First off, my new favourite band, The Kimberly Steaks. Equally good, I was already in a good mood so I might have danced a bit, sang along a ton and mouthed along sounds that sounded like the words they were singing as well. Fun show!
The first band on the outside stage was Tijuana Zebra, local rock'n'roll up-and-comers. Really cool, dirty, fast, kinda odd-one-out but really good. After their set I had a bartending shift. So I went bartending.
I saw Wank For Peace from behind the bar. I've seen 'em before,, even met one of them again at Fest, and they're really good, and I've acquainted myself with those dudes, along with their other francophone friends, throughout the weekend. Fun dudes. Good band. It's not as accesible but there's a definite intensity and integrity in their branch of melodic punk rock/hardcore.
I was bummed I wasn't able to mosh to Imaginary Dictionary due to my shift, but I did enjoy their sound coming from outside, and I did a little barmosh to Anti-Rule, which is the easiest but most powerful hardcore song I've heard in a while. The dude from Reproach did vocals instead of the usual vocalist apparently. Should've been interesting.
The Lemonaids! Man, I love that band. Summer got back for half an hour. Cock from the Murderburgers filled in for drums and did a great job. I sang along to their party tunes from behind the bar and meanwhile served everyone delicious beers and sodas and cocktails. The Lemonaids' show was actually super tight, probably the best I've seen 'em yet. Apparently I luau'ed with Gert-Jan. Fun fun fun!
Missed Bite Down as well, bummer! Good band. The 20Belows played inside so I was able to see them. Good show, not my favourite band but they have some really cool tunes. Definitely got things going. Then Jesus Police played, a band with members of Midnight Souls, PDS and with the Captain (let's say of Cut Here! fame perhaps, most recently?). Apparently they tried to burn a bible or something. Angry, cult-ish stuff. Cool.
I got off duty and saw a great Great Cynics set. Obviously. Otherwise they'd be called Alright Cynics (this is more or less an An Idiot Abroad rip-off joke). I love the new split with Muncie Girls, especially the with Iona singing, and the rest of the show was just as fun! With a sound similar to early to mid Against Me! records, they managed to captivate the crowd and convinced some more people to come to the show in Hasselt in June. I drunkenly mistook the Cynics' guitarist at the bar for the dude from Gnarwolves, and he told me he thought it was a compliment. Haha. I'm an idiot.
Skipped Richie Dagger in favour of much needed hangouts and food and gf time. Solid band though. Interesting and particular sound. But I got ready to destroy shit during the Murderburgers set.
Which I probably did. I remember they played My Inner Mental Room and I went mental. (Man, my puns are getting worse by the minute.) Lots of great tunes from the new and previous record. Plus, Stackers Are Awesome, the song about Fraser OD'ing, and the adapted Chinese Telephones cover were rad as well. Me & Gert-Jan asked them to do a Lillingtons cover cause we were listening to the Lillingtons 2 days before, and Tom/Tam joined in and they did Phantom Maggot, which was awesome. It was funny cause Gert-Jan was singing the lyrics X-Ray Specs during the song. Silly Gert-Jan. He's an idiot. But he's a lovely idiot. Fun show! It must suck to always play in front of the same couple of drunk Belgian losers.
Bloed & Marteling was weird, but surprisingly enjoyable. Grindcore with silly and smeirige lyrics amongst a bunch burning carebears, a dildo attached to the mic and ridiculous clothes all round. Fun show, I'm glad I got to see them.
Playing right before the Priceduifkes is a tough job though. Cause people tend to forget about everything that happened up til the point the PDS take the stage and instigate World War III. Either due to being blown away or due to, I don't know, concussions or something. Anyway, they started with 50% and everything went kapot from there on. People moshing through the length and width and even the height of the entire Bassment venue. Fucking hell. It was nuts. Even crazier than what happened during Gnarwolves the night before. I'm curious as to what they'll set off when they play Groezrock. I'm guessing similar scenarios, although they play around noon or so. Anyway, lotsa new song, the new EP kicks butt and apparently they did some Minor Threat covers with Mikey Erg (like they did in 2012) but I don't remember that at all. I remembered Mikey did some songs with another band but I couldn't figure out which band or what songs. There's video footage of it though, so I guess it really happened.
Although This Routine Is Hell is an amazing band, I am an idiot and took a break from live music to get low and get excited for House Ways/The Stein Boats. I don't care what anyone might say, they were the best thing I've seen all weekend. The Steinways songs, the House Boat songs, the jokes, the whole thing was just how I imagined it would be: some of the best modern pop punk songs played kinda alright by some of my favourite musicians/songwriters. They played fucking Anticipation Preservation. That ruled. It was so much fun (PARTY TIME!) going nuts to the Steinways song with mostly only Elias, singing along the the House Boat tunes with a bunch of friends and other people, laughing with Grath's stupid stage banter and witnessing Fraser MBS playing along to 21st Century Breakroom and the other last few songs, including My Life Hurts with a one-minute-long intro. The hardcore bit in 21st Century Breakroom is still the best thing ever. What the fuck is my fucking problem, mannnnnnnnn? FUCK! Grath even changed the lyrics according to his current age. That's musicianship right there! Best band. After their show I decided I'd go to Rotterdam and see them again this Thursday. They're playing on a boat there. House Boat. On a boat. It's doesn't get any sillier. I'm excited.
I don't think I saw Sunpower. Bummer. I saw so few bands on the outside stage due to just focussing on the inside/punkrock bands and trying to have some time in between bands to have drinks and stuff. Sucks but you know, I'll see them again sometime.
Chixdiggit! headlined this year again, after their successful show in 2011. More stage banter and jokes, lotsa cool tunes, they even played Gerry Cheevers. I didn't stay for the whole set and instead hung out with the Shield Recordings and the House Boats and other people upstairs. I'm an idiot. Missed the The Real Danger cover set as well because of that. Bad move. I'm an idiot.
I didn't drink too much in that hour or so, though, so I was kinda sobered up when the afterparty began. So I started drinking again and dancing to the tunes that Piekpries spinned til the early hours. I went absolutely apeshit when they put on Black Sin by Black Breath. That must've been weird to see.
Anyway, got at Hengelhoef around 5:45, went to bed and woke up a bit later cause we had to be out by 10. Life sucks. Started cleaning up at the Bassment and spent all Sunday in pain and post-Crossbonefest blues.
Best weekend I've had since Fest. And that's saying a lot. Thanks Lost Youth. Although I'm sorta part of you, you're absolutely the best. Thanks Gert-Jan for being my partner in crime. Thanks Jordi for being the best dude ever. Thanks Wim for helping me out on numerous occasions. You're all wonderful. Thanks Jelle for bringing Bergen to the campsite cause he was way too drunk. Thanks everyone for the beers, the hugs, the kisses and the laughs. Thanks Isaiah for inviting me to Minneapolis. Thanks volunteers for helping and serving me drinks and doing stuff. Thanks Just Like Your Mom for keeping me fed without having to leave the venue. Thanks Sofie for being rad as hell.
Thanks.
I met so many people that were all so kind and loving, lots of UK guys, of course the Frenchies, some Italians, lots of Belgian buds as well. I'm so fucking thankful that I got into this scene, and that it gives me so much. I'm glad I'm still alive.
Best of wishes to the people who got (badly) injured, my thoughts go out to your limbs and I hope you heal fast and well!
Let's try this again some time.
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