de-Affaire - Dag 1

de-Affaire is a free outdoor festival in Nijmegen spanning seven evenings (+ 2 afternoons)

Things you don’t have to do this edition of De Affaire: do your hair, worry about your appearance, wear your best clothes, or be fussy about footwear. For your hair will be wet, you will look ridiculous with your poncho on anyway, and you simply have to wear that what best keeps out the water. Also forget about coins, because you will be drinking coffee and tea anyway, and that is the one thing you can buy with actual money. Things you do want to do these evenings are be prepared (for rain, obviously), pick your battles, and call your mother when you are leaving for home so she can start running a hot bath (this evening surely made me wish I was still living there). Everyone knew bad weather was coming (and will keep on coming), and everyone was suitable prepared with umbrellas and ponchos. I had both with me plus an extra jacket. Still, when it starts raining, and then when it starts pouring, you can’t help but think, Gosh, last year’s sun suited the festival so much better. And don’t be deluded, even when prepared, you’re still going to get home soaking wet.

Still, a fair few did come to battle the elements. And see some music acts of course. I’m there in time to see Jamie Woon battling something else entirely, namely the incredibly bad sound. Everything that came out of that shiny little Apple on stage sounded like distortion more than beats, not to mention the creaking, the noise, and the malfunctioning microphone. Jamie probably didn’t woke up this morning thinking he would be sounding like this. He also seems to be slightly nervous when he notices that a good part of the crowd is talking through his set (and to some, my goodness, shut up). Which makes it all the more admirable that he not only keeps on doing his thing, but that he actually picks it up in the latter part of his set with singles ‘Night Air’, ‘Lady Luck’, and a cover of ‘Would I Lie To You’ from Charles & Eddie. Not only that, he seems to be smiling more than at the beginning as well. Which doesn’t vindicate him entirely though, for not everything is the fault of a flawed sound set-up. Some of the songs aren’t played very well live, to the point where some things seem to be playing/played faster than other things. I can also imagine that, if you are not really into his album, the first part of the set might come across as slow, uninspiring, and too much of the same thing.

Yukimi Nagano, the singer of Little Dragon, surely is more interesting to look at. While singing she is moving her arms, and when she is not, she is dancing across the stage, often times with some sort of percussion instrument in her hand. They are promoting their soon to be released album Ritual Union, and if this set is anything to go by that might be worth keeping an eye on. The electro-pop band starts with some of their slower repertoire, but nearing the end the beat gets more and more enticing and danceable. At one point it seems as if Little Dragon has transformed from a band singing songs to a band in charge of a little party. The last few tracks are less centered on structure and Nagano’s singing and instead they are more drawn out like dance tunes. From what I have seen they are the top performers of the day.

Crocodiles is next on the main stage, and I’ll tell you right away, I’m not a real rock or punk guy. So take whatever I’m saying about them with a grain of salt. They look the part, that is for sure. A little punk, a little angry young man and woman. So they are angry, they are worked up, but I just don’t know why. I can’t understand a word he is singing, and I’m just not getting why I should be joining him in his endeavor against something or another. Maybe I should just enjoy the guitar sounds combined with the tight drums (I’ll give them that), but hey, as said, I’m not a punk guy, and maybe I should just state that this didn’t change my mind. And maybe if you like the genre, you do like them, or maybe you think they are at the bottom of the pile and that this and that punk band is far better. In which case, comments below.

So if punk isn’t your thing, why are you staying there then? Good point, so I went down to the revamped Club Voerweg. This used to be the venue where anything could happen. King Khan and the Shrines, FM Belfast, Slagsmalsklubben, Darwin Deez, Casiokids: it was always kind of a mixture between electro bands and the freaks and geeks. And on some days Planet Rose or I Feel Luve (the local club nights) would take over with some DJs. This year, it is all DJs. Though that might be construed as renewing and going with the times, when one sees the considerably smaller stage one cannot help that it might also have been a money decision. Not only the stage is smaller, the dancefloor is as well. Nevertheless, the Drift guys (San Soda, Anelson, Brent Roozendaal) are giving away some house beats. The hour plus I’m dancing there it is the more minimal side of house (tech house even?), with some sparse vocals to mix and spice things up. The problem is, with the rain it seemed like they turned the soundsystem inward, which naturally has its effect on feeling the beats. Despite that there is still enough sound to dance to, and the house beats certainly tick my boxes. Also, one has to take this chance, for after this it’ll mostly be dubstep and techno. Personally, I take house any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

What keeps me from dancing longer (and from seeing Kap Bambino) is that it stops raining and starts pouring. At that point one has to make the decision that it might be best to get a hot shower instead of inviting the flu to come over. I sure wish I had some tickets and had gathered a crowd to continue partying indoors at the pop venue Doornroosje, for it is there where the resident DJs of Club Trouw are spinning. But the consolation prize is some dry clothes and a little glass of something I feverishly wish to be a hot cup of tea. Unfortunately it only has taken a day to realize that the weather is going to take its toll on both the festival and the people visiting it. Though the bands still attract enough onlookers, the rest of the festival site has more in common with a ghost town than a carnival. I think a lot of people, including yours truly, are going to adapt their strategy and change it from going to the festival and being there to seeing the bands they want to see at the festival and then get back so their shoes are dry in time for the next day.

Probably, this means that at all times there are going to be less people at the festival, which is a crying shame. Especially for the youngsters, for they rely on this festival (along with the local pop venue, which line-up is nothing to sneeze at, but one is always reminded that yes, this is not the biggest city in The Netherlands) to get their live music fix. If I want to see a band, I go cross country and see them in the big bad city of Amsterdam or wherever. Youngsters cannot do that. This is it. If I want to go to Azari & III and be amongst like minded folk to have a dance and to have a party, I do that. For young kids, this is their exposure, their moment with like minded people and not their high school classmates. Surely, the impact of a festival where people are there and where bands are there has more of an impact and exposes them more to the magic of arts and culture than what we’re getting this year. Which is people going to see the bands they fancy and then split as to not get ill. So lets hope the weather gets a bit better, for the kids sake! And so that I don't have to tote around a bag with a poncho, umbrella, and an extra jacket...