kim.bonfils.com // Roskilde 2009

Report from Roskilde Festival 2009

Friday, July 3, 2009 [Link to this]

One would think that pleasant pop melodies and tribal rhythms on acoustic instruments was a winning combination. But somehow The Dodos managed to grind to a halt too often, rather than induce the expected trancelike state. And eventually, they left me cold.
Just the other day I was thinking of Steinski and the brilliant 12" "Well Be Right Back" - and suddenly, there was the man himself, playing Roskilde Festival! Listening to his funky, but deceptively complex music was a welcome reminder of a time when hip-hop involved sonic collage and actual experimentation. Feels like years ago - and it is...
I wasn't too impressed by Cut Off Your Hands's imploring vocals and guitar-driven crescendos. Between them and headline name Coldplay I feel like we're in the midst of some early U2 revival - which can't be good for anything. But at least Cut Off Your Hands manage to write a decent song every once in a while.
I was expecting some good synth-rock fun from The Chap, but the concept seems a bit too laboured for my taste. A potentially enjoyable take on pop music is sabotaged by the band's insistence on stiff an unfunky rhythms. Apparently, it takes a particular set of skills to get into the robot vibe and still be funky. The divine Kraftwerk did it brilliantly in their day - The Chap didn't quite pull it off.
I popped by the Cosmopol stage to check out the afro-funk of ex-Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen. Damn good stuff - can't recall ever having heard anyone being so effortlessly funky. No wonder he's been hailed the world's best drummer.
I felt strangely old listening to The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - or maybe just unimpressed. Oh sure, they do a amazing reproduction of a post-punk sound - basically a light version of My Bloody Valentine. But what is the point? Any personal touches are inevitably lost in this all too faithful recreation of a bygone era.
But luckily, the Pet Shop Boys saved my day. Unlike some touring bands, they'd chosen to bring the whole visual experience of their current show to the Orange Stage. The "cube" theme ran through the whole thing - stage set, videos - even featuring dancers and vocalists with coloured cubes for heads. But most importantly, every song from their back catalogue had been reworked (again), fusing with new songs to a elegant musical whole. Quirky and moving - often simultaneously - this was one show I would want to see again.

Saturday, July 4, 2009 [Link to this]

I'd already caught the excellent Eagles of Death Metal live at Vega (review here), but still - or precisely because of that - I wouldn't miss the chance of seeing them again. And their humorously down-to-earth rock'n'roll was just the thing to relieve the traditional Sunday fatigue of the Roskilde Festival crowd. And even while Jesse Hughes tried his best to keep up his ironic badass persona, he seemed to be genuinely swept away by the enthusiasm of the crowd. Maybe not quite as intense as their amazing Vega gig - but good old, dirty rock'n'roll fun.
I went with a friend to see the first few songs by The Bronx. Well, they deliver the goods with maximum intensity - but to me, the whole hard core genre is too much of a cliché, and I wouldn't be able to tell the good stuff from the bad.
One of the major surprises for me this year was Madness. I'd been looking forward to a bit of nostalgia, a happy singalong and some good-time ska beats. But it was even better. Not only did their performance seem to be untouched by the years (how old are these guys now?), I was also (once again) struck by the sheer quality of their songwriting. Even a couple of new tracks from the "Liberty of Northern Folgate" album were instant hits with a crowd to whom they must have been largely unknown. Creating a vibe that is simultaneously silly and genuinely moving, Madness personifies the sweet mix of whimsical fun and heartfelt emotion that makes British music so irresistible.
I've grown quite fond of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's "It's Blitz" album, and looked forward to seeing them live. Unfortunately, so did most other festivalgoers - resulting in a massive crowd inside and around the Arena stage, making it hard to get close to the music. They did sound okay, though - delivering their very personal brand of danceable minimalist rock. And once Karen O decided to switch from self-absorbed screeching to actually singing the songs, they got even better.
Those who know me won't be surprised to hear that I went home before Coldplay hit the stage. Yes, I know, just because I see them as the current apex of rock music gone horribly wrong (a trend I believe was sparked off by The Beatles' "Sergeant Pepper", but that's another story), I should have given them the benefit of the doubt. And maybe in concert they add just a bit of rock'n'roll energy to their squeaky-clean, sub-U2ish whining, but I didn't stick around to find out. I was tired and had to get up early for work on Monday. And - I really hate these guys...