29-05-2010 Eselrock

Location: Wesel (Germany)
By: Sofie Bergen & Sabine van Gameren

Eselrock is a festival in the German place Wesel. The festival terrain opened around 13.00 and the first visitors entered the festival. The weather was good, which kept the atmosphere going up.

Openers of this festival were the band Hazels. The band are local heroes, brought a decent amount of friends and fans to the grounds and started with their happy music. The band exists out of four youngsters which seemed very enthusiastic. Pop rock with punk influences is what they make and the band totally matches nowadays mainstream alternative music. Who had listened to their music on MySpace may have been a bit disappointed. On the vocal side there were some weak parts. It is good to hear that their vocalist has quite a teenage voice still, not always as steady. Furthermore the band gave a good opening show, with whom they entertained the early birds very well.

On the second, smaller stage the band Kukalaka They play also pop rock music, with a more adult backing. The band was not the most entertaining band of the day, their songs are not as catchy as you might have hoped for. Inspirations were probably found in depressive British acts, giving it a bit of happier attitude with the guitar work. On the vocal side the music is a bit flat. The band did not have a huge audience besides some of their friends and maybe their act just did not work out on this festival as it is a happy sunny day and that is not what their music reflects.

Nerd Acedemy was ready for their show at the main stage. They contributed quite a full house, not surprising when they make ska music. They were certainly a delight after the last band and the audience seems to enjoy them as well, being a bit insecure what to think of them in the first place. The music is easy going and there for people seemed to accept it easily. An interesting stage act bringing the right energy and vibes into the park might have worked in their advance as well. Interesting act.

Human Instinct played on the smaller stage. Their audience did not seemed to be the most social audience as they were rude to several people resulting in people walking away from them when they were just started. The band brings some harder rock music, influenced by bands like Metallica. This is perhaps also their trap, because they sound a lot like them, while it ain’t their songs they play. A little more of their own would be wishful. The base is good, the instrumental skills are there, but when the creativity comes out it can actually start to grow.

When most people are back at the mainstage the ban aVid* is getting ready. This band was the first band of the day which was really convincing in what they did. Melancholic pop rock, very well thought songs that are worked out in details when it comes to balance between instruments and vocals. The vocals are pleasant to listen to and the band performs with charisma as you could say they have the so called “x-factor”. This is a band that you would like to see in various festivals because they won’t bore you. Their whole set was stable and good and the only negative mark to make considering this band is that they had too less playing time.

Wretched is next and the band plays at the small stage. Powerpop is what they make and it does not disappoint. The band has some songs with an ok instrumental part, soft vocals and a good dose of energy. The show they played was ok, but maybe this band is not the most original out here. I feel like I have seen it before, while Im quite sure I haven’t. There is no song that is that typical hit potential. That sticks in mind and forms the face of the band. The band is on a good road though. Maybe in future the band surprises us more as a unique act.

Ludwig Van, at the main stage, is a band that surprises much more. The band had won a talent show and it is not hard to say they must have deserved as they played a wonderful show here. The band is very playful with the vocals. Builds up tension and is also easy to pick up. They have songs that could attract a large audience when they get the right exposure. Even though in the indie scene a lot of bands tend to be alike, Ludwig Van made a good impression today. It seems like they entertained quite some people in the audience as well. I definitely would like to see more of them some when.

Arme Ritter comes in with quite some energy. The band jumps around a bit on the small stage but forgets here and there that to keep it steady which results in some messy points in their performance. For the punk sake in their music, they are forgiven. The guitars are the strongest point in their music, driving the whole sound with them to their level. The band made the impression they know each other for years and years and they really know what they can expect from each other, though these musicians are all in their twenties and been in this band only since 2008. Seems like we can expect quite some of them in future.

Die Rakede shocked quite some people with their terrible sense of fashion. It was clear that a lot of people were surprised by their looks and all around the field you could hear people say “What The Fuck?!”. If this was the effect the band went for is unknown, but at least it looked gay for no reason. Die Rakede uses parts of famous songs of for example Destiny’s Child in their music and presents with their own lyrics. Hyperactivity is what can be said of them also, as the band bounces a lot on the stage. It is best not to think too much of their act and just enjoy it. It is a typical act for a festival, a few drinks further and you have the greatest fun with them.

Dollars N Dimes were now playing at the smallest stage, but as they did not make a good impression from the start, could not keep our attention long enough we decided it is time for dinner. Needed, as some more acts were on the schedule.

5bugs for example, they played at the main stage and they let their audience wait a bit. As soon as they started, there was something going on. All the youngsters in the park seemed to unite in a huge mosh pit which only lasted for a couple of songs though. Perhaps that was the best thing to do as many young kids were at this festival too and they suddenly became victims of something they did not ask for. Never the less, the guys from Berlin made a good impression with their energetic performance, perhaps the most active one of the day. They have their set complete with song of different tempo, all matching well and is instrumentally very strong. If you get a chance to see them, don’t let it pass by is our advice.

The last band that we went to see in the small stage, was The Bonny Situation. This band have a well though act and even thought well of their clothes. The mommy feeling comes up a bit seeing there are not really as they are suppose to be, but for the hell, we came to hear their music. The music has some strange elements in their music, quite progressive. It was a bit of a disappointment seeing their bassist staring at the floor a lot, looking at the piece of paper as if it was a stand in that did not have time to study all the songs in time. But the catchiness of this band makes up a lot. They played a good and entertaining show which attracted a lot of people. Overall… Kudos for this band. We liked it!

My Baby Wants To Eat Your Pussy seemed to be the biggest hype of this festival. Stickers of them were to be found everywhere on the festival and a lot of people were wearing their merch. The band comes with an interesting act, but considering the hype of it, we expected some better musical qualities. Vocals from either their male and female vocals appeared to be quite flat, where a bit more playful vocals would have made this act stand out. Think of what acts like Bigelf bring vocal wise, much more diversity and that would have suited this band so well. Hearing back their recorded music makes us even more wonder what went wrong during their show, as this aspect seemed to be there in their music much more than they have shown at this show. The audience enjoyed it big time though. For people who did not know them, this performance might have been a bit disappointing. A missed opportunity to get new fans.

As final act Simon den Hartog would play. A lot of people had left already though and that is a pity, because this singer/songwriter has a good voice and in combination with his guitar he really knows how to bring an intimate atmosphere. A good act, but maybe not the best one to close a festival with.

The fact that the festival was over now was good. It had been a nice day but in the end it started raining a bit. Eselrock was a good festival, with a great opportunity to meet new bands, local bands which may become your next favorite.
In the end of the day the atmosphere got a bit darker. Here and there on the festival terrain little fights were happening and the security often did nothing else than just observe it, or sometimes turn the head the other way. That was a bit of a pity because the rest of the festival was organized well; enough place to get food and drinks without having to wait in line for ages and plenty places to go to the toilet. Well, for every festival there is always something to learn in each edition, so next year it will only be better.

More photo’s of this event can be found at Sabinevangameren.com