First up is the band Houses, which is getting quite a push from some general media. And they are nice. Some slow songs with the occasional outburst. They have got talent, they also still have a lot to learn both in composition as in lyricism. It still feels a tad too much like a band from school, though you can definitely see why they are being touted. Some good drums, a bit more advanced than your average young band, and if they keep working on it then I’m sure they have the potential to get there. For now it is nice, and good for them they get such a crowd at the small stage.
The music of Houses was quite slow, but The Phoenix Foundation starts like they’ve just caught a flat. Very folksy, very much something you can imagine listening to while standing on a hill in green pastures. But after Houses it is just a bit too much of slow folk. Vom Grill en Remork at the small stage is a bit too experimental for our personal liking, so we are quick to try something else.
The next band on the big stage is Dananananakroyd, the likeable Scottish band who like to mix rock with a certain twee sensibility. The band, who released their second album this year, come out rocking with their two singers constantly moving and shouting and screaming and narrating and posing. So it is, at the very least, a sight to see. And they have a bit of fun as well, going into the crowd, forcing people who were moshing to hug each other, and to sarcastically add how sad a day it is when the only way to express yourself is by jumping into other people. It is high energy, and the two front men do like their jumps and poses and bizarre banter. Though admittedly the rock is not for everyone, if you can at least stand it, it is fun to watch these Scottish lad go about it on stage.
To conclude the day some Dutch bands may go up on stage to strut their stuff. Knalpot are the new kids on the block, and they mix drums and electronics with a grubby bass sound. I personally definitely would have fancied it more if they would lay a nice bass or drum rhythm as their base. However, they don’t do that, which makes some of their stuff rather incomprehensible to me. It is a bit too out there. After that the old school Aux Raus will send everyone into the night with their no-nonsense rock.
And perhaps that is why it is so crowded, because Aux Raus are a popular bunch. Not for me, personally, but the place is jam packed when they play. It is good to see so many people come out and support their local/national bands. Though personally I always rather see international acts for the simple reason that if you want to see a national act, you always have plenty of opportunity to do so next to a festival like this. Plus it makes it less about discovery, because as they are from Holland probably you’ve already heard about them and know what kind of thing it is that they do. Now with three Dutch bands that I already know and happen to not care about, a rather slow folk band, and an inaccessible experimental electro outfit, it was rather a slow day for me personally.
The sixth day also starts with a Dutch band, Krach. I don’t want to sound as I’m not supporting “our” bands, but this just sounded like rather straight, middle of the road pop rock, which is definitely not my thing. They try their hand on some hooks and some are decent, but none are something special. Also – and this is perhaps the easiest to address – unless you go or really fancy, or go really extravagant, all wearing the same outfit really makes it look less professional. They end it by covering 'Daft Punk is Playing At My House', which reminds me that 'Daft Punk...' is a great song, and that LCD Soundsystem are a great band. There is one other thing about Dutch bands, and that is that they bring in their own crowd which isn’t necessarily a very knowing musical crowd. For if you want to know foreign bands you need to be in the know, but Dutch bands you probably have stumbled across in the media or some other free festival. So that does bring a different crowd there.
So do I like anything or is this just my personal blog to rant? I must admit, I am a sucker for dream pop though. It is something I can listen to all the time. It is something about that whole aesthetic that just does it for me. Puro Instinct from California hit those buttons. The drums provide a nice canvas, and that guitar is producing exactly the right sound for this genre. Though when singing together it doesn’t always sound as well as they would’ve liked, the main singer sure has vocals though. And that typical Californian look on her face sometimes. Her voice sounds as one of those Italians Do It Better chanteuses like of The Chromatics, and on that last song she really struts her stuff. That was pretty wicked.
So these two days weren’t the best ones, though I guess that it is hard to have a good line-up across the board when your festival lasts a whopping seven evenings and when you are not even charging an entrance fee. On those days you do start to miss the sun a bit though. Yet, like a good dance track, hopefully this slow down only leads to a exuberant release on the last day of the festival tomorrow.
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