Showtime baby

[Aurelyn]

Who? Xuefei Yang, amazing classical guitarist from China.

What was it all about then An amazing solo performance from one of the most technically gifted guitarists I've ever seen. Plus she was really damn hot, which made it even better!

Memorable moments Well, I wasn't keen on a lot of the repertoire she was playing, a lot of Spanish Romantic era stuff, but as her first encore she played a sonata by my favourite composer Leo Brouwer, a 20th century Cuban guitarist, which absolutely blew me away.

Any good Fuck yeah. It's not often a really good classical guitarist comes this way, and it was pretty special. Plus one of the pieces she played I'm trying to learn at the moment (emphasis on the word trying), and now I know what it's meant to sound like
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[Munan]

Who? The Pet Shop Boys. THE Pet Shop Boys!! The Pet Shop BOYS!!! THE PET SHOP BOYS!!!!!111OMG OMG OMG
What was it all about, then? THE PET SHOP BOYS!!!!!!
Memorable moment? THE PET SHOP BOYS11!!!!!11!
Any good? It was the Pet Shop Boys!!!!!!

Okay, so that was how I felt immediately after the show. Now let me try to give a more balanced review.

Who? The elderly statesmen of pop themselves: the Pet Shop Boys
What was it all about, then? The Pandemonium tour, promoting their latest record Yes, hit Amsterdam yesterday. The boys themselves were accompanied by four literaly amazing dancers/background singers and the whole thing was a complete visual extravaganza with white walls being knocked down, flying cubes, arty video projections and outrageous costumes. They played a mix of hits and lesser known songs, down to an obscure eighties b-side which happens to be one of my favourite songs. Neil Tennant, the singer, has undeniably aged, but he wore it with grace and his voice has never been better, really.
Memorable moment? The entire show was an orgasm put to music, really, but the bit of modern ballet during their powerfully delivered ballad "Jealousy" was definitely mindblowing.
Any good? It was the bloody Pet Shop Boys!! They are to pop music what Wolverine is to being a berserk superhero fighting ninjas: They are the best at what they do.
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The Justified Ancient of Mu Mu

[Sal]

Gdynia's Heineken Open'er Festival is kicking off today and, like last year (and last page), i will be providing day-by-day coverage of the major gigs i'll be seeing. this year's menu includes: The Prodidgy, Moby, Placebo, Arctic Monkeys (bleh), Kings Of Leon (bleh), Lilly Allen, Q-Tip, Madness, and first and foremost, the bloody reunited FAITH NO MORE.
stay tuned.
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i have no time for anal love

[Sal]

Heineken Opener 2009, day 1
briefly, because i need to grab something to eat and get back to the site:

Who? Peter Bjorn And John
What was it all about, then? some pseudo folkish-rockish-poppish Swedish trio with allegedly very catchy tunes
Memorable moment? none. seriously, i can't even recall what they looked like
Any good? didn't grab my attention, that for sure.

Who? Late Of The Pier
What was it all about, then? some sorta indie pop with a, presumably, psychedelic twist
Memorable moment? the crazy trippy visuals were more memorable than the songs
Any good? kept me hanging around for a whole one song longer than the previous band.

Who? Arctic Monkeys
What was it all about, then? media's pet "greatest band ever", living proof of the power of MySpace and autosuggestion
Memorable moment? when the gear broke down and the pretty boy singer kept on mouthing his words into the mic, like a fish out of water, it was both funny and strangely appropriate
Any good? screeching guitars can be fun for their own sake, but tend to get really dull after a while when not supported by decent melodies and song ideas. if that's the most creative band around, then i'm not impressed.

Who? Basement Jaxx
What was it all about, then? the usual dance/club/electronic duo with a supporting team of big-boned black female singers/mc's
Memorable moment? the shaking of the booty by the aforementioned big-boned black singers; also, more problems with the onstage monitors causing the ensemble to miss a beat or two
Any good? well, if i had to choose the most interesting performance of the first night it would be them, but that's not saying much.

so that's day 1. overall, i was very underwhelmed. i hope it gathers speed from now on. Sal out.
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[Sal]

Heineken Opener 2009, day 2

Who? Gossip
What was it all about, then? big fat angry lesbian punk band, whose star power rests entirely with the big fat angry lesbian singer, and which, from what i hear, is all the rage at the moment
Memorable moment? close-ups on the screens to all the big fat goodness of the band's singer
Any good? really, really generic angry lesbian punk, i'd say.

Who? The Kooks
What was it all about, then? a band of barely legal British boys, notable for Bowie-inspired band name and because one of them used to make out with Katie Melua some years ago
Memorable moment? no mention of Katie Melua whatsoever
Any good? extremely white and nerdy mixture of bouncy pop rock and sappy emo tunes. at their best they sounded like Oasis' younger siblings, at their worst - like 21st century The Osmonds.

Who? Hjaltalin
What was it all about, then? another airy, artsy, magical band from Iceland riding the Sigur Ros bandwagon
Memorable moment? none. wasn't there for long.
Any good? meh.

Who? Duffy
What was it all about, then? the safer, family-friendly version of Amy Winehouse, who is all promotion and no passion
Memorable moment? the ubiquitous hit single, i guess
Any good? slightly less boring than on the record, but equally forced, generic and by-the-numbers.

Who? Moby
What was it all about, then? the guru of guitar-driven electronic anthems and human hit machine
Memorable moment? "This is a big rock festival, so here's my guitar solo, motherfuckers!" - this was actually kinda funny; and the solo itself was respectable, too
Any good? a bit monotonous at times, but still the most entertaining thing i've seen so far. all the hits were there, Natural Blues came off particularly nice, and at least you could tell he really tried to connect, unlike some others (hint hint: Duffy).

Who? Crystal Castles
What was it all about, then? an electronic duo with a famous female so-called-singer, whose schtick is to thrash around the stage like crazy and deliver totally random and hysterical screams over raw techno beats; she's supposed to be pretty and fragile looking too, but how the hell should i know if the stage was in total darkness most of the time. i guess it's the techno equivalent of brutal hardcore punk. if so, i wasn't impressed.
Memorable moment? the hysterical screams were memorable enough, thank you very much
Any good? wtf?

i know that the bulk of the big names are left for the two final days, but really... halfway through the festival and only once so far has my heart started beating faster - when i had a go at Guitar Hero at the X-Box tent and, much like same place last year, failed miserably.
FNM tonight. nuff said.
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[Aurelyn]

I really like Crystal Castles - a whole gig of them could be a bit much though... Festival sounds a bit pants so far.
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[Sal]

Heineken Opener 2009, day 3

i was waiting for FNM to salvage the festival in grand style and, boy, did they deliver! since the day was utterly dominated by one performance, i did much less walking around various stages and consequently saw fewer acts, plus i only saw the parts that didn't overlap with you know who.

Who? Madness
What was it all about, then? the comeback of a British reggae/ska legend
Memorable moment? the show's opener, One Step Beyond, complete with the spoken intro - it was one of those moments of history coming alive
Any good? lots of fun, but unfortunately i couldn't stay long - due to some last minute changes they were rescheduled and moved to a different stage, which meant i had to retreat early if i wanted a good seeing spot for FNM.

Who? FAITH NO MORE, forgive the capitalization
What was it all about, then? the legendary funk-metal outfit, dubbed the world's most eclectic band and credited with inventing nu metal, but don't hold it against them; after a full decade of denying any such possibility, Patton apparently said to himself something in the line of "screw it" and reunited his most commercially successful band. but there was nothing fake about it - it was The Real Thing.
Memorable moment? too many to mention; the setlist was the setlist from heaven, covering both all the major songs in their catalog and novelty tracks like I Started a Joke; there was the cool of Easy and Evidence, there was the power of Midlife Crisis, Ashes to Ashes and Epic, there was the unexpected but very welcome focus on the material from the King for a Day album, including the title track and the stellar anthem Just a Man. there was the theme from Chariots of Fire as an intro to Stripsearch. oh, and there were two encores, something unheard of at a festival such as this.
Any good? absolutely fabulous. there was passion, there was wit, and there was great fun, on both sides of the stage. God only knows what made Patton change his mind (could have been the dough), but there was nothing half-assed or forced about this reunion - they were really having fun playing their old classics, and the audience appreciated. to me, being able to see them live was a dream come true and this truly was one of the few greatest, if not the greatest, gigs i've seen in my life.

Who? Q-Tip
What was it all about, then? one of oldschool rap's finest mc's
Memorable moment? i was very late to this one because of the FNM show, but came in time for a terrific medley of old Tribe classics (including Scenario and Check The Rhime)
Any good? world class hip hop with great funky band and Q's fantactic mc-ing skills; i regret not being able to see it all, but i have my priorities.

Who? Pendulum
What was it all about, then? an odd drum'n'bass/prog metal crossover band
Memorable moment? band singer: "When people will ask: How was Poland?, I'm gonna say: Awesome!" - that's really the only thing i remember apart from vividly colorful stage lights
Any good? might have been interesting, but i was too tired to care at this point.

so that's it for day 3. as far as i'm concerned the festival could as well finish already. FNM single-handedly made up for everything else and made the whole business worthwhile for me. one day left.
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[Nron]

Jesus Sal. Arnt you outa money yet?I mean how many fucking things do you see in a week? Or do you and the wife see it as a way to find free weed?
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Clueless and the Grammer Unerw�nschte

[Sal]

it's called a festival. you pay once and you see many bands. i know it sounds crazy, but it's true.

also

[Aurelyn]

[Sal]

Heineken Opener 2009, day 4 and thank God it's over.

Who? Lily Allen
What was it all about, then? the British teen (not anymore?) pop princess, famous for brash attitude and lighthearted pop hits
Memorable moment? when Lily said she's waiting to see King of Leon, too
Any good? another disappointment. i wasn't expecting a musical epiphany or anything, only quality casual entertainment by a disarmingly direct pop star. what i got instead was a boring string of slow-burning, same-sounding, second-rate pop songs. and Lily's no Madonna either - she looked like a high school girl at a karaoke party, and acted accordingly. even the obvious hits sounded feeble.

Who? Buraka Som Sistema
What was it all about, then? some crazy Portuguese ensemble mixing world music with club electronics
Memorable moment? not really
Any good? possibly, but i wasn't in the mood for throbbing African bass drums and left early.

Who? Kings of Leon
What was it all about, then? an American pop rock group, who, i've been told, are the biggest band in the world at the moment. i can't quite believe it either.
Memorable moment? amid the sea of boring pseudo-retro rock songs, they played the one song i find enjoyable, which is called Closer. so i guess it's as good a memorable moment as any.
Any good? dear lord. talk about overhype. it's not that they are horrible, because they are at least competent. it's that they are incredibly boring, lifeless, grey-sounding, and utterly unexciting. how on earth they gathered their massive worldwide following is a mystery beyond my puny cognitive potential.

Who? The Ting Tings
What was it all about, then? an up-and-coming poppy dance/punk/alternative duo of a guy on drums and a girl on vocals and occasional guitar
Memorable moment? whenever the girl grabbed the guitar and rocked out - made her look really hot.
Any good? better than on the album at least. nothing earth-shattering, but simple, unpretentious fun, which is more than i can say about most of the festival's acts

Who? Placebo
What was it all about, then? the Rolling Stones of emo/indie, fresh from releasing a new album and busy promoting it
Memorable moment? when after a so-so main part of the show they came back for encore and played Infra-red and Taste in Men, and it finally got exciting - better late then never. particularly surprising (and memorable at that) because i never even liked Infra-red, but had to admit that it sounded really badass this time around
Any good? Placebo is the kind of band that can be either very good or horrible - all depending on the particular songs you hear. this show was really good in terms of the band's energy, its big crisp sound, Molko's singing form, etc., but it suffered exactly from poor track selection, rendering it a big wasted opportunity. with a better setlist it could have easily been the second best gig of the whole festival... and i guess it still was, but that's because the competition was so weak.

Who? The Prodigy
What was it all about, then? the heroes of dirty punk-rave, trusted with the task of ending the festival with a bang
Memorable moment? realizing what a giant disappointment this show is. which was two songs into it. also Maxim's rather preposterous catch-phrase of "My fucking Polish warriors!" - you could make a great drinking game out of him repeating it ad nauseam.
Any good? the expectations were enormous and so was the hype before their performance. there were warnings everywhere about the danger of hearing damage and epilepsia during their show, making me anxiously get ready for a veritable sonic apocalypse. instead, onto the stage came several middle-aged guys wearing make-up and started jumping around, making scary faces and flailing their arms a lot. and the music? well, it was kinda raw and kinda heavy, but really nothing that special. Breathe sounded a bit tired, so did Firestarter, Voodoo People did only slightly better. i had thought their sheer evil power would have me on my knees begging for mercy, none of which happened.

the Prodigy show was an anti-climax which sent me home in a lousy mood. the Faith No More gig was worth every money, but on the whole the festival was an underwhelming experience. big, yes, but also painfully empty. i'll think twice before buying the all-days ticket next year. Sal out.
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[Aurelyn]

I went to see The Prodigy a few weeks ago in Slane Castle over here, and I was so underwhelmed by the experience I didn't even bother posting a review here. Let's face it, they're past it. We should let the memories remain good... I wouldn't mind seeing The Ting Tings live, I'd say they're cracking fun.
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[Aramor]

I had a chance to see the Prodigy, but I fucked myself over on that one.

I take it some people here know about Lowlands, a big festival which is coming up in about a month. Well, I'm going there and the Prodigy is also playing there. But I'm going there with my work, and I have to work one day and then I get a free ticket. And well, the Prodigy is playing in the evening, and I gotta work in the evening, since I changed shifts with the afternoon crew. But ah well, the rest of the festival is awesome as well.
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[Sal]

i just googled Lowlands. you'll have a lot of the stuff we had here, and many more. make sure to review the acts you'll see.
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[Aramor]

If I remember any

Except for the day I have to work, I'll be drunk from the start. My Lowlands tradition is to crawl out of my tent, light a cigarette, take a leak in the bushes, open a can of beer and then continue getting dressed.
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[Sal]

Globaltica World Culture Festival 2009, Gdynia, Poland
(you can actually see me with a guitar in a picture if you look up Marla Cinger under the artists page)

it's the thing my band played at, as the opening act of day 2. afterwards i've seen:

Who? Mariee Sioux
What was it all about, then? a fragile looking girl playing fragile sounding, dreamy acoustic songs
Memorable moment? "thank you, bye" and she was off the stage sooner than we knew the last song was finished.
Any good? pretty good. good voice, good songs, great fingerpicking technique. perhaps a little too delicate and monotonous for a full-scale show at 9 pm though.

Who? Orange Goblin
What was it all about, then? heavy stoner fucking metal, complete with beards, tatoos, sleeveless t-shirts and beer spitting singer.
Memorable moment? one of their songs was actually called "Aquatic Fanatic". that's the only thing i'll remember about them a year from now.
Any good? grotesque. and despite all the evil and ear-splitting loudness, tear-jerkingly boring.

Who? Murder By Death
What was it all about, then? very stylish rock/blues/country with a modern feel to it, and an incredibly sexy female cellist as the band's focal point.
Memorable moment? the sexy cellist's sexy cello moves.
Any good? terrific. great songs, great melodies, great emotions, and the gorgeous you-know-who. a great new discovery for me.
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