Location: Wantijpark, Dordrecht (Netherlands)
By: Elvira Visser
When I finally woke up after a very good preparty of Wantijpop at Bibelot, there was only one sound I heard. Rain. Hellish rain. Luckily it was still early and I turned around in bed. When I opened my eyes for the second time there was still rain. I saw visions of this big muddy mess and people jumping around.
But as soon as I was dressed and almost ready to go, the sun started to shine. The first band had to play when I was still at home drinking my so needed coffee, but it stayed dry. When I arrived at the festival site I saw many happy people and somehow the rain had disappeared. There was no real muddy mess and even the clouds were disappearing. People had gathered in the park to meet friends and brought quilts and cloths.
The atmosphere was the way it should be: friendly and relaxed. No wonder many people brought their dogs, children or friends. The festival was organised for the eleventh time this year and the line up was very good. At Wantijpop there are two stages: a main stage and a local stage. Personally I think, that the local stage was a little bit better considering the line up. I have to admit that there was more rock and metal to be found. I was not the only one with that opinion and usually on the local stage the people come and go. But this year, with some bands, I think there were some bands at the local stage attracted more people then on the main stage. It shows that music is very much alive in this area.
| I started my day without a proper planning. I did not wanted to rush myself, but missing bands was also not part of the plan. I started at the main stage where “Claw Boys Claws” was playing. Twentyfive years ago the band was founded and after a break they are back with a new CD and played some good rock. Exactly what I needed to get in the mood even more. The audience was still laid back. |
When “NiCad” started to play I was ready for a little more heavy stuff. Watched the band for two songs. It is a band that got together when five foreign students met in the Netherlands. They play relaxed indie rock.
| It was time to head toward the local stage. First band for me to see was “Menesis”, rhythmical metal core as they would describe their own band. On the main stage it was time for some happy festival music and there was this band from Barcelona that seem to know how it should be done. Energy and fun on stage, maybe a little chaotic but definitely a good band to make people’s hips move. “Discipulos de Otilia” is their name and no wonder they have been on stage for like fifteen years because they knew how to interact with the audience. |
| When I went going back to the local stage, “A New Dawn” was playing. Not my favourite band but they have something nice. A very good grunting female. Yeah that is right, I think she amazes many people with her growls and singing nice choir lines as well. They attracted a lot of people in front of the local stage and this pretty much stayed the same when it was time for “The Death Letters”. |
This band is very promising! The band exists of two young boys that play a mix of blues and rock/punk. Their sound is different than many of those breaking through acts at the moment. and has many instrumental parts and the the front guy has this energetic vibe what which he seems to transport to the audience.
| It was time to sit down for a while and because of that I missed out on “Magnacult”, which was a pity but I am sure I will see them again someday. I was sitting behind the stage and could hear a wall of noise coming from the stage. Great brutal metal. Some band members play in other bands but the chemistry works on stage. They have recently been on tour with Ill Niño and I heard from friends that they were amazing. |
| The last band at this festival was “Moke”. They have won the Esquire best dressed band award in 2007a prize for best dressed band. They are all in black, and it does look very good. But there is more than eyecandy to this band, their music is good. Maybe a bit calm after all the metal on the local stage but they know how to keep the audience captivated. They played their known songs like “Last Chance” which was used by NOS studio Sport as the tune for the UEFA Cup matches. Many people recognised this song. Another song was “Here Comes the Summer” and the festival really had that summer feeling and when the sun was disappearing the band played this track. What I really liked was the “Enjoy the Silence” cover and a David Bowie cover. That song showed the really great voice of front man Felix Maginn. |
Wantijpop 2008 was a great sunny day with different types of music to be enjoyed by the audience
More pictures of this gig available at photographicretentions.nl
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