Lowlands 2012
LOWLANDS WAS AMAZING!
Even though the line-up wasn't as good as usual it was still so much fun. Perhaps it was a good thing that there weren't that many famous bands around coz I've actually got to know some really cool new bands. I'm going to summarize my story coz there is just too much to tell. So.. of we go!
Friday
It was raining on Thursday so everything was kind of muddy but it wasn’t too bad. The first band I saw on Friday was The Wombats I've seen them a couple times before and they didn’t disappoint. I think they are a perfect festival band, coz they make happy music and it's very easy to sing along with. I also very much enjoyed their new stuff. They're just getting better and better. After the wombats we walked passed the Grolsch tent and I went in to see who were playing. It was Fitz and the Tantrums, lovely happy music but not really my cup of tea so we didn't stay. We walked back to the Alpha tent to wait for Graffiti6, we sat down in the grass and listened to them play. Like the Wombats they are also a perfect festival band. And their music just makes you happy. A lot of people came to see Graffiti6 after the show a lot of them left but also a lot of people stayed because one of my favourites of the day/weekend was about to play: De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig. For the people who don't know them: they make complete nonsense music but its hilarious. Everybody was singing along with their songs and the entire alpha tent was jumping up and down. It was such a beautiful sight. Then we went to Chase & Status, an upcoming drum 'n bass duo. They totally kick ass but I still have to get used to music like drum 'n bass and dub step. But it was definitely fun to experience. In hindsight I regret not going to the middle of the tent, coz I later heard people there were going crazy. After that I was craving for some falafel. I've been talking about the Lowlands falafel for the entire year. It's so damn delicious! As good as my Falafel-break was we had to move on. Next up was The Arctic Monkeys, I saw them two years ago at lowlands and they weren’t good. They didn’t interact with the audience, they only played new songs and they looked bored as hell. Thank god this time things were totally different, they were really good. The sound was amazing, we were in the back of the tent and it was still very clear. Moreover the band interacted with the audience, I can’t stand bands who don’t interact with them. It’s like hello
remember the people who brought you here? Yeah that’s us. But like I said they did interact this time so they’ve def grown. After the Arctic monkeys we went to a new tent: The Titty Twister, this so-called old rock ‘n roll tent. I obviously had to check that out. It really was cool tent with girls on poles and old fashioned rock ‘n roll music but it was a bit too crowded. We ended in the Grolsch tent were they played 90s + zeros music. Loved it! What a great beginning!
Saturday
I’ve always wanted to go to Lowlands Zingt. Basically it’s this huge karaoke thing where the entire alpha tent sings along to the classics. It was quite fun to do but it did miss a few classics. Then we went to Flogging Molly all I knew about them was that it was an Irish band who made Irish folk music. I didn’t know that they were so much fun! Everyone went crazy not only the alpha tent was turned inside out but everyone outside also went crazy! We stayed at the alpha tent waiting for Within Temptation, I’m not a huge fan but I like their music and I’ve heard they put on a great show. And they sure did. Before they gig they played a short movie which totally reminded me of the visuals that Nightwish uses. And also in between songs they showed little pieces of that film. It was very original, I’ve never seen that before. They also used fire, fireworks and a lot of lights which made it fun for even the non-WT fans. And you just can’t ignore Sharon’s voice. Damn that woman can sing. Then I ran to Crystal Castles unfortunately I was alone, but I still had a great time I pushed myself forward and ended up in front of the stage. People went crazy there, but not as crazy as they did when Crystal castles played Trouw in Amsterdam. Because they were late (for whatever reason) they played a very short set which was disappointing but unfortunately I can’t do anything about that. Renee suggested to go to a comedy show called Boom Chicago, I had never heard of them and I hesitated to go. I’m so glad I went coz it turned out to be one of my highlights of Lowlands. Boom Chicago exists of four Americans, I normally don’t like American comedy but this was great. I had tears in my eyes from laughing. They have their own club in Amsterdam so I’m definitely going to check them out sometimes. Later that night we went to the Grolsch tent again where they played some fun music (Alpha disco).
Sunday
Sunday was a very busy and fun day. We started with an artist that i was very much looking forward to see: Frank Turner. He plays his acoustic guitar as if he’s playing punk music (which he used to play). He’s lyrics are great, example: “I keep having dreams bout pioneers, pirate ships and bob Dylan” and he’s quite the entertainer, the crowd loved him. And why shouldn’t they he was great! Then I went to see the Swedish band Royal Republic this was the 4th time I’d see they play and they hardly ever disappoint they are so much fun and just make great music. Check them out if you haven’t already! Another highlight of my weekend was: Chuck Palahniuk. Who? You might ask. He’s the genius who wrote amazing books such as Fight Club, Choke and Invisible monsters. He seems like such a normal guy but he has a dark and twisted mind and he puts that in his stories. He gave most people in the audience a blow up doll xD at that point I already thought “this is going to be great and unusual” and it was. We held a competition who would had his doll blown up first and he read one of his weird and short stories which was called ‘Romance’. He also signed my book and I took a picture with him and one of my friends Kharina (see below). Renne and I went to see Tek-One and we went mental! They were really awesome. Dubstep is the new punk (you've heard it here yet). The rest of my friends went to see Skunk Anansie so after Tek-one we went there too just to check it out. Another woman with a great voice! And lovely crowd interaction, she walked on top of the crowd, she stage dived and she walked through the crowd. She also said a lot of kind things about Pukkelpop. She seems like a lovely talented woman. When I went to get some food I saw a couple minutes of the Lykke Li show, damn Sweden has a lot of talent! (she’s from Sweden right?) Then I went to see The Offspring for a bit. I don’t really like them but the rest really wanted to see them and then we went to Aphex Twin. He was sick! He had a bit of a slow start but in the end he had everyone in the Bravo tent going crazy. We were standing/dancing in the 5th row of something like that so we were close to the stage and that was awesome. He’s such a legend, I’m glad I got to see him. A lot of people in the front left after Aphex twin so I could move forward. I took some steps and before I knew it I stood against the barrier: FRONT ROW! I was so happy that I was standing there because I was very much looking forward to the next act and I knew that everyone would go crazy. Why? Because next up was SKRILLEX. HE WAS SICK! This was definitely my highlight of lowlands! I knew some of his songs before the gig and I thought that he was good but I didn’t know that he was this great. Everyone went mental! This is music that gets better the bigger the venue is. This was heavier than any mars show I’ve ever went to (okay maybe not comparing to Oberhausen). I’m so glad that I could hold on to the barrier, otherwise I may have passed away of something. Skrillex is such a nice guy as well or at least he seems like one. And he was so excited, he jumped on top of his table and accidentally hit his laptop which made the music stop. He grabbed he mic giggled and said “sorry” in a very cute way. He also said I love you very silently, he was so touched. I really want to see him in Paradiso but it’s sold out -_-‘. So I’m trying to win tickets now. I also went to see Fake Blood for a while, they sounded really good but I was exhausted after Skrillex so we didn't stay long.
Overall it was a great festival, I already read some articles about critics bitching but I’ve had the time of my life. We had great neighbours on the camping, everyone looked after each other and helped each other. It was one of the best Lowlands’ ever!
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