Read PART 1 of this review here:
Hi guys, it's me, I'm a tourist. It has been... let's see... damn!
It has been over ten years already, since I've been to Copenhagen the last time (when Laibach were playing in the National Art Gallery of Denmark), so of course I used the time until day three (for me day two) of A Colossal Weekend started to stroll around and take some pictures. (Of course also some film stuff, which is still in the laboratory for development and will probably take weeks to return to me.)
Even though I still had a little time left to rest before I returned to the Vega, it's absolutely no exaggeration to say that my feet and legs hurt more than during the whole Roadburn week this year. Luckily you could always find a place to sit down to still properly enjoy the music. So it remained a very manageable task to watch two thirds of the bands on the running order.
As if someone wanted to double down on the contrast of bright summer outside and gloomy darkness in the dungeon of the Basement, which had started the previous festival day, Tears Of Fire were a significantly deeper shade of Goth than Shaam Larein.
Or let's be a little more precice: The Iranian / German band played a slow mixture of Funeral Doom and Black Metal with Persian-flavoured Neoclassical elements and more variety in both clean and extreme vocals than I would have expected. Very grave. Very good.
Or let's be a little more precice: The Iranian / German band played a slow mixture of Funeral Doom and Black Metal with Persian-flavoured Neoclassical elements and more variety in both clean and extreme vocals than I would have expected. Very grave. Very good.
A Colossal Weekend started mostly as a Post Rock fest and the name closest to those roots on today's roster undoubtly was Where Mermaids Drown. The French instrumental quartet played that kind of close your eyes and spread your arms to embrace the world Post Rock, which puts great emphasis on its layered lead guitars, patiently meandering atmospheres and cathartic climaxes.
That might not be as original as the combination with Prog brainfuckery we heard from Shy, Low the night before, but I can easily forgive the lack of a more distinct and innovative identity, if the execution is done as amazing as here.
Where Mermaids Drown expertly took all the dreamy and uplifting stuff I love about Wang Wen and Mono and put a mesmerizing spell onto the Basement. This really felt like wandering through a surreal underwater world.
That might not be as original as the combination with Prog brainfuckery we heard from Shy, Low the night before, but I can easily forgive the lack of a more distinct and innovative identity, if the execution is done as amazing as here.
Where Mermaids Drown expertly took all the dreamy and uplifting stuff I love about Wang Wen and Mono and put a mesmerizing spell onto the Basement. This really felt like wandering through a surreal underwater world.
What was that? And do I even mention the name? Better not. It's easier to forget that way. I don't know what happened there - and why - but the first band upstairs in the Ideal Bar seemed like it showed up by accident. Dudes looked liked caricatures of a Stoner Rock gang, but when they stumbled into their first song their sound wasn't even that. Hard pass, left quickly.
The first show on the cramped Little Vega stage, where most of Boris' gear was already set up in the back, luckily spoke a different language. While the festival's promo text (by force of habit or the band being on Pelagic Records?) tries to sell it as Post Rock, the satisfyingly chunky fuzziness of Astrosaur's guitar tone immediately made me feel like I was at a Desertfest. Or maybe the Esbjerg Fuzztival, which I will actually attend a week from now.
I'm not a Stoner Metal guy by default at all, but the heavy instrumental riff worship of this Norwegian trio won me over in an instant. This just rocked! And ok, there may actually have been some Post Rock passages here and there. But also lots of other stuff like Psychedelic space bits or even a little Thrash Metal. Anyway, this was flawless shit.
I'm not a Stoner Metal guy by default at all, but the heavy instrumental riff worship of this Norwegian trio won me over in an instant. This just rocked! And ok, there may actually have been some Post Rock passages here and there. But also lots of other stuff like Psychedelic space bits or even a little Thrash Metal. Anyway, this was flawless shit.
Back in the dark underworld things got weird. I have seen Sum Of R before - and I have not. Because the instrumental Drone Doom duo I saw on the smallest Roadburn stage five years ago has undergone some shifts and changes since then. The Swiss / Finnish group is still at home in that genre and spices is up with electronic noises, but now they are a also a trio with a singer?
Yes, the question mark is intentional. I said that things got weird - and the effect-modulated vocals of Marko Neuman, who you might know as part of the Waste Of Space Orchestra, were most definitely included in that term. It also doesn't happen everyday that you see a bass player simultanously step on a whole octave of a keyboard lying on the ground. And it made musical sense!
I still don't exactly understand what this special brand of Doom is and what it wants, but for sure it was something and I would watch it again.
Yes, the question mark is intentional. I said that things got weird - and the effect-modulated vocals of Marko Neuman, who you might know as part of the Waste Of Space Orchestra, were most definitely included in that term. It also doesn't happen everyday that you see a bass player simultanously step on a whole octave of a keyboard lying on the ground. And it made musical sense!
I still don't exactly understand what this special brand of Doom is and what it wants, but for sure it was something and I would watch it again.
How do I find the right words for this? It was about time that I finally stroke Boris from my bucket list - and boy they blew my mind to pieces! So far my favorite versions of this prolific and many-faced band had been Shoegaze, Drone and Dream Pop Boris, but fuck yeah, I'm so happy that I could witness them in Heavy Rocks mode, with a fourth touring member on the drums while Atsuo stepped to the front of the stage as an immensly charismatic frontman alongside Wata on guitar and Takeshi on bass / guitar doubleneck.
Dressed in white with platforms, fishnet, leopard scarf and lots of tiger textures the Japanese band looked like a crazy manga fever dream fantasy of rock stars and especially Atsuo embodied that spirit during every second of the show as an untiring crowd steerer and master of ceremonies.
When the band had to wait a minute for Takeshi due to some technical problem, there wasn't even a comment on it. The guitar was checked, someone in the audience yelled "hellyeah", the singer replied "hellyeah" and they went on. That kind of show this was. Boris rocked - and they indeed rocked ridicuclously heavy beyond eleven, always on the verge to complete Noise or Drone overkill. It was pure Rock'n'Roll bliss.
And while most of the show consisted of high-energy up-tempo bangers - one of those with a guest appearance of Pupil Slicer's Kate Davies - there was also room for some more ritualistic Drone and experimental electronic shenanigans.
The greatest highlight however waited at the end, when between "Loveless" and the trio encore "Farewell" Wata was finally using that keyboard on the edge of the stage and the band juxtaposed their whole performance with the (not completely) ballad "(not) Last Song" from their latest "Heavy Rocks" album.
Atsuo's hoarse vocals were incredibly emotional and when he scream-sung them into the room without a microphone, followed by a bone-crushing return to full heaviness I knew that this was one of the greatest song performances I have ever witnessed! Or at least it wiped away a lot of previous memories. And on the album they don't even finish this masterpiece! It just cuts off before the finale... Absolutely insane. As was this show. What a band - what an experience!
Dressed in white with platforms, fishnet, leopard scarf and lots of tiger textures the Japanese band looked like a crazy manga fever dream fantasy of rock stars and especially Atsuo embodied that spirit during every second of the show as an untiring crowd steerer and master of ceremonies.
When the band had to wait a minute for Takeshi due to some technical problem, there wasn't even a comment on it. The guitar was checked, someone in the audience yelled "hellyeah", the singer replied "hellyeah" and they went on. That kind of show this was. Boris rocked - and they indeed rocked ridicuclously heavy beyond eleven, always on the verge to complete Noise or Drone overkill. It was pure Rock'n'Roll bliss.
And while most of the show consisted of high-energy up-tempo bangers - one of those with a guest appearance of Pupil Slicer's Kate Davies - there was also room for some more ritualistic Drone and experimental electronic shenanigans.
The greatest highlight however waited at the end, when between "Loveless" and the trio encore "Farewell" Wata was finally using that keyboard on the edge of the stage and the band juxtaposed their whole performance with the (not completely) ballad "(not) Last Song" from their latest "Heavy Rocks" album.
Atsuo's hoarse vocals were incredibly emotional and when he scream-sung them into the room without a microphone, followed by a bone-crushing return to full heaviness I knew that this was one of the greatest song performances I have ever witnessed! Or at least it wiped away a lot of previous memories. And on the album they don't even finish this masterpiece! It just cuts off before the finale... Absolutely insane. As was this show. What a band - what an experience!
Any show trying to be a wild Rock'n'Roll ride naturally would have lost now, but luckily Wyatt E. went into a far more meditative direction with their mythic Oriental Doom, fulfilling the promise of their fantastic album "Āl Bēlūti Dārû".
With immense multitasking skills, including some pretty advanced parallel-to-guitar bass pedal playing and a very characteristic percussive sound palette, the Belgian trio led their listeners far away from Denmark, on a cosmic caravan straight to the prospering empire of Babylon. Entrancing Doom wizardry at its most mystical!
With immense multitasking skills, including some pretty advanced parallel-to-guitar bass pedal playing and a very characteristic percussive sound palette, the Belgian trio led their listeners far away from Denmark, on a cosmic caravan straight to the prospering empire of Babylon. Entrancing Doom wizardry at its most mystical!
But now back to rioting and smashings things!
Even though I had looked onto the schedule often enough my inner clock was somehow already one hour too far in the future, so I thought there was only one band left to watch. But when that band wasn't even setting up their gear in the Ideal Bar yet, I realized that I could still watch the full performance of Copenhagen's own Eyes!
With amps and drums far in the back the Little Vega stage felt almost empty compared to the shows of Astrosaur and Boris before, but these Post Hardcore maniacs, especially the permanently speeding and running shouter, needed that space to release all their angst and energy.
I have no idea how many of their short outbreaks Eyes fired into the audience, yet I can say that they were all killers and despite being brutally in your face always also interesting beyond the genre's standard diet. A formidable no-bullshit demolition!
With amps and drums far in the back the Little Vega stage felt almost empty compared to the shows of Astrosaur and Boris before, but these Post Hardcore maniacs, especially the permanently speeding and running shouter, needed that space to release all their angst and energy.
I have no idea how many of their short outbreaks Eyes fired into the audience, yet I can say that they were all killers and despite being brutally in your face always also interesting beyond the genre's standard diet. A formidable no-bullshit demolition!
But now it was really time for the actual last band of the day. Since I had already seen Boris' touring mates Pupil Slicer in Tilburg before, my choice was to end the festival in the Ideal Bar with the Jazz Fusion brainfuckery Rock of Poly-Math.
The funky deliverance of the Brits' complex arrangements between Bop, Prog and Mathcore brought a whole new flavour to the Colossal menu and it was delicious. The bass grooves, the saxophone licks, the whole direct conversion of stellar musicianship into both mind-melting madness and pure fun was a blast. If you love the most proggy and jazzy instrumental passages of bands like Thank You Scientist or Seven Impale, these men in black are your guys! Ending the festival with their joyous blend of insanity in the most intimate available setting was just perfect.
The funky deliverance of the Brits' complex arrangements between Bop, Prog and Mathcore brought a whole new flavour to the Colossal menu and it was delicious. The bass grooves, the saxophone licks, the whole direct conversion of stellar musicianship into both mind-melting madness and pure fun was a blast. If you love the most proggy and jazzy instrumental passages of bands like Thank You Scientist or Seven Impale, these men in black are your guys! Ending the festival with their joyous blend of insanity in the most intimate available setting was just perfect.
The post festival blues set in almost immediately after getting outside into the warm night, carrying my merch bag plus my sore ass to a soulless hotel room.
Would I visit A Colossal Weekend again? In a heartbeat! Will I actually do so? Well... probably not every year, that's for sure. It's just so close to Roadburn and crossing that 18 km Storebælt Bridge twice already costs over seventy Euro... Right now I also still have another music weekend in Denmark ahead of me before the next paycheck. So yeah, I'm not sure of such an unhealthy stretching of my budget should be an annual April/May thing.
However something tells me that the Vega will see me again one day.
However something tells me that the Vega will see me again one day.
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