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1,302 posts since 11/7/2000
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Posted on 4/28/2009 at 5:02:07 AM
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2009 obviously. Stupid pig flu.
Thursday Day 1 - The longest day of my life
Al Cisneros calls it the "Annual convergence of the caravans upon Tilburg for Iommic Studies" and I'm not going argue with the dude. When I first saw the line up for this year, I thought it was going to divide the audience. But seeing the Cisneros quote I think it makes sense. Roadburn encompasses all the gnarled branches of the Vinum Sabbathi, whatever form it takes. So people can bitch on about Nigelism, shoegaze metal, post this post that, but they are wrong - it's just part of the wide spectrum of riff and Roadburn is there to help school us in it.
Anyway enough theorizing, on with word based opinions. I think the smoking outside thing had a huge effect on my viewing habits this year. It meant less watching 20 minutes of this and 20 minutes of that but more watching a whole set and then going for a smoke. Probably meant I saw less but more in depth. Also for some reason Iwas more of a main stage Mary this year, so I've missed alot of the smaller stuff. Frobbert's put some words up in the Gen Forum worth looking at. Plus I'm sure people will fill in the blanks. I'm armed with Hot Lemon and Honey (think I caught teh Pig Flu there) and 20 fags - let's go!
Ufomammut
Get to 013 in good time for the Italian Spaceriff machine. Takes a while to warm up as sound gets tweaked and people are still filing in. As it gets to the middle of the set I'm getting perturbed that it ain't really happening for 'em but the final three songs lock into that churning swirling deep space groove, everything sounding like that bit in Evet Horizon where the massive spaceship splits in two in glorious zero gravity slow motion. Hurrah for them they did it!! I've been lucky enough to see them in three different countries now and they haven't dissappointed once. Someone fly 'em to 'Merica to blow you lot away.
Farflung
And it's only 16:45 on the first day I'm already onto my second must see. We insert ourselves into the only remaining gaps in the tiny Batcave for the spacerock goodness of Farflung. Yeah it's essentially Hawkwind but fuck it's brilliant. Whooshing, soaring, grooving trips around nebulae, distant star systems and planets not explored since the glory days of the spacerock psychonauts. Yes, yes and fucking yes. The singer seems overwhelmed with emotion by the end, telling us all that this is the best show they've played ever, even better than his Hawkwind days. It was a pleasure sir.
Radio Moscow
Catch a bit of this Black Keys-esque trio. Way more ooomph live than on record and jeez that kid's a shit hot guitarist. Will definitely be checkig out there power trio trad-isms when they tour over here.
Orangey Gobberlins
So back to the Main Stage for the UK's finest wrecking crew. Being recorded for a live album the chaps treated us to a selection from right across their beer soaked past. And fuck did they sound good, a real punch and attack like being constantly shelled by Panzers. I still firmly remain in the camp that their albums don't really do them justice. It's live where these boys destroy, when you've got a head full of weed and a body full of beer. And they drag Harry Hangnail/EOLB on stage for Turbo Effluent/Elephant/Olliephat whatever it's damn called. As good as I've seen them, a true national treasure. Except for that fucking haircut Mr Ward.
Amon Dull II
It's about 8' o clock now and the tiredness is starting to take hold. I've been travelling since four in the morning and on the beer and weed since I reached Holland. So I'm looking forward to these krautrock legends as a bit of a breather. I'd played PapaScag (my riff companion) them the night before 'cos he'd ever heard them and he was quite excited to see them. Oh dear. It didn't really happen. The singer's voice was fucked. The bass horribly dominated everything. The only bit i really liked was the violin stufff (?!). PapaScag wandered off to see Black Sun (dissapointing) and Zu (very good and interesting), I sat there trying to hold mind and body together. Shame.
Motorpsycho
With it all sort of falling apart PapaScag and I then made the what turned out to be the wrong decision and stayed in the Main Room for Motorpsycho. Never really heard them and was intrigued. But it wasn't really what I needed at that time. Good songs, melodic, excellent musicianship etc and extended jams but didn't really seem to go anywhere. And on on on they chundered. we sat down and the FUCK we started to fall asleep!! Snapping ourselves out of this we went outside to revive ourselves. Sorry Motorpsycho you might have been great but we were let down by our aging bodies. And I missed WiTTR for this :-(
White Hills
And so despite barely being able to stand it was time for one final push for the much anticipated White Hills. And boy was it worth it. An hour and a half of mindbending psychefuzz that had me melting down the walls of the Batcave. If you haven't had the pleasure of this NY trio imagine The Black Angels being fucked really hard by early Monster Magnet. Every fibre of my body is aching, I'm wrecked, I'm insanely tired, everyone around me is swaying as everyone seems to have the first day extremely hard yet it all adds to the lyseric transendence. absolutely brilliant and one of my bads of the festival. And the catsuit clad bass foxtress was a very handy focal point ;-)
And at 1:30 it all comes to an end. I need my bed so bad. In the taxi I fuzzily muse on todays line-up. Is it possible to have TOO good a line up? Perhaps. Anyway enough SJP rhetorical questions, let's see what tomorrow brings.
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Smoke `em if you`ve got `em
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1,302 posts since 11/7/2000
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Posted on 4/28/2009 at 7:08:45 AM
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Friday Day 2 - A fresh start. And St Vitus for fucks sake!!
Friday arrives and we wake up sparkly fresh and new. Well a bit less hungover than we thought. It 's St Vitus day and everyone we talk to is showing off their Vitus tats in a state of feverish excitement. Can't wait. We set off to The Good Grass Company and promptly proceed to kane ourselves senseless. Onward we wobble to 013.
Negura Bunget
What an excellent way to start the day - Romanian folky black metal!! Loved it, loved the all the weird 'ethnic' instrumentation - what the fuck was that massive horn thing? Music for orcs to go to war. If you're into this sort of purist baiting black metal experimanetation check out their 'Om' album. Think I actually prefer them to WiTTR and I reckon it could sit a bit more happily if you're new to this sort of thing. In their own way one of my fave things i saw this year.
Angel Witch
I can't be sure but I think I saw this lot years ago supporting Maiden. Anyway what we get here is some solid no nonsense headbanging and it's fucking ace. Just pure old fashioned studded wristband metal. They play most of their first album and a couple of newies which sound just like the oldies. Will definitely get the new album. Crowd seemed to love 'em as well - welcome back Angel Witch!
Mono
Tried to get in to see Atomic Bitchwax but it seemed rammed solid everywhere in the Green Room. Gave up and checked out Vibravoid - so so psychey kraut rock which surprisingly didn't really do it for me. So I was left with Mono. Remember being totally underwhelmed by their Mogwai-isms last time i saw them live, but actually this seemed to work here. The Main Room was hushed as they did the gentle bits which inevitably built to and climaxed in those guitar tsunami's, big howling tornados of noise. And another sexy lady basser. Good stuff, I'll give 'em another chance.
Heard Roadsaw start up and tried to get in but this was also chocabloc. Sounded really fucking good and upbeat though. Shame I couldn't get in but I bet they didn't look as good as Mono's bassist ;-)
Cathedral
Next up the venerable doom institution that is Cathedral. Dorrian chimped it up as ever in a Carnival Bizarre-heavy set. And as already mentioned the film playing behind them was the most perfect matching of sound and vision of the festival epecially during 'Night Of The Seagulls' (or was it 'Templars Arise'?) with Lee doing his best zombie impressions. The one let down was the sound which I thought was truly awful, all I could hear was Smee's (excellent) bass work. Cathedral are one of those bands that never fail to deliver the goods and will always give you a solid good time. Long may they continue belting out Hopkins!!
Caught some of Outskirts of Infinity in a surprisingly empty Green Room. Was it to do with the enormous pool of sick in the middle of the room (which one of Jumzikal's sandal wearing friends unwittingly stepped right in the middle of much to the amusement of all those watching).? Good jammy blues power trio stuff, criminally neglected.
St Vitus
And here we are. Like I said earlier this seemed to be the main thing people were excited over. Soooo many Vitus t-shirts, tats and patches about, a true sense of an event. And it was everything I hoped for. Wino is such a compelling front man and the rest of the band so sparse (I swear the bass player only played four notes all night) yet everything is in that unique eerie Chandler tone. Granted his solos are a bit out there (?!) but similar in many ways to Gregg Ginn's Black Flag stuff in that it would't be the same if they were't there. Perhaps could have done without the guitar solo (Chandler plays the Batman theme!) and rubbish drum solo (was expecting a bass solo as well. Thankfully did't get one!). The tracklisting was a superlative list of doom motherlodes, everything you would expect from Wino era Vitus culminating in a monstrous "Born Too Late". Grown men were seen to weep. Stunning.
Colour Haze
Well after reading Stefan's des c r i p tion of their set I'm loathe to type my meagre offering! But he's being harsh on himself and the band because there could of been nothing better to take you to two in the morning like the sweet, sweet sounds of Colour Haze. The tracklisting is in Scrit's thread on this page but I'd like to point you in the direction of the two songs with sitar (which sounded fine to me), a massive "Peace Brothers and Sisters" and the set closer "Love" (my fave Colour Haze track ever). When it kicked into the "I sit upon a mountaintop..." part I'm in bits on the sticky floor of the Main Room, mainlining the message of love ad hope accompanied by stunning rolling waves of luxurious guitar action. One of my very very fave bits of Roadburn EVER. In fact I'm going to listen to it now and have a little cry at the memory.
Which reveries meant that I only caught a glimpse of Church Of Misery which looked a chaotic maelstrom of a good time with back with the original vocalist and various members in and out of the audience. I look forward to seeing them in a couple of weeks in Manchester. Also didn't see Saviours but heard nothing but good things about them.
So a much more uplifted end to the night ( I could have even taken another band) made by the historic Vitus return and Colour Haze's lovebalm. Excellent. And we're only halfway through!
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Smoke `em if you`ve got `em
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1,302 posts since 11/7/2000
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Posted on 4/28/2009 at 9:10:55 AM
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Saturday Day 3 - Has anyone see Nigel? Or Neil for that matter??
Day 3 hangs heavy. It's Neurosis day. The crowd have taken on a darker hue, lots of earlobes with massive holes in. Austere times like we're living in perhaps demand austere music and we got it in spades today. And then we go and be all flippant and just end up sitting on The Strip toked up and drinking beer. Doh!
Earth
So we miss Grails, despite saying how much we wanted to see them. Todays mainstage lineup is made for PapaScag, if the Melvins had been on as well I think he would have died and gone to heaven. Me - well I'm a bit concerned it could all get a bit too grinding despite liking all the bands playing today individually.
So we get right to the top of the Main Room for Earth's patented bruiseviolet twang and it really is beautiful and sparse and rolling like the prairie and heroin. The entire audience seems spellbound. Steve Moore's trombone adds more mourn to "Junkyard Priest" than is decent. Dylan Carlson is a pretty endearing front man (particularly his questionnaire and focus group jibe at Southern Lord) and he certainly is the slomo Duane Eddy. They finish with a new song "Meditation"? which features a bit more chord-y stuff in among the twang. Not easy music but beautiful like a well made headstone. Also decided at this point that here is where I needed to see Om, just them communicating to me at the top of the Mai Room zigurat.
The Young Gods
PapaScag is like a child before Xmas at the prospect of the Young Gods and I'm pretty excited as well. Despite being into them since the first album I've managed to go 20+ years missing them, despite having guestlist places, friends in a relationship with Franz Treichler etc etc. And of all places I end up seeing them at Roadburn!! No idea how they'd go down, what with their sample based approach and all. But they were excellent, despite the set leaning heavily to their latter part of their catalogue. Highlight for me was a blinding "Kissing The Sun" amd "El magnifico". Still sounding like the future all these years later. And PapaScag has it large and does a pint a song. He's fucked by the end of it. The crowd is quite thin on the ground unfortunately, which is a shame cos actually Young Gods rocked harder than most bands today.
Get a glimpse of Six Organs and they/he are exactly as I expect, virtuoso finger picking folkdrone. Would have loved to stay for more but I had my ritual sacraments to take before Om.
Om
Get back upstairs and manage to get my much coveted position stage centre. I'm shaking in anticipation as the THC courses through my veins. This is stoner/doom/whatever as religous music. This is prehistoric music to process by, as in music for a ritual procession on the way to some huge megalithic stone circle to worship the ancestors. And it's fucking loud as Cisneros communes with the spirits with that Rickenbacker. Never had the pleasure of seeing them with Chris Haikus but the new drummer does fine, although has this weird habit of getting out from behind his kit and lying down between songs. Can see why he gets called a bit busier than Haikus but what I never had I'll never miss. A four song set with one newie and the most awesome version of At Giza you will ever here (sure it lasted nearl half an hour, but they may just have bent time). THAT bassline was then spliced into our DNA fo the rest of the festival, it constantly playing in our heads at any moment of quiet and silence. A shamanistic transcendental experience. My head and shoulders above anything else Roadburn 2009 moment. Al Cisneros - Professor Emeritus of Iommic Studies.
Neurosis
Really I could have just given up today after Om and been ecstatic. But it's the days big boys, Neurosis, up next. PapaScag is adamant we're down the front for this, despite the warning signs pinned around the festival say "Warning-Neurosis will be extremely loud" (it was loud but not THAT loud). What the fuck? I have most of the Neurosis back catalogue but can't say I'm in that ultra fanboy category that they seem to attract. And I'm really, really bored with all the pale imitations that sprung up in the furrow that they ploughed. So it's with a healthy dose of cynicism I await their arrival. And as they roar out with "A Sun That Never Sets" I sheepishly hold my hand up and say I was wrong. All the others that came in their wake should give up (yes Isis I'm looking at you). Just pure elemental power like they were hewn out of the ground, like golems bestriding this sorry earth. Beautiful, ugly, powerful and tender all at the same time. This majestic set drew heavily on the last album which may have been problematic for their more devoted fans, but not for me. Also I've seen talk that the last song was "Through Silver and Blood" - surely it was "Locust Star"?
A crushing set from the masters of this sort of music. Death to false NeurIsis!!
Skullflower
We rush outside gulping in the air after the Om/Neurosis experience we've just had. Superb. Catch a bit of Guapo on the way and perhaps should have stuck around for more. Especially after seeing Skullflower. Alright before the intelligentsia of this foetid 'board start having a go about my lack of culture, I was into Skullflower many fucking moons ago, swore by" Xaman" and "IIIrd gatekeeper" when they originally came out and recognise the sometimes genius of Matthew Bower. However at midnight the last thing I want is a load of maximum volume high end free form skronk and scree. Fuck off. I give it ten minutes and then go back outside. I wasn't the only one!
Tribes of Neurot
PapaSca is wrecked, spends the whole of Skullflower lying down, and ambles out to drag me back in for Tribes of Neurot. I'm less than thrilled by the prospect of some 2 in the morning ambient sound of a fridge music. Gerrrump. Get cheered up by some zany Germans flagrantly ignoring the smoking ban (there was alot of crazy Germas about this year.). ToN take what appears an age to set up, but eventually they start. And bleedin'hell if this wasn't one of the more surprising things of the weekend. Two or three 'pieces' involving much sound manipulation, skull shaking bass of Sunno))) proportions and good tribal s t y l e drumming. They close with a track that in effect sounds like a another Neurosis tune. Fucking good actually, reminding us all never to judge a book by its cover.
So at 2:30 there ends the festival proper. Sad goodbyes are being exchange by some outside. Not us. We carry on our riffathon with the Afterburner tomorrow and for me, one of the most hotly awaited lineups of the whole shindig.
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Smoke `em if you`ve got `em
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967 posts since 4/22/2004
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Posted on 4/28/2009 at 9:50:46 AM
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it WAS 'through silver in blood', even though 'locust star' would've been great as well!
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1,302 posts since 11/7/2000
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Posted on 4/28/2009 at 10:00:41 AM
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Smoke `em if you`ve got `em
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4,552 posts since 4/20/2001
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Posted on 4/28/2009 at 12:27:24 PM
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killer capsule!
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16,046 posts since 4/11/2002
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Posted on 4/28/2009 at 1:33:21 PM
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WOW
Thanks for the Breakdown.
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"LIGHTS OUT, MEATBALL!!!"
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32,155 posts since 12/13/1999
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Posted on 4/28/2009 at 11:57:31 PM
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Cheers man. Awesome job here.
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Iommi, Butler, Ward, Osbourne
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2,743 posts since 10/2/2001
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Posted on 4/29/2009 at 12:55:00 AM
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The whole weekend had to have ruled. I'm glad that Farflung got a positive review, they are unreal live.
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364 posts since 2/6/2007
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Posted on 4/29/2009 at 1:20:54 AM
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The innernets yield not this Dyse that you speak of.
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5,413 posts since 4/11/2001
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Posted on 4/29/2009 at 7:40:21 AM
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awesome review Slomo it made me very happy :)
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and thats the devil in a big crystal spaceship....
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670 posts since 7/27/2008
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Posted on 4/29/2009 at 11:17:59 AM
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Today is my first day back at work after The Weekend.. and waited till 5pm to read your reviews, and I'm so glad I did - I felt as if I was back there man!!
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10 posts since 4/13/2009
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Posted on 4/29/2009 at 7:22:11 PM
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what about U.S. Christmas??
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77 posts since 4/14/2009
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Posted on 4/30/2009 at 3:53:38 AM
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@ add: he's true. Dyse are absolutely brilliant. I think their myspace is called dysexxx
You'll also find them on Exile on Mainstream (mainstreamrecords.de)
Sadly couldn't make it to Roadburn, but saw Dyse last weekend in my hometown. Definitely a big (and positive) surprise!
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3,562 posts since 11/28/2000
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Posted on 4/30/2009 at 4:04:31 AM
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I second the Dyse-praise. I've hardly seen two musicians so concentrated in their music while cracking jokes all the time and having a blast. Their recorded output does not match their live-shows.
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364 posts since 2/6/2007
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Posted on 4/30/2009 at 4:08:00 AM
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Thanks, checkin it out now. pretty cool.
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77 posts since 4/14/2009
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Posted on 4/30/2009 at 4:45:47 AM
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Seems this could turn out to be a Dyse Appreceation-Thread. Thus, I cannot support Jmuckes opinion on the Dyse records. I bought both the Picturedisc and the 5'' after the show. I was deeply in doubt, if they can put their energy on wax. But they did it. For all ze Germans: There is a highly amusing monologue of some dude from the Arbeitsamt, telling a 19year-old what kind of work he should do. Kinda disturbing...
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602 posts since 3/3/2005
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Posted on 5/2/2009 at 11:43:46 AM
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Joining in for the Dyse-love. Those guys are fucking amazing and Jari slays on drums. And they are indeed funny, despite the fact that they are German ;) just kidding
US Christmas were nothing but awesomly intense. By far the best show of the main-festival :)) I'd love to see them again next year, playing the main stage! The room (bat cave) was packed and it was blistering hot.
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