Of Soul

It's still possible: to surprise the music world without a thought through marketing plan or record company's concept. Alabama Shakes came out of nowhere and by a combination of good music, talent, hard work and a bit of luck, knew to find their way into the spot lights. I loved their album Boys & Girls and definitely wanted to see this sensational band with my own eyes. I already got a bit of foretaste on Rock Werchter and was ready for more.

Alabama Shakes at Tivoli Utrecht, July 11 2012



First we get the Mozes And The Firstborn to warm us up. The excited boys go full at it and do a good job with their catchy rock songs. A few more years of experience and their own sound could get them a long way.



The sold out venue has warmed up to tropical temperatures while monsoon rains are gushing down outside, when the band from Alabama make their appearance. Of course it's singer Brittany Howard who draws all the attention. She's walking onto the stage as if she just came out of the kitchen and strapped on a guitar. But oh boy when she starts singing. It is giving me the shivers all over. It's so intense and straight from her soul. It is turning all their songs into a personal story. All the heartbreak, all the sorrow and all the hope. It is as if she's telling them for the first time and we're looking straight into her heart.



The rest of the band may not be that special, but they also play with all their heart. And that's what's making this band so good and special. Of course Howard's voice is impressive, but I think that the fact that they are still so honest about their music and truly play it from their heart is what makes this band so good. All the band members are totally into it, enjoying their music, often with their eyes closed. Especially bass player Zac Cockrell's face is totally living the music.



It's great to see a full show by this blues and soul band. They don't need a lot of words to win the crowd over. Occasionally Howard will say a short thank you. We don't need more tonight. Especially when the ultimate appreciation is shown at the end of the show in the last encore when they play 'Heat Lightning'. Howard is singing "I'm so awfully glad you came" and "thank you" full of passion. I totally believe her. And so once again they let their music speak.



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Rock Werchter 2012 Day 4: Attrition Day

We're having a slow start today. All the partying and band hopping is taking its toll. The last day doesn't look that great compared to the other three. Maybe we have a few more surprises coming. Unfortunately both my batteries are empty by now, so I hardly can take pictures today. In the end I was able to squeeze a bit of juice out of them to get a few snap shots. Ah well, at least there's still plenty of Joe Piler left.

Rock Werchter 2012 Day 4, July 1 2012



The Hickey Underworld
This Belgian band is certainly waking us up. Their heavy garage rock is dark, loud and tight. They are playing full of fire and are breaking the dark clouds that gathered above the stage. We get the first bit of rain on the festival site. Some of their songs are supported by disturbing and vague music videos on the big video screens. It may not be for every one, which is clear from the empty spaces in the crowd, or for the faint hearted. But it definitely is a convincing performance on the main stage.

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The Vaccines
Which cannot be said from The Vaccines. They wrote a few catchy rock songs and were one of the hyped bands two years ago. But singer Justin Young doesn't sound so great, especially at the beginning where his voice is awful and off-key, mostly in the lower registers. It does get better and there's a lot of people who are enjoying songs like 'Wetsuit' and 'Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)'. But their other songs are pretty thin and that shows.



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Dropkick Murphys
Good songs is also what's lacking a bit from this band, who are not really from Ireland, but from Boston. However they make up for it with a lot of energy and good spirit. And many drinks, since the members don't appear all to be completely sober. It is their last show of the tour and they promise to give everything. The main stage turns into a big pub and a massive American Irish party. So who cares that they seem to be playing the same song for an hour. Dropkick Murphys are definitely going out in style.


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Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Noel Gallagher is playing more subtle rock songs. It's a totally different cup of tea compared to the Dropkick Murphys and less of a spectacle. But Gallagher's album is full of nice summer songs and he's making the music speak for itself. It surely isn't Oasis, so it may be a let down for some folks. Still Gallagher sounds good, his voice is clear and it's definitely nice to enjoy with a cold beer. And the Oasis fans still get what they want when he's playing 'Don't Look Back In Anger'.



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Florence + The Machine
Florence Welch has a bit of a doubtful reputation when it comes to singing her songs live. There have been several occasions in the past where she was sounding off-key. She solved this by adding a backing singer who's taking on the parts where she could be failing. This works very well. She's also looking very active once and a while running around on and off stage while singing. This was not obvious from her vocals which makes me a bit sceptic about what she really was singing. Normally you can tell when people are running and singing at the same time. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. She does turn it into a strong and lively performance.



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Red Hot Chili Peppers And then it's already time for the last act of the festival. I feel they definitely need to convince me again after their weak last couple of albums and a disappointing performance a few years ago in Nijmegen. But after a couple of songs it's clear I don't have to worry about that. Flea, Anthony Kiedis and new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer are bouncing around stage, while Chad Smith is sounding as tight and groovy as he's always been. Kiedis' vocals are even quite decent tonight, which is not always the case. He's still off-key once and a while especially in 'Californication', but it's not really disturbing.

Although Klinghoffer is obviously an accepted and full member of the band now, he cannot make us forget about John Frusciante. His guitar playing isn't of the same high level. Especially his falsetto vocals and harmonies with Kiedis can't match those of Frusciante. But it's great to hear 'Scar Tissue', 'By The Way', 'Sir Psycho Sexy' and even 'They're Red Hot' being played with a lot of energy. Jams by Flea and KlingHoffer are the upbeat to some of the songs and add variety to the set. Of course 'Give It Away' closes the set with close-ups of festival visitors including us (spot me if you can find a decent video and win a beer). I definitely gained my love for this band back. Hopefully they will start making decent records again too.



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Traditionally after a short delay fireworks close the festival which cannot describe this edition better. This must have been one of the best Rock Werchter editions so far I've visited. We hardly saw any weak performances. Instead there were a few surprises and many bands excelling. All the head liners totally lived up to their status with convincing performances. But the real difference were the visitors. People were just amazing this year. Every crowd was full of energy, responded great to the artists and were just completely ready to party. The 2013 edition is already in our calendar. See you next year!

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Rock Werchter 2012 Day 1
Rock Werchter 2012 Day 2
Rock Werchter 2012 Day 3

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Rock Werchter 2012 Day 3: Time For Fireworks

After yesterday's stunning day it will be interesting how this day will turn out. My body is slowly starting to ache and protest so it's good we can start slow.

Rock Werchter 2012 Day 3, June 30 2012



Michael Kiwanuka And what better way to kick it off with some warm soul? Michael Kiwanuka is a brand new star that is rising fast. And for a good reason. His voice is a classic soul voice, full of emotion and comfort. His songs could have easily been written forty years ago but still sound fresh. Live they sound great because his band is playing them with a lot of heart like Kiwanuka himself. He looks pretty happy and relaxed while pouring his heart out in songs like 'Tell Me A Tale' and of course 'Home Again'. If Otis Redding was looking down today he must have been really pleased.



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Alabama Shakes We continue with more soul and blues. Even faster than Kiwanuka, who was watching right behind us at the beginning as well, this band has risen to stardom. Singer Brittany Howard has a great part in this. Her impressive appearance together with an even more impressive voice are quite a spectacle. The rest of the band are doing a good job, but it's Murphy who lifts this band to a higher level. Together with good blues and soul songs and a lot of heart it is a real treat watching them play. The boogie-woogie songs are less successful. It's clear their power lies in blues and soul. And what a power! This stage clearly wasn't big enough, telling from the crowd around the tent throughout the show.



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Black Box Revelation You don't need a big band to play loud rock 'n' roll. Belgian duo Black Box Revelation prove that. We weren't really close to the stage, but I have seen them play several times now. And even the big main stage is hardly big enough. Songs like 'High On A Wire' and 'Rattle My Heart' sound as if a full band is playing them. They do struggle a bit to keep everyone's attention. Still they play solid grooves and great guitar riffs in a mix of garage rock and blues. No wonder that people are picking them up in the US at the moment. Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify



Wolfmother We continue with some honest rock. Wolfmother hardly needs any introduction any more. Their seventies style hard rock sounds live even more loud and groovy than on their records. It's just too bad that the songs on their second album are not of the same quality as the ones on their epic first self-titled album. This is also showing in their set today. Long jams even get a bit weary at some point. But who cares when they close the set with their top song 'Joker and the Thief'.

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Simple Minds Time for some golden oldies. Once we arrive at the tent where Simple Minds are playing they already have started. The Barn tent is chuck full with mostly forty year olds going crazy with 'New Gold Dream', 'Waterfront' and of course 'Don't You Forget About Me'. Simple Minds are restricting themselves to their first five and best albums which is a wise choice. It's clear that this should have been scheduled for the main stage. Singer Jim Kerr is loving every minute of this trip down memory lane. His voice has gotten weaker over the years. But together with him we're singing one more time,"lalalala lalalala lalalalalalalala".



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Kasabian Time for some rock again. Kasabian are huge in the UK where they are considered the ones who can take the gap Oasis left behind after their split. Although releasing some successful albums and having played many big stages, today they are not proving to be able to fill that gap. Their set is played on routine and never gives you the feeling that they want to leave a lasting impression. Only when playing their biggest hit 'Fire' you get the feeling the band is connecting with the crowd.

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My Morning Jacket It is showing that Mumford & Sons are playing on the main stage at the same time since the tent is half full when we arrive at the My Morning Jacket show. Are they as good as many critics claim they are? Yes, they are. Singer Jim James's voice is clear and pure. Their true American style country rock sounds great, combined with long jams, solo's and psychedelica. The hairy musicians are totally into their own music and deserve a much bigger audience. Although this way we can get close to the stage and see them work through an exciting and varied set. I guess they still are a well-kept secret somehow.



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Editors Editors were one of the highlights in 2010 on this festival. Working on their fourth album they parted with guitar player Chris Urbanowicz More synths on the new album? It doesn't show tonight. It's always a real treat to watch and hear Tom Smith sing, totally into the music, eyes closed, his baritone thundering across the field. The stage is looking gloomy, while it's already dark outside, which totally fits the music. 'In This Light And On This Evening', which they didn't play, couldn't have been more appropriate. Editors have grown into the perfect festival band. Always reliable, with a big catalogue of hit songs: 'The Racing Rats', 'Munich' and of course 'Papillon' that closes the set. 'No Sound But The Wind', that turned into a magical moment in 2010, can't miss from the set list either of course. "That song belongs to Rock Werchter now" says Tom Smith. And so do the Editors when the fireworks complete their performance.



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Another great day has come to an end. But not before we party a little more on camping site A1. How much more can my poor body take?

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Rock Werchter 2012 Day 1
Rock Werchter 2012 Day 2
Rock Werchter 2012 Day 4

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