Indiestadt Festival

With the Indiestad pass it is possible to see many bands in a year for just 25 euro. That way I get to see some bands that I probably wouldn't have otherwise. Once a year there's even a whole festival and this year it will even have four days. I wasn't sure if I could make all four but will definitely visit a few nights.

Indiestadt Festival 2017

Day 1 September 20 2017

I really don't want to miss out on the first night that looks like the best of all nights and I am expecting a lot from some of the bands playing tonight. It also is the night with the most bands which means it starts quite early. By the time I walk in, I still an catch the last few songs of Beach Fossils. This band isn't really my favourite band and the few songs I see prove that.

Elephant Stone

I sure want to see Elephant Stone whose elegant psychedelic rock music has always pleased me. Their last album showed a bit of a change where their music shifted a to more pop friendly songs. They have payed good attention to Kevin Parker whose last Tame Impala album was an incredible success. Live the band hasn't changed too much though, which means their music sounds pleasant with Rishi Dhir's soothing voice. It is still a great attraction when he's playing the sitar which at the same time is so important for their sound, adding the ultimate psychedelic touch. I like this sound a lot and enjoy their show again, but at the same time it doesn't reveal anything new for the band. This is why so far the group haven't been able to get to the next level and keep playing the small room of Paradiso. There's nothing wrong with that but I can imagine it could be frustrating. In that case the band may need more chances.

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A Place To Bury Strangers

A Place To Bury Strangers When I get back to the main hall it is dark and filled with smoke. A Place To Bury Strangers have taken the stage and are blowing everyone away with an impressive show. Stroboscopes and smoke machines are working overtime and together with their heavy noise rock it creates an intense atmosphere. We hardly get to see the band on stage and when all of a sudden blue lights point to a spot in the middle of the hall, we can't see what is going on there. It turns out part of the band have moved there with a mobile drum kit and start playing a techno kind of track. This group knows how to get and keep everyone's attention. They make sure to go out with a bang as well and leave us behind completely stunned.

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The Black Angels

I was really looking forward to seeing The Black Angels again after their show at the Into The Great Wide Open festival several years back impressed me a lot. Today they bring gorgeous visuals to support their psychedelic music. I love their sound and the way they create their own world with fuzzed guitars drenched with reverb. Their music has evolved over the years and although their newest album Death Song returns to their roots they seem to also have found their own sound. Of course they got their name from The Velvet Underground and with the new album they come full circle. That band is never far away and you can hear many references in their sound and songs but the new ones are more their own. Live they fit in perfectly with the rest and we get treated to a wonderful 60s inspired psychedelic trip.



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Bartek

The Dutch trio Bartek are playing all over the place and the three rockers look comfortable on stage. Their music is a wild trip and goes from garage rock to 90s inspired grunge. Especially those grunge songs sounds great where the garage rock songs are more of the same. There's plenty of variation now, but if they could focus more and find out where their heart really is, maybe it could make all of their songs interesting enough. Now you notice it is hard to stick with them, although they play with a lot of heart.

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All Pictures Day 1

Day 2 September 21 2017

The second day of the festival has quite a nice bill, but mostly these are bands that somehow aren't really for me. Still I'm going to check out a few of them since I keep hearing good things about them.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Once started as a five piece band, Alec Ounsworth is now the only remaining member of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah who released a new album The Tourist earlier this year. On stage there's a full band who have many good songs to choose from, since the band wrote many good ones. It's just that I don't really like Ounsworth's singing style which is kind of a deal breaker for me. No matter how good the songs are and how solid the band sounds, it just doesn't work for me because of the vocals. Their show has a few dips where you notice people are losing attention. It also is clear why people are here tonight, which is the next band.

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Portugal. The Man

I had no idea Portugal. The Man are this big, since tonight is completely sold out and now the main hall is packed. This is the band people are coming to see. Of course Indiestad pass holders like me are here as well, but I didn't expect this big a crowd. Starting with Metallica's 'For Whom The Bell Tolls', Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick In The Wall' and their own 'Purple Yellow Red And Blue' the group is off to an overwhelming start. Surrealistic visuals are projected behind the band who are mostly playing in the shades. Now and then singer John Gourley or bass player Zachary Scott Carothers will step into the light of the projector. After that flying start the band shifts into a more soulful vibe with Gourley's typical mostly falsetto vocals. The warm light songs are very groovy and easy to dance to, but sound quite complicated at the same time. The band make it sound quite easy and are totally into their music. There isn't a lot of interaction, something they pointed out themselves at the start in a projected text, but that also isn't really necessary. Together with the great visuals it is a well balanced show, although I just don't like singers that mostly sing falsetto. The band closes with another cover, an unimpressive version of Oasis' 'Don't Look Back In Anger', which ends their show with a sing along. But Portugal. The Man prove to be big enough to handle big crowds.



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Theme Park

Upstairs in the small hall Theme Park have just started their show and I decide to catch a part of it. The London based band are playing poppy funk rock songs inspired by Talking Heads. They do create a warm disco vibe tonight where it's easy to dance to, but unlike Talking Heads their songs are still a bit too pale. It all sounds pretty decent but it is also too much on the safe side. It does make people move but is probably not blowing anyone's mind.

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All Pictures Day 2

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On Stage: W.I.T.C.H.

Personally I never heard of the band W.I.T.C.H. (short for "We Intend To Cause Havoc"), the Zambian rock band that especially was popular in the seventies. Things went downhill late seventies because of economic turmoil in Zambia at that time. Singer Jagari, the alias for Emanuel Chanda, started performing again a few years back and a documentary about his life is being filmed. He came into contact with Dutch musician Jacco Gardner and they are now performing together with a few of Gardner's friends and remaining members of the original W.I.T.C.H.

W.I.T.C.H. at Tolhuistuin, September 18 2017

I listened to a few songs that I liked a lot, still I really don't know what to expect tonight. Since I like music from many African countries and rock music, this mix sounds like something I could appreciate. I don't know how many people here tonight knew about this band, but the venue has filled up quite nicely. Of course it is a free concert for anyone that owns the Indiestad pass and the name "Jacco Gardner" probably raised the attention of a few in here as well. Still it comes as a nice surprise to me that so many hopped on the ferry over here.

Mysteriously looking figures appear on the scarcely lit stage, wearing giant witch hats. It is not a real mystery since this is Jacco Gardner with drummer Nic Mauskovic, who work on several projects together, with guitarists J.J. Whitefield and Stefan Lilov. On keyboards is the only other original member Patrick Mwondela, who played with the band in the early eighties until the group disbanded. They start a catchy song with a fantastic rhythm to warm us up.

After that Jagari completes the group and leads us into 'Introduction' from their first record with the same title. Jagari is a cheerful man who is really excited to be playing here with this reincarnation of his band. He's eager to introduce us to "zamrock" and to make us dance. Sometimes when the band is playing hypnotic and groovy jams, he sits down, eats an apple and simply enjoys himself. His vocals aren't always great, maybe he's still a bit rusty, but he makes up for it with a lot of energy and it actually suits the music. The band moves from James Brown funk-like music to sixties Jimi Hendrix style rock. But it's always mixed with the original Zambian rhythms.

The band isn't always very tight either and at some points even a bit messy. But this is part of the charm of this music, that is a lot more free than what we're used to over here. Zamrock is all about sounds, rhythm and improvisation, and not so much about music with strict boundaries. The intention is to make people dance, which is exactly what everyone is doing tonight. I really hope they can continue this project and hopefully new music can come out of it. Or at least a regular visit to one of the festivals and clubs over here in the low lands.



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On Stage: LCD Soundsystem @ Paradiso

Some rumours are saying LCD Soundsystem only quit a few years back to sell more concert tickets for their shows at Madison Square Garden. The shows did sell out in record time and now the band seems to be more popular than ever. Whatever the reason was, after releasing a great new album American Dream, the band are playing two dates at Paradiso that sold out in a matter of minutes a few months ago. I was one of the lucky few to grab one.

LCD Soundsystem at Paradiso Amsterdam, September 12 2017

Although Paradiso is one of the bigger clubs, it is still a lot smaller than the middle sized venues or the festival crowds they are normally playing. So tonight is a wonderful opportunity to see this band from up close. The day before people were euphoric about the show over here so I was prepared for something good.

We get to hear a nice cross over from all of their records including the new one American Dream. Every album is represented with a few songs without focusing on the newest. Their unique sound, punk rock blended with electronic dance music, or electronic dance music with a punk attitude, never changed but gradually evolved and was perfected throughout the years. The band, surrounded by analog synthesizers, amps, instruments and other equipment, never go out of their way to fire up the crowd. Front man and anti-hero James Murphy walks around stage like he's in an office and when he's not singing he's going through his lyrics like he's reading a manual for one of the complicated looking synths. But the band have such an amazing repertoire with incredible songs and the setlist is so well balanced that they don't have to fly around the stage to keep the attention.

The crowd is dancing from the first second on and transforms into a hot swirling mass of people during crowd pleasers like 'Daft Punk Is Playing At My House' and 'Tribulations'. The band is watching seemingly unaffected, but when you look closely you can sometimes see them making eye contact with each other with approving faces. Murphy is poking fun at his band mates with a grin and it is clear they are having fun here. This is one of those nights where a band gets the best out of Paradiso and the venue lives up to its legendary status to get the best out of a band and the fans. The whole room is electrifying and buzzing with excitement.

Murphy explains halfway the show the remaining plan of the evening and that they will leave the stage for a short break at one point. Not for an encore but for an "intermission" as he calls it. He promises they will play one of their songs live for the first time ever after that. It turns out to be 'I Used To' off their latest record which sounds just as convincing as the rest of the set. The night ends with an explosive version of 'All My Friends' where there's not a single person left who is not dancing. After two hours everyone leaves completely satisfied with memories of a unique experience.



All Pictures

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Setlist:
01. Us v Them
02. Daft Punk Is Playing at My House
03. I Can Change
04. Get Innocuous!
05. Call The Police
06. You Wanted a Hit
07. Tribulations
08. Movement
09. Someone Great
10. American Dream
11. Tonite
12. Home
13. New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down
Intermission
14. I Used To
15. Dance Yrself Clean
16. All My Friends


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