unintended - milow quicked off in the marquee, a crowd ready for 4 days of sex, drugs and rock&roll (quote of p) is like an open goal, you just have to kick the ball in, and they did ... good songs, one remark though, if you cover mia, keep it dutch, 'mia has seen the light' just does not sound, could be that it's just classical conditioning in this case, but (i like to believe that) a part of the strength of gorki (and de mens, noordkaap, ...) are the dutch lyrics ... they made it up with born in the eighties, a song for the most of us ... with air you could float a bit away, a good distraction, which we also had ... marilyn manson wouldn't be worth mentioning here if it weren't for the sound that went out a couple of times, as i was in spanish company we all yelled fuera to the sound guys, but hey, maybe they just didn't like the music, same here ... bjork started with earth intruders, but it was not the blast i expected it to be (the cd version is better), a highly enjoyable gig, even when she sang in icelandic with only clavichord-like support, she went out with declare independece, raise you flags ... which we did, as next, muse landed ... and what a landing ... again in front, grasping for air, the perfect gig, and unintended in the bis-round, they even bring gifts ...
uniform - people come on, the van jets openend, and were ok, go and see them, then jason mraz, one man with a guitar on stage, and he did well, nice gig ... oi va voi apparently has a new violin player, and, i have to say, she can stay ... kings of leon played without passion, on call for example was not wat it could be ... next the kaisers, always highly energetic, but the thought that it all sounds a bit average nowadays crossed my mind ... then block party, waaaw, and still room to improve, the new songs, early in the set could be more punchy ... uniform goes 'i'm a believer, i just need a moment' ... this was a moment ... next, sun broke through the clouds, wat een heerlijk gevoel, al die zon zon op je smoel (imagine translating this), then the queens of the stoned age, which sums it up ... here is a song that you've not heared before, josh goes in the middle of the gig, and first thing you hear is the riff of no one nows, again, great, this is the rock in the festival's name ... after that, the monkeys, third time now, and better again, the setlist a mix of their two cds, and chapeau, it all sounds great and kicks ass, and alex more talkative (still not much though, but hey, remember the pixies, if the music speaks for itself and you have enough good songs, who cares) ... 'if i could chose the life i please then i would be a boatman', one of my (youth)favorite bands sing ... if i could chose the life i please then i would be a monkey, an arctic one ... headliner was pearl jam, but i didn't like it ... the soundmix was awful ... i hope this is not how grunge used to sound ...
oh la la la - third day already, first one to mention is amy winehouse, what a great couple of voices ... i read in a review 'blabla, and she had difficulties locating the music-company people', but hey, i stood in front and she was just waving to people shouting amy amy you're great ... arriving 20 minutes to late (which gave me 2 secs of screen time), adjusting the setlist on stage, and drinking 2 longdrink-somethings, i don't mind if you sing like that ... then klaxons, a magic marquee moment, the right atmopshere for the audience to make the performance better ... and goose, revelation last year between the trees of boomtown, now even better, extreme hard, powerful (sweat all around) and short, which allowed me to go and see the killers, which were just introing read my mind, a very nice song indeed ... then the topper of the festival, arno ... what a performer, most of the time you don't understand what he's singing, but you feel it, and what a sound the guitarist produces ... goose bumps with les yeux de ma mere, with piano only ... and then, oh la la la ... sounded better than the countless times i enjoyed this song at countless parties ... the marque on fire ... after that the good the bad and the queen were a welcome break, with just good music (that base !) and a cozy setting (a curtain with london of the 19th century, high hats, four big stage lights, a bottle of whiskey) ... the chemical brothers were (way) too silent and too psychedelic at the end (which i wouldn't mind at a different place - not open air - and at a different time - not end of third day -)
evil - cold war kids in the marquee, here a perfect time and place to get to know them, and they were very good, the festival discovery, and also the best line (in expensive tastes): 'i like to be there / in the morning / when you wake up' ... then a discussion on is this pop werchter ? (kooks and maximo park at the same time, luckily the beer stand was not far) ... then interpol, great music, also live, also the new numbers (super new cd!!) ... but this is music for the night, when criminals walk the streets ... the downside of these big festivals, the gaps in the timetable have to be filled in ... nevertheless i enjoyed, even though it's an evil world ... to the marquee for damien rice, again great (those two words are a pretty good summary of the festival), he starts with 9 crimes, rather quickly solo on the piano, after that's away time (for us) to focus on the other songs ... nice ... then metallica, first half lots of old songs, i stood too far to enjoy those properly but encountered an old classmate, nice chatting and some free analysis, thanks for that ;), and then master, fireworks, one, seek, destroy, sad, true, and eeeeeexit light, and exit tent ... for which also thanks :)
arno - enlève ta langue / from zero to hero heroes / mourir a plusieurs / no job no rock / meet the freaks / i'm not into hop / ratata / que pasa / les yeux de ma mère / with you / mon sissoyen / bathroom singer / miss amérique / oh lalala / putain putain / les filles du bord de mer
cold war kids - we used to vacation / passing the hat / st. john / new song / dirt in the ground - hospital beds / god make up your mind / expensive taste / rubidoux / dreams old men dream / hang me up to dry
interpol - pioneer to the falls / slow hands / narc / say hello to the angels / mammoth / rest my chemistry / obstacle 1 / leif erikson / the heinrich maneuver / evil / not even jail / pda
