Haldern Pop Festival 2011

Unlike last year’s Haldern Pop Festival, there were only a handful of bands on the line-up that I was familiar with this year. However, because I had bought the tickets way in advance and I enjoyed the festival’s atmosphere of the previous year I decided to not sell my ticket and enjoy a festival by almost exclusively discovering new bands – I was not disappointed in the end.

Thursday:
One thing I definitely do not get about the Haldern Pop Festival is that there is only one stage open on the first day. This stage is a tent with a limited capacity of about 700 people. However, almost all the festivalgoers are already at the festival site on Thursday. So after waiting in line for more than 3 hours, accompanied by occasional rain and being called narrow-minded by the people who kept cutting in line my mood was far from an all-time high. But that all changed after I got into the tent just in time for the Avett Brothers. Completely new to me, I was amazed by their energy on stage, the way they got the crowd going and especially the vocal harmonies of the two brothers Seth and Scott. Nevertheless I felt that vocal harmonies seem to be missing something, if there are just two voices, but that might just be me. After the Avett Brothers’ show, Anna Calvi was up. Although I enjoyed her electric-guitar-only intro, I couldn’t get into her music as a whole. The last concert of the night saw a completely filled stage, that is, with the Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble, a classical orchestra (although much smaller, maybe 12 people or so) that reinterprets techno music with classical instruments. Although fun to watch and hear, it became a bit repetitive (who would have thought?) and so I got back to the campsite.

Friday:
Definitely the most packed day in terms of bands I wanted to see, starting off with the beautiful music of the Antlers who easily made it on my list of acts whose music I should check out more thoroughly when I get back. Up next was Selah Sue which reminded me a lot of last year’s booking of Rox – female singer, decent airplay on the radio, entertainer, professional backing band and musically different from most bands at Haldern Pop. This recipe seems to work though, as the people around me and myself really enjoyed her mixture of soul, reggae and singer-songwriter and so did she, apparently. Afterward I hurried back to the tent to be on time for the show of Socalled. Calling himself “Klez-Funk Hip Hop Maestro” one could tell this was going to be something out of the ordinary, but to such an extent I had not dared to imagine. The way he incorporated Klezmer instrumentation and style into hip-hop beats seemed to make a lot of sense and especially when he told his band to “open [their] books on page 9” and they sang what appeared to be a Jewish prayer, I was amazed how fun the weirdness of this man was. Although they were not supposed to play an encore, it was impossible to ignore the clamant crowd. So they got back on stage to play a cover of Fred Wesley’s House Party and ended the party with a bang.

After drying up in the fresh air I went back inside the tent to watch the show of Dry The River. This was a band I had mixed feelings about. On the one hand they sang beautiful vocal harmonies (one thing I care most about in music or at least something that immediately gets my attention) although the lead singer occasionally was a little too screechy for my taste. On the other hand the rocky music that accompanied the vocal harmonies didn’t seem very fitting and disrupted the beauty of the vocals. Perhaps it will grow on me in the future. I will definitely give them the chance to do so. Up next was Alexi Murdoch, whose minimal guitar picking and soothing voice practically put me to sleep and I mean this in the best possible way. If his records prove to be anything like his set at Haldern Pop he will join the likes of Sigur Rós and Sufjan Stevens to put me to sleep. Bringing the day to a worthy end another man with just his guitar entered the stage: James Vincent McMorrow. Being frequently recommended to me, I had high expectations that he was able to deliver. With his fragile falsetto he reminded me a lot of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and just like his colleague from Wisconsin, James Vincent took the breath away of an entire audience. Unfortunately, the Wombats played the mainstage simultaneously so that, especially during the quiet parts, they really disturbed the beauty of James’ music. This was especially unfortunate when he played a song unplugged and it was barely audible due to the wombats’ noise. James retorted, “Let’s be really quiet in protest”. Just like Socalled he brought the show to an end with a fantastic cover: Wicked Game by Chris Isaak.


Saturday:
Three bands that made me decide to go to Haldern Pop played on this day. The first of those three to play was Destroyer, whose last album “Kaputt” I really enjoyed and couldn’t wait to see live. The atmosphere of the album was delivered very well, but, as someone on twitter said, it was a bunch of great musicians with the stage presence of studio musicians. This was a bit of a letdown but the music was nevertheless fantastic. Band, or rather artist number two was up right after Destroyer: James Blake. Although I already saw James Blake in Cologne earlier this year I had to do so again, if only to hear some other songs. However, he played the same set of songs, just less. Additionally the same set of hipsters who came along to hear “limit to your love” and jabber during the rest of the show were present as well. But even James’ voice could not match the previous performance of him - all in all a bit of a disappointment. After seeing bits and pieces of bands here and there, I settled again for Hauschka in the tent. Hauschka is a musician from the close city of Düsseldorf that manipulates the sound of his piano by putting various objects into it to create instrumental music that might as well be used for movies, definitely something worth hearing. Back at the Mainstage I was able to see the final few songs of the Low Anthem, another band with great vocal harmonies and a singer that is completely absorbed in his music. After a lengthy break, the moment that a lot of people and myself had been waiting for finally arrived: the Fleet Foxes concert. With a mix of all their material and a focus on their latest album “Helplessness Blues” the fleet foxes were able to put the audience in awe. It was moments like the ending part of Mykonos or Sim Sala Bim, the sheer perfection of the singing that really set them apart from other bands and completely enthralled me. A minor letdown was that the leadsinger Robin Pecknold appeared to feel obliged to thank the audience, rather than really enjoying it as much as the rest of us did. Nevertheless this was a musical demonstration of bliss.

Concert: Owen Pallett at Kölner Philharmonie (Cologne, Germany)

I must admit, Owen Pallett is not music that I listen to regularly. In fact I hardly ever do, simply because his music is a bit too hectic and exceptional to be listened to casually. However, I knew that his show at a venue reserved for classical concerts was a must-see and how right I was.
The difference between the Kölner Philharmonie and ordinary venues became evident at the very start. As I was 30 minutes late (for the opening band that is) the lady at the entrance told me that they would open the doors only during the next applause. Once I got in, the atmosphere created by the venue mesmerized me. At the top it felt like looking down a gorge with the illuminated stage at the bottom like a misty river. Although I have never listened to Apparat+Band (who opened for Owen Pallett) I really enjoyed their set, especially the way it incorporated the light show into the music.
After a lengthy break and watching Owen and his band do the sound check themselves (common for him or the venue I don’t know, since it was both firsts for me), what turned out to be a fantastic concert finally commenced.
Owen started off by himself for 2 songs and then was joined by a (fantastic) drummer and a guitar player “I did what most people do when they’re in their thirties, I started a band”. I hardly know any of his songs by name, but I’m pretty positive that it was mostly songs from his album “Heartland”. I was most content when he played my favorite song “Lewis takes action” from said album, especially the way the guitarist provided back-up vocals creating enthralling harmonies with Owen’s voice. What captivated me so much about the show though was the way Owen made use of his looping pedal. Adding layers upon layers of his violin, played in all ways imaginable and unimaginable. Bowing and picking seem obvious, but using an octaver pedal to create an acoustic bass line, short percussive touches with the bow to create rhythm or even screaming into the violin? Not so much I think. It was like an exhibition of the creative possibilities of a loop pedal, paired with the angelic choirboy voice of Owen. After the three encores he played and a few people already made their way to the door, the majority stayed and clapped endlessly so he, in fact, showed up on stage again. “The lights didn’t go on and you kept clapping so I just thought I’d come back out again. At this point I’ll play anything for you, just tell me.” At this point at the latest, it showed what a genuinely nice guy he must be, something that is always really important to me at concerts. He didn’t really play something that was requested, but something that was even better. “I’m just gonna mess around with this a bit”. He looped a drum beat on his keyboard, a few layers of violin and ended up covering Caribou’s “Odessa” which only became evident when he started singing the lyrics (at least to me). Although I would have loved to hang around and meet him and hug him for his great contribution to music, I had to hurry and make my way to the Hudson Mohawke show (which turned out to be one of the greatest sets I was lucky enough to experience ever).

Owen Pallett - Odessa (Caribou Cover) (Live) by ashtapes

Concert: Sufjan Stevens at Colosseum Theater (Essen, Germany)

Sufjan Stevens is one of those artists that have always been at the very top of my agenda of artists I want to experience live. After waiting for about two years and my hopes steadily dissolving into despair I finally learned about the good news of Sufjan making his way across the big pond to present his new album “The Age of Adz”. This past Sunday the day I had longed for for so long finally arrived. The show commenced with the supporting act DM Stith who appeared to be in awe of the enormous red curtain arching behind him and even more when getting a short glimpse of the vast audience that laughed admirably at his modesty. However, it was only for a second until DM Stith continued with his dreamy folk songs that featured his agile guitar playing style and a vocal loop pedal, creating intricate harmonies that reminded me a little of Jamie Woon. Although he only played four songs it was enough to make a lasting impression on me, inducing the desire to get hold of his music.
When the red curtain was drawn for the first time of that evening, the theater was pitch black and one could slowly hear the strings of a banjo echoing throughout and manifesting itself as the melody of “Seven Swans”. As the song took its course one could hardly deny the fact that this was probably a little inspired by Darren Aronofsky’s Oscar winning movie “The Black Swan” especially when Sufjan literally spread his giant wings at the climax of the song. Additionally one could sense that this was going to be an exceptional night.
What was to follow was the “Age of Adz” album, almost in its entirety and a few tracks of his precursor EP “All delighted people”, briefly interrupted by a cover of R.E.M.’s classic tune “The One I Love” which Sufjan announced as one of his favorite songs. Throughout the show he eloquently elaborated on the meaning of this record, his inspiration, the production process and in what way it differed enormously from his usual song writing process. To accompany the cosmological theme of the show, animated paintings by the self proclaimed prophet and schizophrenic Royal Robertson were displayed in sync with the music on the backdrop. Royal Robertson and his life served as a major inspiration for the Age of Adz, both musically and especially lyrically. He also honored him by writing his surname in neon yellow tape on his guitar.
The show closed with 25-minute long album closer “Impossible Soul” that reached a climax when the entire audience sang along to the words “we can do much more together, it’s not so impossible” giant balloons came raining down from the rooftops and a blissful dance party erupted on stage. You could simply tell that both the audience and the musicians on stage were highly enjoying themselves and the show.
After what felt like ten minutes of constant applauding and jubilant cheering, Sufjan came back on stage, stripped of his neon cosmic suit with a simply green t-shirt and the printing “Say yes to Michigan” signaling that the encore was reserved for the songs that made everyone in the room initially fall in love with Sufjan - songs that prove that an acoustic guitar and a voice so gentle more than suffice for music to captivate its listeners to such an extent.
“Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland”, “Casimir Pulaski Day” and, of course “Chicago” once more revived that feeling that arose from the previous performance of “Impossible Soul”.