Report from Roskilde Festival 2004
Pictures at the official site
Thursday, July 1, 2004:
My first day at the Roskilde Festival:
Always be wary of bands who claim to be "inspired by Sonic Youth". The opening act at the Odeon Stage, Blonde Redhead had some original beats and ethereal melodies. But only in the last song as the guitar noise kicked in, did they show their full potential.
The Dropkick Murphys turned Arena stage into a singalong party with their Irish pub-folk-punk, complete with kilted bagpiper. No great musical innovation, but good fun!
As expected, the highlight of the first day was Brooklyn-based TV on the Radio. I honestly don't know who to describe this band and their sound. A constant noise rock undercurrent, sharp funky grooves and unusually elaborate melodies add up to a mixture like nothing I've ever heard. Also, their set started at a level of intensity that other bands would need a whole night to build up to. Check these guys out, if you ever get the chance!
And another thing: Roskilde's programme notes are usually spot on, but once in a while they're misleading: From the description, Ricochets sounded like another 60es retro garage band (yawn!), but in reality they played a tight set of emotional rock'n'roll in a minor key. Also, they know how to write a song (which, I believe, goes againt the agenda of current retro garage bands).
Audio Bullys, on the other hand, didn't hold my attention with their British working-class rap over somewhat too simplistic beats. The crowd seemed to like them, but when I struggled to distinguish one song from next, I left.
By the way, this month's theme at soundvenue.com is festivals. So of course yours truly contributed with an article about Berlin's Love Parade (article in Danish).
Friday, July 2, 2004:
More Roskilde:
A friend dragged me along to Within Temptation, but we left after a couple of songs: The worst cliches of goth/symphonic metal, with the female singer sounding like Kate Bush before she grew up. A little worse, and they could be Evanescence (and I really hate Evanescence).
DJ Krush was the DJ as an artist: He moved fluently from playing well-known track to moments of pure deconstruction and abstract electronic rhythms - and back into the groove again. Elegant!
Ex-Blur guitarist Graham Coxon payed the Odeon stage with his new band. He'd probably kick me for comparing his current music with Blur, but they do sound alike: The same catchy brit-pop songwriting - and even his cheeky boyish vocals sound a bit like Damon Albarn. However, on his own, Graham Coxon adds some extra noise-rock punch to his sound.
When David Bowie cancelled his gig at Roskilde, the festival added Slipknot to the line-up. These guys could easily be dismissed as over-hyped inarticulate clowns in masks, but in fact they look set to be the kings of wherever metal is going next: With relentless energy and amazing musical innovations (a metal band with a percussionist, for chrissakes!), like all good rock bands they walk the fine line between chaos and control.
If you think (like I do) that R'n'B gets too predictable too often, then N*E*R*D might be your kind of band: Not that they differ wildly from standard R'n'B fare. But musical intelligence and a kicking rock backing makes one hell of a lot of difference (first TV on the Radio, now this - is the black man stealing the white man's music back?).
Would soundscape-architects Pluramon have been hired if they hadn't brought Twin Peaks-soundtrack singer Julee Cruise along? I don't know. Their sound backed up characteristic vocal style nicely -a almost too nicely. A little bit of musical edge might have offered her a challenge and created something new.
Predictably, the highlight of the evening was the Pixies concert on Orange stage. The original noise rockers has their sound and energy intact. They delivered a set of pure classics - For a "Fight Club" afficionado like yours truly it was beautiful to hear the crowd singing along to "Where is my Mind?" as the sun set over Roskilde.
The Pixies were a hard act to follow, but the aptly named Vive la Fête turned the Pavillion stage into a seething party. I've always felt that the much-hyped electroclash genre was missing something: Maybe it was a young blonde in a short sequined dress? Anyway, their combination of gritty analog synths, disco beats, aggressively rocking guitar and French chanteuse vocals was a deserved crowd-pleaser. Serge Gainsbourg would have loved this band!
The original new wave rockers, Wire, still create out walls of the dirtiest guitars I've ever heard. But their minimalist approach, which was innovative in the late 70es, just isn't enough to grab your attention anymore.
When I left the festival, the crowd was in good hands with Swedish party rockers The Hives at the Orange stage. Tight, punkish rock'n'roll songs, led by a cheekily charismatic singer. Amazingly, this rather new and slightly "alternative" band managed to capture the immense crowd at the Orange stage. Rock'n'roll!
Saturday, July 3, 2004:
More Roskilde:
It may be me, but I don't really understand the hype surrounding I am Kloot. Sure, he writes decent songs and has a pleasant voice, but to me it's just another singer/songwriter thing.
Someone gave me a tip about Lali Puna from Munich, Germany, and I'm glad I went. It's rare to see a rock band without a guitar, and even rarer that you don't notice that fact at first. Lali Puna managed to create a full sound experience with their drums, bass, two keyboards and vocals. The vocals and melody lines may be too light to be memorable, but lucklily the band allowed themselves to let go in long, grooving passages. Here the interplay between the computer tracks and the live rhythm section really made the music move. An indication of pop music to come.
The Fiery Furnaces have built their act around a different approach to songwriting: Their quirky, half-spoken songs are built around little stories of the weirdness of everyday life. The result is naïve, yet complicated and ever-changing tracks with a great sense of humour. This is what singer/songwriting really ought to be.
The reformed Iggy and the Stooges gave an enegertic concert on the Orange stage, showing the crowd where all this garage rock originated. The loud, loud guitars and the primitive drumming served as the backing for the aging Iggy's relentess thrashing about. If there is such a thing as "positive aggression", Iggy is its incarnation. Too bad the concert took place during the kind of pouring rain that characterizes summer in Denmark.
I took shelter at the Metropol stage and experienced Luke Vibert's set. If the phrase "intelligent electronica" makes sense at all, this should be an example. With attention to every detail, the pure electronic set moved seamlessly from accessible disco-house to fragmented, robotic rhythms. Luke Vibert keept the beat going at all times - sometimes almost letting it fall apart. Live electronica at its finest.
One of my favorite Swedish bands, Bob Hund, has been reformed into Bergman Rock and played the Arena in front of a huge crowd. But I don't know. Bob Hund's trademark used to be the quirky, yet deep Swedish lyrics, and some of the charm has been lost as Bergman Rock has adapted the English language. Perhaps even the music has lost some of it's naïve charm and playfulness? Still, wonderfully talented frontman Thomas Öberg's off-key vocals and untamed wackiness on stage sets them apart from the rest of the Scandinavian scene.
Complete with live musicians and soul divas, Basement Jaxx turned Orange stage into a party. Inventive as they are, they don't avoid the major clichés of dance music - maybe they don't even want to. Instead, their show focused more on having a good time than on musical originality. Okay by me: The crowd seemed to enjoy it.
Meanwhile, I checked out the Puppetmaztas. Whoever thought up this concept? Hip-hop performed by glove puppets. The Muppets in da house! Amazingly, it worked well: Good for a laugh - but also with some pretty funky beats and powerful raps. And these guys are Germans?
Ah - Morrissey! As an old (is there any other kind?) fan of The Smiths, I wasn't disappointed. His voice is in excellent shape, his songs (and lyrics!) are among the best. And he's an excellent showman, mastering the art of irony without sabotaging the heartfelt emotion of his songs. A concert experience to treasure.
Fatboy Slim played his DJ set on Orange Stage. Kind of a peculiar act to headline what used to be a rock festival - but he succeeded in making the mud feel just a bit more like Ibiza. Still, a DJ spinning records is not a very interesting act to watch - not even when he's spinning his own remixes - and not even when these are pretty darn good.
From the description in the festival programme, Baba Zula from Istanbul (!) sounded like an interesting act, but they turned out to be a bit of a disappointment: Over a basic groove of triphop beats and samples, nothing much happened. A bit of supposedly Turkish twiddling, but in the end it was just a bunch of musicians jamming rather uninspiredly. I went home with Morriseey's "Every Day is Like Sunday" still ringing in my ears.
Sunday, July 4, 2004:
The Final day of the Roskilde Festival:
The Von Bondies from Detroit played the Odeon stage: Oh my - more retro garage rock of the massively noisy and uncompromising kind. They do have a good (almost danceable) groove going at times, but to often they fall back into a grungy blues feel.
Canadian Broken Social Scene play against all odds: Their complex chords, noisy sound and strange melodies could easily turn them into an introvert shoegazer band. But their obvious joy of playing generates an energy that breaks down the preconceptions of the audience. Different and very impressive - but I lost track of how many people are in this band...
Another eagerly awaited newcomer, !!! (pronounced "chk chk chk") played the Odeon Stage, and they lived up to expectations: Imagine The Happy Mondays with a drum machine - or Frankie goes to Hollywood meets The Stone Roses - or... Pure energy, pure rhythm, pure lust for life! Check these guys out, if you get the chance!
Watching Electrelane at the Pavillion stage, I realized why some people hate indie rock: Completely static, tuneless and noisy - and delivered with the sort of introvert arrogance that has never won over any audience. Still, these girls are very young, and hopefully, one day their determination will result in something worthwhile.
Having heard their latest, impressive but somewhat overblown album, I was curious to see what Muse would be like live. To my surprise, they blew me away: Powerful, emotional, almost hymn-like songs, moving from soft piano backing to sharp metal-like riffs. And always that voice, cutting through the music, turning tales of modern alienation into soaring melodies. Chilling!
Danish Baby Woodrose closed the Orange stage on Sunday night. As you may have noticed, retro garage rock usually leaves me bored to death. But although Baby Woodrose is the main Danish supplier of this genre, they're also just that bit better than the rest: Recognizable tunes, kicking guitar - and unlike many garage bands, they even know how to master the art of dynamics! For a rock'n'roll farewell party, this was probably just the thing. Their guest acts didn't make much of a difference - except for two songs by original Danish rock'n'roll legend Peter Belli.
Before I went home, I checked out the phenomenon of Scissor Sisters. Or rather, I expected to see a phenomenon, but saw just a mediocre party band. If you think this is controversial, you must live very far away from the nearest gay bar! Sure, any band who makes fun of Pink Floyd's Wall of self-pity, deserves my admiration, but their disco-rock sound was surprising un-funky. Maybe I was just too tired to party...
