FREAK VALLEY FESTIVAL 2013 – A walk through the plains

Tags

Acid Coven, Blood Lust, Brutus, Cambridge, Death's Door, Drake Records, Elvis, Ernest Drake, Freak Valley Festival, Gallons Of Mud, I'll Cut You Down, I'm Here To Kill You, Mind Control, Orchid, Pet the Preacher, Rock Hard Festival, Rockfreaks, Roxette, The Muggs, Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats

Still fairly worn out by ROCK HARD FESTIVAL a week ago, including three nights of sleeping in my car – oh heck yeah, don’t you just love that ROXETTE song?! I do! – and slightly too cool weather, mostly until San Francisco Hippies ORCHID would bring the sunshine to the ranks of the waterside of Gelsenkirchen amphitheatre, I reschedule my original idea of spending the entire time span as part of the team supporting the Rockfreaks. Nonetheless, the mere fact that UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS play there first ever live show on german soil, could not keep me from visiting this years’ edition of FREAK VALLEY FESTIVAL, the second as it is – hell or high water! Narrowing it down to just this one day, the Cambridge Ambassadors of Coolness arrive in the plains of pleasure, a long journey lies before me and my car called ELVIS. In fact the lengths of the way ahead is not that great at all, but driving through Cologne is a terrible thing, even for the cities’ inhabitants. Since attending a festival by myself is not that much fun, first goal of today is Drake Records, which might be Cologne’s’ most charming Record Store, where I meet up with store owner Ernest Drake for a fun-filled afternoon…at least that has been the plan once. To make a long story short(er): My arrival takes an additional hour and thus, we have to leave almost right away, finding ourselves roaming the rocky roads of western Germany.

Stomping on stage: UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS

As we finally make our way to a – more or less – official parking lot for day guests and down to the festival site itself, THE MUGGS are still jamming through the vastness of Psychedelic Rock recurrence. Strolling around, Ernest even treats himself to a little shopping spree at the UNCLE ACID merch booth, as I run into a bunch of pals from southern Rhineland. A sip of coke and a smoke later, I’m fully into my personal festival mode and expectations rise beyond the roof. My mind is already set on the upcoming UK-invasion, making me incapable to enjoy norwegian Blues Rockers BRUTUS with their “singing beer-can”. Besides I’m getting carried away talking to PET THE PREACHER Bassplayer Torben, the guys from GALLONS OF MUD and the rest of the gang. Clearly this day is nothing about “good clean fun”, but who wouldn’t prefer things to be a little rough and dirty?

Fading in fake fog: The Acid Coven Drummachine

While dusk is slowly close in on us, the stage gets set for what is going to be somewhat of a lifetime experience. More of an epiphany than a revelation, I undergo, as four musicians in black enter the outdoor boards of FREAK VALLEY FESTIVAL 2013. Familiar sound of an intro may be heard from the speakers before me. Ernest and I fought our way into the photopit to enjoy the best view beyond the crowed. With the first touch of a string and the sound of drums “I’ll cut you down” opens the set and the explosive energy between band and fans is easily felt. The initial tension of the british quartette just blows with the wind and those who were excited to finally see the incarnated mystery, are fully convinced by this rocking foursome. Critics might be in attendance tonight and with the next three tracks being new, they probably have something to whine about. The majority of spectators receive all novelties very well. But it isn’t before “I’m here to kill” and later on “Death’s door”, that some part of the audience really freaks out. The setlist combines songs from the last two albums “Blood Lust” and the latest “Mind Control”. A needless fear of diva-like behavior ends with the encore.

Setlist UNCLE ACID AND THE DEADBEATS:

1. I’ll cut you down

2. Crystal spiders

3. Mount abraxax

4. Mind crawler

5. I’m here to kill you

6. Valley of the dolls

7. Desert ceremony

8. Death’s door

9. Poison apple

Encore

10. Over and over

11. Vampire circus

KADAVAR – Mixed Sauna & Stoned Rockers

Tags

Cargo Records, Creature Of The Demon, Ernest Drake, Hills Of Kings, Kadavar, Lupus Lindemann, Magnificent Music, Mammut, MTC, Sandra Tilmans Photograpy, Stoned From The Underground 2012, Tee Pee Records, This Charming Man Records, Tiger

After seeing dozens of live shows in 2012 it might become hard to pick one or more true highlights, but with the intensity KADAVAR put into completely overcrowded MTC, Cologne this is one for sure.

The national scene for once would not underestimate the greatness of their own fellow-men and women and with two German Bands playing on a thursday night, I have never seen club MTC filled with so many people – there was hardly air to breath at all. On the other hand this is what you get when attending a club show: Wheat, sweet and live music. On our arrival local support HILLS OF KINGS are in the midst of their set. And allready at this point even taking natures cause becomes not just an adventure but impossible to take.

After an, to me unexpected encore HILLS OF KINGS leave the stage and release a noticeable part of the audience away from the front. a drink later and some self-service for our wardrobe, Mister Ernest Drake and I enjoy the company of one Lupus Lindemann. What a charismatic and down-to-earth guy! He excuses himself after some chatting to get ready for the show.

Almost like an aging Diva, Wolf – respectively Lupus – and the rhythm section Mammut and Tiger take their time before appearing which only causes expectation to rise underneath the ceiling. Specially those who watched KADAVAR at the much acclaimed Stoned From The Underground Festival were up for a high-class psychedelic trip. Another half hour or so passes while the room is filled not only further spectators but with dust and humidity.

One thing many Shows are lacking is raw and genuine energy, deriving from the Bands’ love for Music…if you wonder: Why did fashion makers stop producing flared pants, when did the star-print shirts disappear and how come most concerts just appear to be a job to be done by a couple of low-life so-called musicians that just happen to have a well working management?! At this fair night you will realise that even a swedish discount fashion store is selling bell-huggers – maybe not regularly – and there are still bands that enjoy their own stuff so much you can feel it just as well. Luckily KADAVAR happens to be one of those and although many others around me seem pretty much reserved at the sight of the Berlin based threesome I am all into getting high on sound! And with that kind of honesty towards audiences, no one on stage would be obliged to have flared leg-wear.

With only their self-entitled debut album packaged, KADAVAR allready have enough material to expand an entire headline show. Further the single “Creature Of The Demon” turns out to be a sing-along song and quite a handful of excited fans follow this unwritten invitation.

If you haven’t had the chance to see the guys sweating on stage, there are still a bunch of concerts coming up in late 2012, including their 100. show!

03.12.2012 – (DE) Osnabrück, Bastard
04.12.2012 – (DE) Hamburg, Hafenklang
05.12.2012 – (DK) Copenhagen, Loppen
06.12.2012 – (NO) Oslo, Crossroad Club
07.12.2012 – (DK) Aalborg, Studenterhuset
08.12.2012 – (DE) Fehmarn, Dänschendorfer Scheune
13.12.2012 – (DE) Berlin, Comet Club + Occvlta (100. Show!!!)

Presented by This Charming Man Records, Tee Pee Records, Cargo Records & Magnificent Music

All pictures courtesy of Sandra Tilmans