Haldern Pop : Day Three

There are thousands of festivals in Europe, particularly in the summer time, but none quite like the Haldern Pop festival, in the Lower Rhine of Germany.  In it’s 27th year, you’d think the word would spread a little more – because this festival is something more than special.  Spectacularly set on country grounds in the Rees-Haldern area, not too far from the Dutch border, thousands flock to witness the spectacular shows put on some of the worlds greatest artists – notably Beirut, Mumford and Sons and closers The National this year, alongside up and coming rising stars from around the globe.  A festival that sells out almost instantly, it’s not just the punters who return year after year, but the bands, such is the magical atmosphere.  Set alongside a lake, amongst the greenest grass, despite the big names – past bands have included Muse, Franz Ferdinand, Kelis – this festival is renowned for its cozy atmosphere, with only a maximum capacity of around 5,000 – which aims to stay that way – much to the delight and merriment to any who have experienced the Haldern magic.

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Click here for photos of Haldern Pop Festival sights in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery

QRO Mag had the wonderful opportunity to experience this distinguished festival-and because of it’s size and it’s relative unknown status globally, Haldern still attracts those who tend to be truly passionate about music- something which is unfortunately a little questionable for other ‘music’ festivals on a global scale.  With an outstanding line-up, there was much to write home about, rather than shaggy-haired, Ray Ban-clad, checkered shirt, drunken fools, but the spectacular show of musicianship throughout the three-day festival set mainly set over two stages.

Young Rebel

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The last day of Haldern Pop proved to be something of a sweltering affair, not only weather-wise, but also musically – with an outstanding line up to close this intimate festival.  With a pop-heavy start, U.K. band Young Rebel Set opened up, providing a somewhat unspectacular set, but audio-friendly enough.  With a commercial appeal and boyish good looks, these young men set to show the internal crowd what they got, having recently signed in Germany.  Rising stars, quite possibly, Young Rebel Set have already sold out the majority of their debut German tour, mainly to young teenage girls, but hey, as a band of seven – at least there’s enough to go round!

Portugal. The Man

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Followed by Young Rebel set was an Alaskan band Portugal. The Man – possibly the most mismatched name, simply given on location and connotations.  However, aside from the strange choice of name, it would seem that this foursome have their sound down to a tee – and given their musical output of six albums and five EP’s in the past four years alone, maybe it’s true what they say: practice makes perfect.  With an eclectic mix of atypical rock sounds, with a little progression and experimental elements, this band present with a friendly, very listenable clean audio, which could be greatly capable of commercial success.  However, there does seem to be elements of the music – those little eccentric twinges – which the band could embrace to make them something a little more special than just something plain average.  There is no doubt that Portugal. The Man are good at what they do – the tracks are put together solidly, the band have a good aesthetic and presentation – but it would be nice if things could just be a bit more special, and if the band are able to find that ‘je ne sais quoi’ things could explode because the potential truly is great.

Fanfarlo

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It would seem that the line-up for Saturday was put together in a rather interesting way, starting with those distinctly average (or at least in a realm of ‘good ‘ music, those who were slightly more lacking) and built up to greater and greater things.  That certainly was the case for Fanfarlo, the London-based band with Swedish roots.  Strangely enough, Fanfarlo still seem relatively unknown in the U.K., but in Europe have reached relatively great heights and acclaim, and it’s easy to see why.  Given that Haldern Pop adored Mumford & Sons (see Day Two), it’s pretty easy to assume they’d like Mumford & Sons Lite.  With a great reception Fanfarlo belted out tunes from their debut album Reservoir (QRO review), which was also produced by outstanding producer Peter Katis, a man capable of truly showcasing talent, as Fanfarlo’s Reservoir indeed does.  It is not just exclusive to the record though, with an array of instruments – mandolin, musical saw, trumpet, just to add to the fun, and that is certainly what the crowd did.

Frightened Rabbit

Following Fanfarlo, rather appropriately in terms of musical classification, were Frightened Rabbit.  Yet another band from the U.K. – Frightened Rabbit hail from Scotland and have been subject to great acclaim, and again, as with Fanfarlo, Frightened Rabbit certainly attracted some very excited faces who came to brave the burning sunlight.  With a fast growing popularity and back catalogue, the band played a range of material stemming from the early days where frontman Hutchinson played as a solo artist acoustically to that of the more layer and complex – such as this years release, The Winter of Mixed Drinks (QRO review).  All songs were met with a joyous reception, even though lyrically, Frightened Rabbit haven’t always been so content as they have with their most recent release.  Still, there was everything to celebrate (apart from the likely sunburn on Hutchinson’s face) with Frightened Rabbit playing up to their roots of the very definition of indie folk rock the very way it should be done.

Blood Red Shoes

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Click here for photos of Blood Red Shoes at 2010 Truck Festival in Steventon, U.K. in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery

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Moving on from Frightened Rabbit, in an ever so slightly different direction, was a rocking twosome Blood Red Shoes.  Yet another band from the U.K., Blood Red Shoes cut themselves off from the impression you would’ve taken by watching other English bands here.  Steven Ansell and Laura-Mary Carter refer to themselves as ‘punk’, in ethos and attitude, and it shows through.  However, even with simply a drum set, guitar and two voices, Carter and Ansell manage to create a something of considerable depth, with lyrics of frustration and anger, but by the constant murmurs through the crowd, it would seem most are more preoccupied with how stunning Carter looks.  Everything about this band is raw – their look, their mindset and most of all their music.

Villagers

Meanwhile, another greatly anticipated band of the evening Villagers were playing in the Spiegeltent – completely raw, but of a different kind.  Although they have one EP, word has spread fast about this Irish band, who was also nominated for a Mercury Music Prize in the U.K. this year.  However, the word of this band has spread further, with even Scott Devendorf of The National (see below) stating that they’re a band he’d love to check out at Haldern.  Are they good as they seem?  Their sound is sparse and eerie, and far away from what you’d typically think of when you’d think about a typical acoustic based band.  Villagers have an overwhelmingly powerful capability to create emotional connections, with tender, atmospheric inclinations.  The crowd was receptive, taken aback by the honesty and emotion by this band.  It’s easy to see how you could get pulled in to the darkness.

Efterklang

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On the other hand, if dark and dreary is not your thing, then you’d be in for quite the treat, with Danish band Efterklang’s frontman Casper Clausen looking like he’d take one too many happy pills.  With a third major release on 4AD this year, Efterklang brought their blend of alternative electronic indie pop, with a combination of orchestral backing creating a robust presentation of material.  There were happy times to be had, with the band creating soft harmonies and striking organic bears.  Efterklang may often be put down as a dance or electronic outfit, but there is something much softer about them, an ethereal quality.

Bear In Heaven

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Back in the Spiegeltent though, there’s something much darker going on, with Bear In Heaven playing, the Brooklyn-based outfit.  After reaching recent acclaim, particularly with last year’s release Beast Rest Forth Mouth (QRO review – receiving a Pitchfork 8.4 and graced many, many more ‘Best of 2009’ lists), many were excited for these New Yorkers to showcase their material, considering that the complex sounds on previous records may be difficult to emulate.  However, Bear In Heaven claimed success, setting a dark mood sprinkled with almost convoluted vocals, if that is indeed possible, and a mosaic of dream beats.  Bear In Heaven may have been able to successfully amalgamate a number of musical elements to create the ultimate band in terms of indie-cred, but Bear In Heaven still don’t seem to have the elements which make them the most easy to listen to bands.  They’re heavy on the ears, Bear In Heaven need digestion, but if you’re looking for something a little easier, you could always head elsewhere.

Sophie Hunger

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And where else is there, that the main stage – where the beautiful Sophie Hunger from Switzerland, presented nothing less than easily listenable heart wrenching folk pop songs.  Hunger appeared to throw herself into song, to a slightly more than bored crowd – it would seem that all were waiting for the next few artists appearing after her.  A slight shame, as although the recognition for Hunger’s talent was limited from the crowd, Hunger’s performance was a prime example of real song writing talent from this young starlet.  Hunger’s vocal was outstandingly strong, alongside boasting her capabilities for multi instrumentation.

Primarily singing in English, with a song or two in German (Hunger studied Germany and English at University, whilst spending stints of her childhood in both German and England), Hungers songs had a real sense of urgency, desperation and sadness, captured perfectly by her performance – pitch-perfect and tone-appropriate.  Even so, on the contrary, it’s easy to see why one may have found Hunger’s performance less than stimulating, as much of Hunger’s material revolves around the same musical and lyrical themes, if you can last that long without slitting your wrists.

The Tallest Man on Earth

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On a more upbeat note though, was sneaky entry onto the bill of a short stint of Swedish folk singer The Tallest Man on Earth, also known as Kristian Matsson.  Only playing a short set, Matsson was greeted by adoring fans who knew each word, each gap, every note in every song, who made the most of everything Matsson played.  Very much in line with the typical Swedish indie pop you may think of (think Jens Lekman – QRO album review), Matsson too has an upbeat, listenable sound, which has a genuine undertone of honesty and love to it.  Although this, it all gets a bit repetitive, and it’s all bit a little disappointment that he’s really not that tall after all.

Yeasayer

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As the night came closer to the end, second-to-headlining act Yeasayer took the stage, which provided to be an interesting mix of entertainment.  Opening up with “Tightrope”, the band seemed animated, followed by a gradual demise manifesting in a lack of energy from frontman Chris Keating, even himself noting towards the end of the set that his strange mood may be down to the swamp water from the lake which he swallowed.  However, fellow core member Anand Wilder did not fail to get his groove on, dancing throughout the set and providing an inspiration for the crowd who needed a little boost, considering the sound and energy was a little lower key than expected from the band.  However, the band included hits such as “O.N.E”, creating a considerable response, and played a range of material from their two albums.  There is no doubt that the hype surrounding Yeasayer hasn’t been unfounded, but from this performance, it wasn’t the greatest demonstration of their talent.  Yeasayer are a band who require an energy, a show and who need the bright lights – or at least some juice in the musical engine.

The National

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However, one band who don’t require so much juice for their performance are closers of the weekend, The National – uniquely, they are a band where their music speaks for itself.  The New York quintet, made up of two sets of brothers and frontman Matt Berninger recited a set heavy on their most recent release of High Violet (QRO review), which was somewhat unfortunately hindered by considerable technical problems.  With large gaps whilst the bass was cut out completely for the first few songs, Berninger awkwardly tried to fill the gaps of silence.  However, the crowd didn’t come to hear storytelling, or a joke, but to see the spectacle with is The National – and it didn’t disappoint, once the problems were slowly but surely ironed out.  Although Berninger started off the set with “Afraid of Everyone” in the wrong key (all but likely yet another technical feedback fault), he was soon corrected, to progress onto a tighter and tighter sound as crewmembers frantically tried to pull it together.  For a band that seems to have their sound so perfected, it seemed a mighty shame, and certainly caused some calamity for the band, where the Dessner brothers – who usually come across as very light hearted- became more distressed.

However, these problems were not to hang about long, as song issues were resolved and the bass was returned to where it belonged, and alongside this was the addition of Nico Muhly – who is a friend of the band and coincidentally signed to Brassland Records (a label co-owned by the Dessners) – for the heart-wrenchingly beautiful track “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks”.  By this time round, the sound was perfected, allowing for each individual track to hit home.  It was not just the slower tracks – “Slow Show”, “Sorrow” – which were more effective, though, as powerful, compelling tracks like “Abel” and “Mr. November” blew the crowd away, with Berninger briefly entering the crowd as he atypically would, such to the publics delight.  However, it was more than Matt Berninger’s exploits that got the crowd going, but the soaring, almost stadium-like guitars from the Dessner brothers, which created all-powerful crescendos to capture the hearts and minds of Haldern Pop.  Additionally, it’s not just the Dessners who can astound, but Bryan Devendorf showcased his utterly electrifying drumbeats with the extended intro to “Squalor Victoria” from Boxer (QRO review) and Scott Devendorf’s (QRO interview at Haldern) bass lines that maneuver like musical tectonic plates.

The National seem to have an almighty capability to create a wholly dynamic wall of sound, which has an incredible solidity to it.  It’s understandable why The National get so annoyed about technical faults – each element is so carefully crafted into a thing of beauty, that the National are incomplete without each musical fundamental.  They are something to aspire to too – with many of the weekends artists crowding round hidden corners of the stage to watch the band – including Markus Mumford of Mumford & Sons (see Day Two), and Laura Marling (QRO live review).

The most recent singles were played off of High Violet, including “Anyone’s Ghost” plus “Terrible Love” in the encore, but the closer was most highly appropriate “About Today”, a song about loss and goodbyes.  As the band closed the end of this outstanding festival and tremendous show, tears were to be had, as this intense track played out to the band leaving the stage, one by one.  There probably couldn’t have had a more appropriate closer to the night, or the weekend with a truly intense performance by genuinely one of the very best bands around.