Location: Hulst (The Netherlands)
By: Elvira Visser
This festival took place near the border of the Belgium/Dutch border. This festival was organised to combine the best of both countries. The best music, but the festival was also about sustainability and art. The festival was held in Hulst, the Netherlands, a small town. The festival itself was not that big and has a lot of potential to grow. Due to the sunny weather and warm temperatures I guess the second stage was not really a stage but covered with a tent. Otherwise they would have been performing with the hot sun shining on them. This was sadly also the case for the visitors. There was not really a place where you could enjoy some shadow. And it was really really hot during the day. Also a point to improve, is that I would like to see free water at festivals. Especially when the sun shines like this day. The first edition of this festival was sold out, but I had never the feeling that is was overcrowded. Of course when acts like Drive Like Maria and Moke were playing it was really crowded. To survive this day there were food and drinking coupons, a bit weird because I ended up with one of each and could not really use the last two, because I was not allowed to trade one. The cost of these coupons were nicely priced though. Another good point is that the toilets were free of charge. A nice festival with minor points to improve to only make it a better festival.
| When I arrived at the festival a few bands had already played. The small stage was next to the main stage and not hard to find. Also easy for the audience, because all they had to do was turn to the side. On the main stage “Lola Kite” was playing. A new synth-electro-pop band that make a nice mix of music. The sing along feeling from the Beatles lyrics wise and melody mixed with the beats from Kraftwerk. New wave sounds and dancelike electro-rock which did not really made the crowd move and dance along. For me the perfect change to look around and to get a first impression. The festival was thinking about sustainability and there were free cardboard crutches with on the the text: “if you enjoyed this and had your rest, feel free to pass it along”. I really liked that. A few hours later people were sitting on the ground but the first hours people only sat down on these crutches. |
| The first band rocking the PAZ stage, which stands for Pop at the Sea (translated) was Audiofungus. A band with a weird name, but according to them it really fits the band because they are all so different and like different styles in music. When fusing their likes they come to the Audiofungus sound. Their music has a nice flow to it, they know how to build up their sound and create the right kind of tension, and know how to be soft and almost silent. They played a nice set. |
| Then it was Absynthe Mined who climbed the main stage. A Belgium band that has gathered fame in the last years. Not only in Belgium but also abroad. Today the band plays in the afternoon in the full sunshine. Now their jazzy pop might be a lot better when there is some darkness but they proved today they are capable of rocking on broad daylight. The band hails from Gent, Belgium and has won various prices last year. Today they show at Vestrock that they can switch easily between different styles of music. Their stage presentation could have been better, and we had to wait a little long for them to appear on stage. The sound was not to their liking, but when they were on stage they made the audience try out their first dance moves of the day. Quite an accomplishment as it was really hot in the sunshine in front of the stage. |
| During the change over on the main stage it was up to Marsha to entertain the audience. She is a soul/jazz singer and played some very nice tunes with her acoustic guitar. However it got some people bored fast and the row in front of the drinkingstalls were growing. A little bit to drink and eat, sitting down with your friends and talking to them and on the background Marsha. This was another good point of the festival even when you were not in front of a stage you could hear the band playing in every corner of the festival ground. Marsha did a great job by getting the crowd silence around the tent where she was playing, claiming attention. |
| Silence is Sexy a Dutch band that seems to pop up just everywhere in the last year. A band who has their own mind about the music industry, free downloading and politics. They are not afraid to speak their mind. One of the songs that they played today was a song against Geert Wilders. In Holland it was a few days for the election and they did get a few responses from the crowd. Their stage presence is something that you should get used to. Not so much happening as their singer seems like a scarecrow. The bass player has his own way of being cool. Which is quite funny to watch. Their guitarist is the one who moves around the most, pulling and posing for the camera while playing a difficult part. No problem and you can see he enjoys playing. Which sometimes lacks with the other members. |
| It was time for a surprise for the Dutch audience as Freaky Age was about to play their songs. Freaky Age is very young band, some under eighteen, but know how to play. They just released their second album “Living in Particular Ways” and are frequently aired on Belgium radio. To the Dutch they might be totally new. A four piece band from Brussels that play some kind of dirty rock, indie pop. Not completely new but they make catchy music in a deliciously nonchalant way. Giving away a nice show while their music is efficient and precise with great riffs. Although the singer is only eighteen years old his voice sound deep and older. What has to be said is that their pronunciation is quite English and they could easily be a fallow up for the Kooks. As it is clearly that this band is a part of their influences. Very nice band, that got a lot of attention from the crowd while it was singing along to their known songs. |
| On the PAZ stage it was time for Designerbabies to show of their skills as they had won their performance at the Vestrock rock rally. The band exists of 3 guys (from the Netherlands, Chile and Spain). Together they combine the sounds and moods from their origins with a good dozes of energy. They make a mix between grunge and electronics music and sometimes there are even industrial influences to be heard. One thing was sure they gathered an audience around the tent and got many people dancing. The music was nice but the vocalist had a lot of effects over his voice and at certain times when there was his clean voice without any effect it was a bit off key. Nothing to disturb the fun and enthusiasm from both the band and the people who were watching them or to those who were dancing. The band surly has potential, and I am curious how they will develop. |
| Waxdolls where on stage to do a little jumping up and down with the audience as their beats were hard to resist for many. The duo comes from Gent, Belgium and bring us a sort of electropunk. Analogue synths, electro beats and lyrics that have sexual tinted lyrics. As they say “sex, drugs and Electropunk!” They try to play as much tracks as possible in their scheduled time. It you catches your breath after dancing to one song the rest in the audience is already dancing to the next. Halfway during the set it seems that they showed all their skills in the beginning as nothing new is thrown in to their music and performance. The singer jumps off stage and start singing right in front of the crowd. Their energetic show attracts a lot of people towards the stage. When the band needs to stop, because their time is done the audience cheer for them. |
| The band Customs from Belgium gave the audience a indierock experience, bringing you a combo of four guys, known for melody, atmosphere and mathematical edge. The guys from Leuven, België have been going strong, and recently they played their single “Justine” at Giel Beelen (3FM). That festivals are ready for this band is something we could experience. The band have sound that will remind you of Joy Division, The sound, The Editors and Interpol. The crowd seem to enjoy Customs as they sing along and move around. The singer seems more like an office kind of guy and a little stiff. However he can sing with great enthusiasm. The others have more freedom to move around and let the audience clap along on their recent hits. |
| Drive Like Maria has been one of those band called a big promise and since then they rock strong and they still rock. When it was one of the kept secrets of the Netherlands the band plays everywhere. The band has a lot of groove in their rock which has never let their audience down. When seeing this band it always is one big party. The key to their success might be that not one is a remarkable musician but they all are. Great drums, great baselines, a guitar babe which just simply rock that guitar and a vocalist who is also versatile. This he shows with the cover from Gossip’s “Heavy Cross”. The band puts a lot of speed in their set and before the crowd knows it they have to leave the stage. We can only admit that this was jet again another great performance by Drive Like Maria. |
| One of the bands that has been around for some time is Moke. From little dark venues to big festival stages they have always seem to impress. Today they impressed Vestrock. However when you have seen Moke more often it almost seems like the enthusiasm was lost tonight. No spontaneous actions. Just a very tight played show. There is no way in denying that they were very good but it lacked some excitement, like it was almost like watching Moke robots, fully programmed a show without any mistake. A full package with great light show. The only moment which was not programmed was when a boy from the audience threw a chicken on stage. They suddenly were capable of laughing at the chicken and each other and a little conversation with the audience, without sounding practised. Maybe it was my way of experiencing this band but I hope they gain that enthusiasm like they had when they played their first shows. Because music wise they are great. The audience seem to enjoy it and sang along on the know tracks like: “Switch” and “Here Comes The Summer”. |
Dr. Lektroluv has the privilege to end this festival with a splashing dj set. Now all we can do is wait for Vestrock 2011.
More photo’s of this event can be found at Photographic Retentions
Links:
Vestrock website
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