#koepelhal

[macchinesemplici66]

#furia #blasting the #koepelhal @ #rb18 #roadburnfest #roadburnfestival #roadburn #normal #macchinesemplici (presso Koepelhal)

[marijkelennards]

We zijn open! We hebben er zin in, kom lekker wolletjes voelen! #rechtenaverecht #knitenknotbeurs #koepelhal #tilburg #yarnfair #knitting #breien #crochet #rechtenaverecht (bij Koepelhal)

[bensmit007]

Biënnale 2017 #tilburg #koepelhal #laatste4uur (bij Koepelhal)

[doomedandstoned]

THE ROADBURN DIARIES

~By Willem Verhappen~

Photographs by Sally Townsend

Preface

When Billy asked me to review Roadburn Festival 2019 for Doomed & Stoned, I was a bit hesitant. Live reviews have never been my specialty and I prefer to enjoy shows instead of being critical. However, when he suggested a diary-style review, I got the idea to do just that; write a diary.

I went all out and paid a whopping two Euros and some change to buy a notebook. After four days of Roadburn, it will probably be as wrecked as I expect to be, but hopefully it will still be readable. [In hindsight it was money well spent, as the notebook survived Roadburn without too much damage.] Whether its pages will be literary gold or the drunken ravings of a madman, only time will tell. The truth will probably be somewhere in the middle. [The fact that I had not been feeling well all week and decided to drive to Tilburg by car each day probably helped me not fucking this up, though.]

Day 1

14:30 -- Ticket booth

The sun is out, Crypt Trip's Haze County was blasting through my car speakers on the way here and the queue to get my wristband went smooth. That's about as good a start as it can get. Sadly, my first dilemma of the day is already coming up: See Myrkur perform her Folkesange set or Bismuth. For now I'll just sit and wait in the sun for my friends T and S to arrive.

Tanya Byrne of Bismuth

16:30 -- Studio Tilburg

We compromised. We started Roadburn with Bismuth engulfing us in the epic 'The Slow Dying Of The Great Barrier Reef' in the Hall of Fame. Sadly the band had some technical issues which fucked up the dynamics in the beginning, but otherwise it was an intense experience.

before the end of the Bismuth set, we moved on to the main stage. On the way there, we ran into some friends who decided to join us to see Myrkur. The Scandinavian folk songs were moving and well performed, but not what we needed, so we set our sights for Vile Creature, who were preparing to destroy the Patronaat.

Vic of Vile Creature

Arriving outside, we noticed that we weren't the only ones. The queue to the Patronaat was leading pretty much up to the Cul de Sac. Since the weather was still nice, we decided to go for a beer in the sun instead.

19:05 -- Veemarktstraat

Molasses was something I had been looking forward to, since it was for a large part a The Devil's Blood reunion. Their set was in general an honest and loving tribute to TDB leader Selim Lemouchi. At some points though, the band seemed possessed by Selim himself. I desperately hope they will release this as a live record. [Later, at the merch I discovered that the band had already recorded an EP. That satisfies me for now, but I still need a live record!]

Farida Lemouchi of Molasses

After that intense show, it was time to get some food. I decided to go for some Vietnamese street food. A good choice, but I should have been more careful with the sambal. I love that stuff, but a full bite at once was a bit much.

19:30 -- Green Room balcony

Luckily, I was just in time to hear the last, hauntingly beautiful song of Lingua Ignota. I had a hard time getting in and when I managed to get in, I couldn't get closer than the back of the balcony. Only when the show was over, I could see that she sat behind her keyboard in the middle of the Green Room. An eccentric choice that befits the woman.

Kristen Hayter of Lingua Ignota

21:20 -- Ladybird Skatepark

Emma Ruth Rundle was more Doomed & Stoned appropriate than I expected. Last time she did a solo show, but this time she brought her full band. Her songs were sometimes dark and doomy, sometimes rocking, but always unique.

Emma Ruth Rundle

But the best kept secret of today are certainly the heavy psych astronauts of Mythic Sunship. Even though it's not crowded, they know how to throw a party on a skatepark. [Mythic Sunship was the first band to be programmed on the Skatepark, but during the weekend more bands were scheduled to perform on this special location. More on that later.]

22:45 -- Koepelhal

I'm not sure why a band like Midnight is performing at Roadburn, since it's pretty much the odd one out this year, but I'm not complaining. I really enjoyed their filthy, sexually laden mix of Venom and Motörhead sleaze. And judging from the large crowd that gathered in the Koepelhal, I wasn't the only one.

00:40 -- Main Stage

Post rock is a hit or miss for me, but the combination of guitars and classical instruments often brings a smile to my face. The latter convinced me to watch MONO perform their Hymn to the Immortal Wind record, supported by the Jo Quail Quartet. I'm happy I did this, since the show was pure aural bliss. Rarely have I heard such a natural mix of metallic guitars and classical instruments. Although it certainly wasn't boring, the floating melodies did make me a bit sleepy.

2:xx -- Eindhoven

I guess I went full circle today. I started with Crypt Trip and ended with them as well. After MONO, these Texan rockers were exactly what I needed. Their country infused hard rock really got my energy levels back to par. Then again, anyone who can stand still during a Crypt Trip show, must be dead. It was also very nice to see my Doomed & Stoned colleague Calvin again. Roadburn is off to a good start.

Day 2

15:25 -- 013

T, S and I started our second day at Roadburn queuing up for Gold. I lost sight of the Dutch band after being disappointed by their second record, when they traded in their occult rock for a more post rock sound. Today, however, I was not disappointed at all. Their pounding post black/punk/rock really grabbed me by the balls. Charismatic frontwoman Milena Eva and her accomplices are back on my radar.

I'm currently enjoying one of the three sets of Seven That Spells. Between all the avant garde stuff, it's nice to see some proper heavy psych/stoner rock. Very well executed!

Milena Eva of Gold

17:00 -- Ladybird Skatepark

Between all the good stuff, Triptykon was my most anticipated concert of the festival. As I said, I'm a sucker for metal mixed with classical music, so I wouldn't want to miss the Swiss band performing with the renowned Metropole Orkest, the world's leading pop orchestra. Today they are playing something heavier, namely the requiem penned by Tom G. Warrior. The first and third parts date back to the Celtic Frost days, namely Into The Pandemonium (1987) and Monotheist (2006). The piece never had a middle section, until now.

Tom Gabriel Warrior and Vanja Slajh of Triptykon

The show wasn't perfect. There were some flaws here and there and at certain moments it felt like the orchestra was overtaking the band. Altogether it was an impressive performance, but somewhere I feel like there could have been more. Still a highlight, though.

I'm currently enjoying some surprise sludgy goodness of Vile Creature, while the queue for the Hall of Fame is reaching new lengths while A.A.Williams is performing there as part of the Holy Roar x Roadburn showcase.

19:55 -- Studio Tilburg

After getting my eardrums destroyed by Vile Creature, it was time for a beer with friends. Consequently, that meant I missed Conjurer, but I did manage to see the last half hour of Anna Von Hausswolff on the main stage. On record I find her music very calming, but live the tiny lady and her band deliver a massive tidal wave of sound. 'The Mysterious Vanishing of Electra' was even more impressive than on record.

22:20 - Koepelhal

After enjoying watching Calvin struggle with a massive burger from the Studio café and between the neck snapping sets of Svalbard and Pijn (both part of the Holy Roar showcase), I conquered my first queue at the Koepelhal. This was for the collaboration between artist in residence Thou and Emma Ruth Rundle. It was well worth the effort. This noisy matrimony sounded exactly as you'd expect from the two factors.

Bryan Funck of Thou

3:xx -- Eindhoven

After Pijn's set, it was straight off to the Patronaat to grab a good spot for another show I highly anticipated. That turned out to be a good decision, since I heard afterwards that the queue for Messa turned out to be huge.

My love for these Italians stems from their ability to make old school doom sound fresh again. The band manages this through the incorporations of jazz elements, as well as sporadic black metal outbursts. Today, the band brought along a saxophone player, which truly added an extra dimension to their music.

Day 3

17:20 -- 013

Today we started off with Have A Nice Life. The new wave was enjoyable, but we had other priorities, for Wolvennest was about to perform their latest effort, Void, in its entirety. The Belgian band went all out for this show, bringing several guest musicians, as well as brand new visuals. Musically, Wolvennest definitely made a step up from their debut, WLVNNST. Their black metal with psychedelic and doom influences pleased the many people who came to witness this ritual. The only negative comment one could have, is that the altar looked very small on the large main stage.

Henrik Palm is no stranger to most Roadburners. The Swede used to be a member of In Solitude and Ghost. You can clearly hear this in his solo work, but his eclectic rockers always feel unique. I remain with only one question. Why the early Judas Priest videos?

19:20 -- Ladybird Skatepark

I'm not much of a fan of most of the bands from the Exile on Mainstream roster, but Treedeon I had to see. These Germans make for some noisy, primitive doom, which is right up my alley. There are some clear Conan vibes here, but the double vocals make it just a tad more brutal.

23:15 -- Koepelhal

I always enjoy good times with good people, so I was happy to join a small Doomed & Stoned meetup with Calvin and Sally [whose photos add some color to this article]. Contrary to my instincts, I left my friends behind to make it in time for what is probably the highlight of this year’s Roadburn. Coming near the 013 was like walking into a coffee shop (the Dutch kind), with the smell of weed greeting you from far away. Not surprising, since it wouldn't be long before the almighty Sleep would perform their classic record Holy Mountain in one go. When I arrived, some 20 odd minutes before the show, the hall was already crowded, with people queuing up, not more than five minutes later.

It was quite the magical experience to hear one of my all-time favorite records being performed live. The first notes of 'Dragonaut' already gave me goosebumps and headbanging became a priority for nearly two hours. Sleep performing 'The Clarity' and a part of 'Dopesmoker' surely was an extra treat.

Al Cisneros of Sleep

4:xx -- Eindhoven

Doolhof was a typical case of the right band at wrong time. The drone outfit, with Aaron Turner of Old Man Gloom and Sumac fame in its ranks, sounded highly intense and mesmerizing, but after Sleep, I was looking for something more energetic.

Luckily, I received a push message after the Sleep show, saying that Thou would perform a special set at the Skatepark. There had been rumours that the band would perform a set of Misfits covers somewhere during the weekend and this was it. A couple hundred people had shown up and the band was going through classics like 'Die, Die My Darling' and 'Hybrid Moments' like the audience was going through beers.

This set was absolute mayhem with the crowd moving as one mass and there was pretty much constant crowd surfing. The band was joined by Emma Ruth Rundle on a couple of songs, and for their final song, 'Last Caress', they were joined by Converge/Old Man Gloom's Nate Newton and Gilead Media chief Adam Bartlett. The former even went stage diving. If anyone was doubting why Thou is the artist in residence this year, they get it now.

Recharged by the insane show I had just witnessed, it was time for some after-partying in the basement of the 013 until the lights came on.

Day 4

Up until a few years ago the Roadburn Sunday was more of an after party, or Afterburner as it was called, but in recent years it changed into a full day. This year, all stages but the Koepelhal have bands playing, but thankfully my schedule is far less busy than the previous days.

17:30 - Main Stage

The intensity of three days of Roadburn appears to have had an effect not only on me, but on most of the visitors. That's why T and I decided to take it easy. This meant we missed Lucy in Blue because we arrived in Tilburg at 3pm. Since for the first time this weekend, temperatures reached comfortable levels, we decided to enjoy the sun a little before diving into another day of musical adventure.

my first band of the day was Supersonic Blues, a last minute addition to the program. The young band from The Hague had the honor to play the now infamous Ladybird Skatepark. Their heavy blues rock wasn't that special, but it surely was a welcome energizer for the rest of the day.

The first highlight of the day was TankZilla, a newcomer from my hometown Eindhoven, who got to warm up the Hall of Fame. Even though this was their second gig ever, the two members are anything but new to the scene. Singer/guitar player Peter van Elderen has enjoyed success for over twenty years with Peter Pan Speedrock, but also has more stoner credits with bands like Repomen and Four Headed Dog and drummer Marcin Hurkmans is known for his work with rockers Wolfskop. Although there's just two guys on stage, they manage to produce some fat-sounding stoner rock with the signature riffs and lyrics of van Elderen. Today saw the release of their first 7", but this show leaves me hungry for more!

20:45 -- 013 Lobby

With an hour to kill, I decided to walk to the 013 to check out a few songs from today's Thou set. Even though it was their fourth set this weekend, the main stage was packed with people wanting to see the artist in residence one more time. And rightfully so. Even after four days of playing, the last time being only 16 hours before, the band played another energetic set of nasty doom.

Mitch Wells of Thou

This made it somewhat difficult for me to leave early, but I had been looking forward to my second chance of seeing Bismuth ever since it was announced this morning. The Skatepark has become my favorite venue and the acoustics are perfect for the intensity of "The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier Reef". This time not troubled by technical difficulties, the UK duo's perfect performance of 'The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier Reef' is one of my absolute highlights of the festival.

Fuel is important on days like these, so I decided to skip the beginning of Old Man Gloom to grab a delicious pancake filled with spinach and goats cheese, walnuts and honey. By the time I reach the crowded main stage, the OMG set is almost over, but judging from the enthusiastic crowd, the New Mexico sludge machine managed to deliver.

Aaron Turner of Old Man Gloom

2:xx -- Eindhoven

Roadburn is over, but not before we were treated to another two-hour set of Sleep. This time the sonic titans performed their most recent effort, The Sciences, in its entirety, with the addition of "Leagues Beneath", "Dragonaut" and another section of "Dopesmoker". Sadly, the band was troubled by technical difficulties, to the great annoyance of Matt Pike, who even had to switch amps mid-set. This prevented the show from being the legendary event it could have been.

Matt Pike of Sleep

After Sleep, the time had come to slowly start Brexiting (saying you are leaving, but staying as long as you can).Saying goodbye to friends, both old and new, is always difficult, but it was fun to hear all the great stories everyone lived this weekend and see the joy in everyone's tired eyes. And just like Great Britain, we stayed until we were kicked out, leaving Tilburg behind with many new memories.

☀

[emmaruthrundlesh]

ERR & Thou Roadburn 2019 Collab Set Photos / Review

ROADBURN FESTIVAL 11th – 14th April 2019 Tilburg, Netherlands DAY 2 – FRIDAY

Another trek to the Koepelhal, this time for the artist in residence: Thou. Out of four distinctive sets they were to perform, a collaboration with Emma Ruth Rundle was the one I got to see. It was captivating watching it slowly unravel, the dichotomy between Emma Ruth’s and Brian’s voices, the simultaneous harshness and emotiveness of it all. Throw a cover of The Cranberries Hollywood in the mix and we all got ourselves a rather unexpected treat. Although, at this point, nothing about Thou should be surprising to anyone anymore.

[meurglyslll]

the ruins of beverast ✔️ (at Koepelhal)

[viruswithsaas]

Roadburn 2018: lists (3/3)

Top acts:

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Húgsja Igorrr Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas Motorpsycho

Missed and kicking myself in the head for it:

Boris & Stephen O’Malley : apparently facemeltingly good. Zola Jesus: last minute decisions because we didn’t feel like going to the Koepelhal for half a set and then head back early for Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Phuture Occultism: this could have been an interesting mix between dub, d’n’b and doom but we couldn’t get in to the Green Room. Gost: one of the better synthwave releases of the year but we had to leave before he started his set. Waste of Space Orchestra: HOLY FUCK THAT WAS A LONG LINE! Jarboe  feat. Father Murphy: it is not impossible to get into the Patronaat but you need to be in the queue at least 30 minutes before the set starts. Not too bad in its own but with a program as packed as Roadburn’s…

Disappointments: Insect Ark and Godflesh.

[riffrelevant]

About to head across the pond today for @roadburnfest ... anyone else? #roadburn #tilburg #firsttimer #whoa #losingmymarbles #europetravel #musicfestival #netherlands #thatlineuptho #somuchart #fullbleed #Repost @roadburnfest ・・・ @maarten.donders, our incredibly talented official 2019 poster artist, will bring his amazing day posters as a series of four screenprints to #Roadburn. Dubbed ’The Aviary’, these will be available in limited quantity at @fullbleedexhibition (Koepelhal). #roadburn2019 #roadburnfestival https://www.instagram.com/p/BwCjTJlFFXo/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=12jb7itc7hel6

[m3t4ln3rd]

AUTARKH share video for "Alignment"

Band: AUTARKHSong: ��Alignment”Director: Guilherme HenriquesAlbum: Form In MotionRelease Date: March 12, 2021Label: Season of Mist The group said of the video: ”We are proud to present our second music video for ‘Alignment’. The video was shot by the talented videographer Guilherme Henriques at Koepelhal and Textielmuseum in Tilburg (NL). ‘Alignment’ tries to capture a most desirable form of…

[amamic1]

Every #roadburnfestival has a highlight, and for me this year it was @zolajesus with a deeply moving set in awesome sound quality #roadburn2018 #onthefringe #femaleartistsftw (at Koepelhal)

[discodip]

[macchinesemplici66]

#jacobbannon #wearyourwounds #catartic #postemo @ #rb18 #roadburnfest #roadburn #roadburnfestival #normal #macchinesemplici (presso Koepelhal)

[marijkelennards]

Goedemorgen! Vandaag de laatste dag van de knit en knot in Tilburg. Er is nog heel veel moois te zien, tot straks, we hebben er zin in! #rechtenaverecht #yarnstore #arnhem #knitenknotbeurs #2018 #koepelhal #tilburg #foryarnaddicts (bij Tilburg, Netherlands)

[marijkelennards]

Dag 2 is van start en ook vandaag delen we cadeautjes uit! #rechtenaverecht #knitenknotbeurs #tilburg #koepelhal #breien #haken #yarnporn #foryarnaddicts

[emmaruthrundlesh]

Changing the game: Emma Ruth Rundle at Roadburn 2019

Feature via Never Mind the Hype Roadburn had no shortage of female musicians, generally being awesome. Whether it is the heavy bass work of Tamaki Kunishi (MONO), the multi-layered keyboards of Helen Stanley (Crippled Black Phoenix) or Amalie Bruun (Myrkur) achieving two critically acclaimed black metal albums. Of course, it seems redundant writing about female representation in heavy music today, let alone in regards to a massively diverse festival such as Roadburn. However, it isn’t all that long ago that bands were marketed as ‘all female’ or ‘female fronted’ as if this was something new. So even in this day and age, with those labels long gone out of hot shot marketers’ mouths, female representation is as important and relevant as ever. Enter Emma Ruth Rundle, who is prominently featured at this year’s festival and quickly became one of this edition’s most valuable players.  

Thursday: The Rise of Rundle The visitors audibly complaining about long queues at the Patronaat wholly weren’t prepared for a packed Koepelhal. With a line all the way to the entrance outside, visitors scrambled to get a glimpse of Emma Ruth Rundle. Hailing from Kentucky, the songwriter, guitarist and visual artist comes to showcase all of those talents at Roadburn. And good things come to those who wait, because the patiently waiting visitors where greeted with a crushing, heavy performance. With her mixture of folk, post-rock and metal, Emma Ruth Rundle showcases a knack for diverse songwriting, one profusely featured on her 2018 album On Dark Horses. As a visual artist, she also has a spot at the Full Bleed Expo, showcasing her art inspired by her latest album, unique and otherworldly.

A thundering Thou on Friday And yet again, a massive queue awaited visitors at the Koepelhal. And for good reason, because the early evening saw a collaborative performance by sludge metalband Thou and Emma Ruth Rundle herself. It seems like an eclectic choice, mixing their pounding, sludgy foundation, groovy riffs and harsh vocals with Emma Ruth Rundle’s angelic voice. However, it turns out to be one of the highlights on Friday. A surprisingly seamless synergy, with towering vocals and crushing sludge metal, like two colors bleeding together to form a new one.

Punk’s not dead at Ladybird Skatepark One of the most intimate and special places prominently featured this year was Ladybird Skatepark. With beautiful yet unnerving performances such as Lingua Ignota or an exhaustive, cathartic hardcore gig by Great Grief, it seems only fitting that Emma Ruth Rundle would make another surprise appearance, located right between the Koepelhal and her exhibition. This results in another energetic collaboration with Thou, playing high-octane covers of punk legends The Misfits.

It only goes to show why Emma Ruth Rundle, and to an extent Thou themselves, became one of Roadburn’s MVP’s. Not only because Emma Ruth Rundle is extremely good at what she does, but also because she is changing the game, pushing boundaries in the heavy music scene.

[viruswithsaas]

Roadburn 2018: day by day (2/3)

The festival kicked off on thursday and our original plan was to start with the Waste of Space Orchestra set that the organisation had commissioned for the festival but the line to enter the otherwise spacey 013 main hall was so disencouraging that we decided to enjoy the sun a bit longer and then check out the first Earthless set.

Like mentioned earlier, Earthless was one of the San Diego jam rockbands that more or less invaded Tilburg with sets all over the place with the first in the 013. Besides the Cheech & Chong version of jazz, jam rock is also a difficult genre for the audience. It requires some effort and an adventurous mindset and even then it is pretty much hit or miss. If the band is not “feeling” it, you can expect a half assed cacophony but if it’s good, it is a thing of wonder that will fill you up with delight. Earthless were definitely on a roll and sure, the guitar player had a bit of a Jimi Hendrix-complex and loved his wah-pedal very much, but it was a perfect opener.

Insect Ark in the hot, small and crowded Cul de Sac was less than perfect. Just like the show in Brussels one or two years ago, the doom duo started off awkwardly and didn’t pull itself together until the last third of the set or so. A shame because I like Insect Ark and love Ash Spungin’s drumming style; clever, never one hit too much or too few. Just like Meg White of the White Stripes but tighter.

After some much needed post-Cul de Sac rehydration, it was time for Cult of Luna’s final show with Julie Christmas. Don’t you just love her name? All joking apart, that was an amazing show, the post metal band played incredibly and la Christmas is an energetic Wednesday Addams-esque appearance that filled up the entire stage on her own.  With a landslide the highlight of the day, not even Weedeater, a proto-type stoner metal band with bears and gnarly fuzzes that rather plays loud than tight, could change that. Good times, good times. Maybe we were not as pro-active as we would like to have been but tomorrow we were going to change that.

But we didn’t. We started out with a plus two hour set of Motorpsycho. Weird thing is that I’ve seen the individual members with other bands but never with the “mothership”. So, I sort of knew what to expect but not really. Anyway, it was amazing. Its start was slow. Very slow but after the opening song the band kept the tempo up. Of course you had to be into instrumental 70′s styled jazz/heavy rock music to enjoy but euhm, yes, Motorpsycho, damn.

From Motorpsycho with its intricate, jazzy style to the hard, brutal and loud Converge playing the “You Fail Me” album (with another detour to rehydrate) and it was.... I can’t say. Metalcore is one of the few genres that I find awful (along with reggae) and although Converge is brainier than Five Finger Death Punch (not difficult, “plus bête, on meurt”) it never really connected with me.

Seen that we liked Earthless the previous day, we decided to head over to the new venue Koepelhal, basically a giant patched up warehouse but still very cool, and check out their set with singer Damo Suzuki. But given the monotony of the band and Suzuki, we quickly headed back to 013 for Godflesh which was equally monotonous but only much louder and with the compressors running red hot.

Luckily Igorrr was there to save the day with a superb electro-metal set, a drummer and two brilliant singers. It was fun, it was danceable and the theatrics of the singers gave it a bit of a cabaret feeling. Yes, a lot of the music was pre-recorded and blablabla but one, it’s 2018 so shut up about 1979 already and two, this shit was TIGHT AF! But, second day, all in all, we didn’t see as much as we would have liked. Third day was going to be different.

Euh, yeah kinda? We started off slowly by skipping Bell Witch playing the entire funeral doom opera “Mirror Reaper” but we saw the Húgsja set with Ivar Bjørnson (Enslaved) and Einar Selvik (Wardruna) which was gorgeous. It wasn’t too different from Wardruna, perhaps a bit more mellow and new age-y, but with Selvik’s esoteric vocals and the wonderful folk music, who really cares?

Panopticon had to deal with a bad soundmix but their furious, take-no-prisoners black metal went down easily. Not really super duper original but still good.

Last minute we decided to skip Boris, getting hydrated with friends, and Zola Jesus, because the headliner was coming up: the post rock titan collective that is Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

It was a brave decision of Roadburn to make this band the headliner of 2018. GY!BE is pretty much anti-headliner material. Long songs without a catchy chorus or vocal hooks, a style and aesthetic that feels more like an arthouse movie entrance than a full fledged band, bit of a murky image without a recognisable face and no hits, even by independent standards. During the show, I felt that many spectators didn’t bother check out the band before coming to Roadburn and were expecting something completely different. Well, fuck them because GY!BE was AWESOME! Close your eyes and you’ll see apocalyptic landscapes, fields of grass waving in the wind, comets flying by. A lot of bands say that they are all about the music but there is only one band that can and should make that statements.

After the brilliance of GY!BE came Thou x The Body and it was basically a fuckload of heavy noise. It has the sophistication of a donkey raping a goat and it even sounded like that too! But in its sloppiness and uncontrollable noise, it was fun.

Excellent third day!

Before heading back home to our own homes and showers, we wanted to see few more acts. The first was the other commissioned piece “Vánagandr: Sól án varma”, thank heavens for copy/paste, from the Icelandic black metal scene. This piece was just… wow… It was brutal, layered, dense and incredibly creepy. At moments it felt like the score for a horror movie. With a MIDI-controller, three guitars, drums, bass and four people singing, there was a lot going on and it packed enough variation and dynamics to keep this overwhelming 90 minutes long blastbeat fest interesting. The performance was spot on and the response to it was amazing.

A band that slipped under our radar but turned out to a pleasant surprise was Watter in the Green Room and a nice change of scenery. Watter played a mellow hybrid of alternative rock and soft electro. With all the super loud black metal mayhem going on in the main room, this was an oasis of tranquility. Perhaps this would sound a lot more boring on record but in the then current context it worked. In the main hall afterewards it was time for more black metal with Wiegedood. It was more straight forward and “simpler” than the commission from the far north but was at the time just a bit too much. Before getting in the car we wanted to catch another glimpse of the second set of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. This time the people were prepared for it, you could the many people sitting down and attentively listening, and the atmosphere was more relaxed and respectful. Again, GY!BE was by far the best thing of the entire weekend, no question about it.

Like stated earlier, Roadburn is at a turning point and the focus might change but the team behind the festival have crafted out their own little world where it can do as it pleases. With Heilung as headliner, it looks like we can expect another edition where anything could happen.

I used to say that Roadburn is always ahead of the curve but that no longer applies. Roadburn IS the curve.