Memorable moments from Roskilde '07-'09, 3 of 3.

4. Klaxons, Odeon, 2007.

It was the summer of 2007 - the height of the short-lived new-rave phenomenon. Roskilde was invaded by outfits such as CSS, who gave the only 6-star-rated concert that year, and New Young Pony Club, but atop the glowstick-hierarchy stood Klaxons with their cascades of dirty guitars, aggressive synths and catchy vocals. Klaxons, who have lately almost disappeared into unfinished recordings and excessive amounts of LSD, came fresh from London with their debut LP, Myths Of The Near Future, which eventually went on to win the coveted Mercury Prize that same year, and were determined to show these Danes how to party the new-rave way. Word had already spread, and jars of face paint made their way around the anticipating front rows of the crowd - which is why I looked like a fluorescent gherkin when I emerged after the concert to ecstatically hug two of my cronies, who had watched from slightly further out. And ecstasy it was, for what an intense 45 minutes the young Britons gave us! Playing their entire album, people were mashing around and dancing rapturously to the noisy walls of sound that emerged from stage. When the bassist jumped down into the front-stage pit, he was even dragged backwards into an involuntary crowd surf by an exalted crowd of pretty, sweaty young things. New-rave perhaps is dead for good, but that Friday it really, truly lived!

3. 2ManyDJs, Cosmopol, 2009.

"Hey boy, hey girl, 2ManyDJs, here we go!", is the usual chant at the Dewaele Brothers' parties, but this Friday at Roskilde it was replaced for the occasion by: "FUCK Oasis, FUCK FUCK Oasis", a reference to the Gallagher-nitwits who bored Orange to death with their sorry has-been britpop'n'roll. For those 5-6000 of us, who chose to sacrifice the arm-in-arm singalong of 'Wonderwall', it was apparently quite important to let Oasis know, that they just haven't had the mojo since 1994. I could have scrambled to Orange and, according to Setlist.fm, caught both 'Live Forever', 'Champagne Supernova' and the above mentioned 'Wonderwall', but after an hour and a half with the executive-like dressed Belgians, I was in a complete state of daze, and probably wouldn't have heard Liam Gallagher even if he was screaming "MAYBEEEEE..." straight into my face. Enough about Oasis now, because this is all about how 2ManyDJs transformed an already boiling Cosmopol into a daft and insanely exhausting and riveting party. I have never experienced anything as berserk as this was, and even I, standing more than 6 feet tall, at times felt uncomfortable in the maniac jumping, screaming and dancing that followed every climax of the Belgians' set. There was a friendly mood however, somewhere hovering above all that insanity, and all those bodies drenched in sweat. Supplemented by amazing visuals, that created a magic anticipation ahead of each new twist, turn and spin of a record, 2ManyDJs created an unforgettable party, perfectly honoring their status as kings of the turntables!

2. Muse, Orange, 2007.

Now, I know Matt Bellamy does a lot of space-kinda themed lyrics, and is pretty into all that kinda stuff, but I'm still not quite sure, whether it was or wasn't him that made all the rainclouds finally disappear Sunday afternoon in 2007. I remember it was completely surreal to have a few beers in the sun, while queueing for Muse's very highly anticipated gig at Orange. We still had to wear our wellingtons of course, but still, there was somewhat of an awakening for those who had endured a week of mud, mud and more mud. Admittedly, if Muse hadn't played Sunday, I might, just might, have bailed on Roskilde '07 earlier. However, back then, Muse was one of the bands that I and my mates listened to the most, and it was only fitting to conclude our maiden trip to Roskilde with the Teignmouth tree. As such, it was a legendary concert. To this date, it's still the only time I've been close to the front of Orange Stage, and it was a humongous party down there. An overwhelming concert by one of the worlds best live bands!

1. Trentemøller, Orange, 2009.

Nothing above or even nearly alike. That's one of the most fitting ways to describe Trentemøller's gig at Orange in 2009. Description becomes a hard task here, and comparison to other shows becomes useless. Just think of the fact, that Trentemøller apparently spent more money than he received for the show - that's genuine! With all of the other stages empty and closed for the night, Trentemøller had us all in his solid grip for two hours, while the sun set over Roskilde, and although anticipation had been very high for this show, the Danish superstar DJ exceeded them by far. We had absolutely prime spots right behind the pits, and we were a whole happy posse there, which made it all the merrier. From moments of pure rave-outs, through pure beauty, teasing mix-in's of artists as diverse as Britney Spears, Bjørn Svin and Battles, and flashbacks to The Last Resort, Trentemøller put on a show that will be remembered for many, many years. I found my self joyously yelping throughout the concert, and I was dancing, jumping and shouting all the way back to camp. I remember sitting there afterwards with a few other guys, vainly trying to process what we had just experienced. Trentemøller is a master of his art, and equipped with a heavy artillery of machines, light and a broad supporting cast, he created an otherworldly performance!