The feeling of music.

Culcha Candela - Raffteich Open Air 2012

noreply@blogger.com (festivalqueen) — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 17:17:00 +0000

I know, I know, I know. Culcha Candela? But I really have to tell you about this show. I got there more by accident because one of my friends worked there and gave me free tickets. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Culcha Candela makes some kind of reagge/hip hop/pop music. So we went there and the place was not too crowded, enough space to dance.

The show started and I kind of felt misplaced. Why? Nobody was headbanging, there was no moshpit. Something felt wrong. I first became suspicious when the girls next to me wore pink shirts with white jeans. - Yeah I know its a cliche, but the girls supported it very well. - That's the moment when I realized that I NEED metal or real cool rock music. I really tried to enjoy the show but caught myself all the time looking around if there are maybe people that are "different" and feel as I do. No chance.

Between metalheads and rockabillys there is allways an instant connection on the concerts or festivals. People laugh and dance together. This was more or less a vanity fair. Girls wearing heels on a muddy field, oh lord!

It wasn't a bad performance of Culcha Candela at all, but for me it wasn't the right crowd, the right place, the right whatever... . After the concert I jumped into my car and listend all the way home to Staind. :-) Such a relief!

Heavy Metal is not satanism

noreply@blogger.com (festivalqueen) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 17:26:00 +0000

Dear Metalheads,

this post is my personal concern, because I'm still speechless about what some people understand under heavy metal and how people are treated, when they listen to the music or produce it.

Why I want to address the issue? Simply because currently a heavy metal concert in Egypt was accused by a lawyer as a satanic meeting and not for the first time ( the news article ).

This just makes me totally sad and speechless at the same time. His assumption is based only on the point, because the people there were dressed in black, flashy make-up and not to mention the occult jewelry and bang ... they are probably satanists. You think: "Okay, the man is a lawyer who must be educated enough to enter the words Heavy Metal at google." But no.

I was in early August for a week in Egypt, and have actually talked about "rock music in Egypt" with some locals, because pretty soon it was notable that neither the music stations played something rock/heavy metalish nor the people at home listens to it. Most of the time yout could heary only traditional Arabic music, or techno / house. Every time I was asked what I was listening to, I promt replyed "Rock and Metal!". This caused allways a smile and a OKAY-SHE-IS-CRAZY look in the face of the people. I was curious and asked, how the metal scene in Egypt is, the answer was sobering: "Something like this, people do not really listen to.". Ok. That was it, no explanation.

Arriving home in Germany, I was curious and wanted to know what the scene had to offer in Egypt. So I started googling and found some good bands, but one thing was clear to me very quickly, the musicians in Egypt are currently still at the point where the punk / metal scene was in the early 70s in the U.S. or Europe.
It is total underground music and who is committed to her is rather seen as a revolutionary. And I think that's exactly the point, they're afraid that these people bring new ideas into society and shake the structures.

This I can say: "Metalheads who I met at festivals are often the smartest people with whom one can talk. They are not idiots who shake just their hair. They deal with society and how one is perceived. These are educated people who do not close their eyes to the world. The music of these bands denounces these same grievances to their songs, more than any other genre of music. "

In ways should people who condemn such music, maybe just listen to the music first, and question what it is the musician talk about in their lyrics. I think it's important to write about it and not to sweep under the rug. Finally, I would let you participate in two of the bands that I've discovered thru my exploring:

p.s I find it very sad that actually none of the band has a record deal, they really deserve it

The Sounds - Devils Side Festival 2012

noreply@blogger.com (festivalqueen) — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 20:18:00 +0000

I now really thought long and hard about what performance I want to write about next. It was not easy to make a decision. Then I decided to write about The Sounds.

The Sounds like lot of very successful bands are from Sweden and make some kind of new-wave-indie-electro-rockish music. Firstly, I should say that I was really looking forward to hear/see their show and was slightly shocked when only about 20 people were standing in front of the stage. Among them some fans seemed to be, but mostly there were people who looked very skeptical on the stage. In addition, a timeslot by 5 p.m is not the best on the first day of a festival.

The Sounds had already announced that they wanted to play a punky set. Well, if you're not a punk band and actually make no punk songs, it's hard to play one set of punk music. The set included "Tony the Beat" and "Living in America". Maja tried to keep the crowd entertained by waving her skirt and constantly showing her panties, which of course caused by the drunk rockers whistles and shouts. After some time, an "unmotivated" atmosphere in the band was spreaded, or at least they transported this feeling. I have to admit that it really surprised me, that The Sounds appeared at Devil Side because this a metal / hard rock festival. The Sounds are neither metal nor hard rock nor can they set up a music set that does fit in the category.

They make great music, but it is not designed for such a festival like the Devil Side is. To the phonetic, I must say that the songs have delivered both vocally and instrumentally good. When you ingnore the "unmotivated mood", then one can say that it was a nice set. I can recommend a concert of The Sounds , but then please at a festival where they fit in better or a concert, because there certainly the mood is better.

More information about The Sound you can find on http://the-sounds.com.

Incubus - Hurricane 2011

noreply@blogger.com (festivalqueen) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:40:00 +0000

First post and the question "Why I start with Incubus?". It's been a little over a year since I've seen Incubus live at the Hurricane Festival 2011 in Germany, but I must say that to me no other performance has remained so much in remembrance like this one. Especially since Incubus was not my No. 1 I had on the radar. Even when I now close my eyes, immediately the feeling comes back.

The appearance: Incubus were one of the headliner and took last-minute the place of Blink-182. The performance was of course on the Green Stage on Saturday and the festival-goers flocked to the stage. It was incredibly crowded, and I was curious if the crowd would start pushing and erupt again. Wrong!: the people were so relaxed that super fast a totally positive atmosphere came up. Incubus played a mix of well-tried as "Wish you were here" and new stuff from the newly released album " If Not Now, When? ".

I find that there are a few bands that convey live what they promise on CD: Incubus accomplishes just that. Brandon Boyd belts out the songs, some with feeling, and some with power, but always to the point. Mike Einziger, Jose Pasillas and Ben Kenney manage it to be not drowned, but to make the Incubus sound very round and harmonious. DJ Kilmore ensures that Incubus stands out musically from other alternative bands. It is a magic combination of what is presented. Simply an unforgettable evening.

If you have a chance to see Incubus live somewhere, it's worth every penny! Since this performance Incubus have a fan more. More info on the band and upcoming events can be found at http://incubushq.com/ .