Reviewing Roskilde 2011!

M.I.A.
(c) Paw Ager/Gaffa.

So, another Roskilde Festival's come and gone, and a cerise and lime green wristband is now in my drawer with my four others. Probably the ugliest wristband of them all, and fittingly, to many, Roskilde 2011 won't be historical in its musical prowess. Still, I do think many of the critics have fundamentally misunderstood the dynamics of Roskilde. The field of headliners has been heavily criticized, but the two of the potentially weaker ones - Mastodon and M.I.A. - each delivered massively on Orange Stage, and proved they are indeed some of the major artists of today. Coupled with bunch of artists burning down the smaller stages with highly acclaimed albums in their bags, Lykke Li, James Blake, Janelle Monaé among them, I really don't see the issue.

Anyway, what I really wanted to do was to talk you through what I saw and experienced at Roskilde this year. For all the general discussion on Roskilde - on track or a slippery slope, I'd like to refer to this article, which I largely agree with.

Back to the point: This year I saw 12 full concerts, the lowest since 2008, which probably fits very well with the fact that both were years of a less-than-astonishing line-up (ooooh, here we go again...). I do however think the general level of the shows I saw was very high - especially on Orange Stage, where I had quite a few lackluster experiences last year.

Kirsten & Marie.
(c) Gaffa/Steffen Jørgensen.

THE WARM UP DAYS are tricky to get a hold of, since hanging around with my posse is of a higher priority. This year, I saw two acts on Pavilion Junior: Kirsten & Marie played Monday afternoon, and they were pretty decent. It did however become a bit boring as the show dragged on, and it struck me, that these two girls need to somewhat broaden their musical expression in order to ever escape the "talented" category and being able to undertake the 45 minute plus shows that are required of artists past the hype-stage. Battlekat played Wednesday night, and I must admit I was too much heading towards an epic night of being drunk to really review it properly. It was pretty good, but the The Knife-references were in places much too obvious.

THURSDAY, I started up in the back pit for VETO, after being seriously in doubt on whether or not to skip them for Tame Impala. I think I made a wise choice; as a seriously long-time VETO follower, I nearly shed a tear when they went on stage - oh, what a journey I've been on with that band, and how some of their tunes have soundtracked parts of my youth; I would have hated myself massively for missing this show for Australian psych-kids. Objectively, VETO turned out to be the most well chosen opening band since Volbeat in '07, and their show was fine. However, over the past few years they've moved towards dangerously straddling the mainstream - not that that's a bad thing, but it complicates their show when hits like 'Built To Fail' and 'You Say Yes, I Say Yes' are pretty far in style from a lot of their newer stuff - and older, for that matter. As an old aficionado, I did miss tunes such as 'Can You See Anything?' and 'It's A Test' in a show that sleepwalked a bit through the less well-known material.

Foals.

We made a massive scramble for Foals at Arena, and ended up with good spots in the pit. It turned out Foals had no issue filling the stage, and there was a huge party in the pits. As in Vega in December, I have a bit of an issue with Foals being chill-music for me, and obviously partying music for the majority. I do slightly regret the emphasis on drums and bass, both of which pretty efficiently throttle the tinkly guitars and twinkling synths that I enjoy so much. Set-wise, I would have been delighted had they played one of the more delicate and ethereal tunes from the latter part of Total Life Forever, but other than that, the set was pretty sweet - both the new and old material worked very well, and more than anything, Foals really showcased why they are heralded as one of the most interesting and talented young bands in England - and truly gifted musicians they are!

I finished off Thursday with Chase & Status at Cosmopol. This was one bloody fiery pogoing, fist-pumping rave! But in retrospect, also a bit dumb. The push was pretty heavy, and the concert had to be stopped for around 10 minutes, the band demanding people to step back. But when people are drunk, and with a brought-along bawler consistently shouting "Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!", it doesn't require musical wit to start a party. But a party, nonetheless...

FRIDAY started off with Nicolas Jaar at Cosmopol. I had had my doubts about slotting Jaar in the early afternoon, but it proved to be just the perfect way to start the day! A bit of sound difficulties made the show stagger a bit mid way through, as they rendered Jaar's lazy voice inaudible, and the transitions and bridges throughout the set were sometimes a bit gawky, but all in all a very pleasant set by a talented young DJ.

Portishead.
(c) Kristoffer Amlani Ulbak.

I had a bit of a void Friday, but I do regret not spending some time with Charles Bradley, whose show at Cosmopol has been wildly acclaimed. I did however spend time with Beth Gibbons and Portishead, and what a beautiful show that was! I really didn't know what to expect, but those of us who were able to concentrate on the music, which was a bit low in volume at times, were rewarded with an exquisite performance, masterfully executed.

There have been varying reviews and opinions on M.I.A.'s show at Orange Friday night, but I think it was a fucking blast! First of all, M.I.A. is one of the most unique and groundbreaking musicians of the 21st century, even if her last album was a bit disappointing, and her mezcla of hip-hop, dancehall, electronic pop and indigenous sounds from Africa and the Subcontinent were a perfect fit for Orange Stage, which seemed pretty full. I might be biased, as we had perfect spots just behind the pit, but this show was an explosion of sound and light that I would definitely put "up there" with shows such as Björk in '07 and The Chemical Brothers in '08! After that, we went and caught the last part of WhoMadeWho at Arena. It was a wild party too!

The Tallest Man On
Earth.
(c) Kristoffer Amlani Ulbak.

SATURDAY was my big day this year, with four of my most anticipated acts on the program, kicking off with The Tallest Man On Earth in the afternoon at Odeon. This was exactly as beautiful and heartfelt concert as I had expected - nothing more, nothing less. Kristian Matsson was visibly affected by his fall off a horse the other day, but luckily it didn't bear upon his musical performance, which was just stunning! Half way through, a few buddies on bass and drums joined him, which wasn't necessary. I know how everyone talk about how hard it is to keep the impetus going when playing acoustically for larger crowds, but if anyone could surely pull it off, it would be The Tallest Man On Earth, with his mesmerizing voice, masterful guitar playing and virile compositions!


After that, I went all in on getting up front for Arctic Monkeys, and got spots in the middle of the first pit. It was a massive party, especially when the band dropped tunes from their first two albums, but I must admit, although I myself like the new stuff as much as the old, it doesn't work as well live - although that might have to do with the audience's general reluctance to accept that Arctic Monkeys have evolved. If you ask me, the band could have easily stuffed another 4-5 songs into the set - being as they only played for around an hour and 20, and their tunes are generally not the longest. We could have used 'Fake Tales of San Francisco', 'Dancing Shoes' or 'From The Ritz To The Rubble' from the debut album, but also newer tunes such as 'Cornerstone', 'Potion Approaching' and 'Love Is A Laserquest' were strangely absent. Couple that with a less-than-inspired performance on stage, and I think - despite the party I had - this could be described as a good, but not perfect, show.

The Strokes.
(c) Paw Ager/Gaffa.

In between Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes we got a fucking torrential downpour, but luckily the rain stopped just in time to jam pack Orange for the NY posse to make their return to Roskilde. And what a comeback! Fronted by a cheerful and Danish-chattering Julian Casablancas, The Strokes played a set perfectly balanced between the genuine new album Angles, legendary debut Is This It, and the albums in between. Mayhem predictably occurred during hits such as 'Reptilia', 'Under Cover Of Darkness' and 'Last Nite', all of which were boldly played in the beginning of the set. But even though they might have fired off some of their most powerful weapons, The Strokes kept the audience firmly in their grasp throughout the concert, before finishing with Is This It-double 'Someday' and 'Take It Or Leave It'. I could have wished more people had bothered to give the new album a spin, as the tunes off it were among the sharpest and best sounding - but the sound was crisp overall, and The Strokes definitely proved to be still highly relevant ten years on!


Saturday closed with Deadmau5 at Orange. I had been very anxious to see, just how the Canadian DJ would pull this massive stage off, having played Cosmopol just two years ago. It went slightly as I had expected - people were unquestionably raving, but the music had its definite shortcomings. Once you got beyond gazing at the massive light show, the music was pretty monotonous, repetitive and predictable. I know that's how techno sounds, but I just can't help thinking that the material didn't have the depth and quality for Orange Stage. Deadmau5 veered only very rarely from the foolproof pattern of four-on-the-floor beats, building climaxes and steady raves, and honestly, you need a few more tricks up your sleeve to really pull off Orange - especially when you decide to play for almost two hours. A bit more musical diversion, and maybe even a few proper hits. I understand how many people were fascinated by the light and the bass and all, but c'mon - is that really all it takes?

The Walkmen.
(c) Kristoffer Amlani Ulbak.

SUNDAY was pretty much of a chill day for me, and I jumped around to see half of a few shows during the afternoon. Started out with The Walkmen at Odeon, which turned out to be very disappointing. A well-playing but utterly uninspiring band fronted by a singer whose voice I don't think I will ever learn to love. Then we went down and saw a bit of Aníbal Velasquez y Los Locos del Swing, on the spur of the moment. We didn't stay for more than 20 minutes, but it was a very gratifying experience, watching this old fellow still thoroughly enjoying being on stage, and people were dancing away in the tent. Then we went to Gold Panda at Gloria, which was very nice, but also unpleasantly hot, and it took us fifteen minutes to get in, because the tent was chock full. I really like the idea of Gloria as an intimate stage, but it so demands that only the smallest of artists are placed there. Gold Panda was too big, and I can only imagine how it was when How To Dress Well played the day before.


This year, Battles had been promoted to Arena, after tearing down Odeon with a massive show in 2008. That proved to be a wrong choice. I haven't seen Arena as empty since Tivoli's Symfoniorkester played there a few years ago, and that was really a shame, because Battles is a truly nonpareil outfit, almost unrivaled in musical wit. For whichever reason, the band chose to fully omit their highly acclaimed debut album Mirrored, playing only material from this year's Gloss Drop. The new stuff, which I had heard only bits of, was far better than expected, but they should really have dropped 'Atlas' or 'Tonto' at the end - that would have sent the minuscule crowd raving. A well played concert, but I can only imagine how intense it would have been at Odeon or Cosmopol...

Kings of Leon.
Håkan Moberg/Gaffa

As everyone else, I finished the year with Kings of Leon at Orange. I am not a big fan, but I had hoped to be won over. I wasn't. I just don't like their overhyped stadium rock with Caleb Followill's nauseating voice atop it. Me and my mate Jacob left early to get a feed and watch the remainder of the show from the area to the left of the stage, and it was admittedly very beautiful to watch 60000+ people screaming along to 'Use Somebody' and 'Sex On Fire' at the end, but my clear impression was, that outside the pit, many were slightly bored... I did however dig that they chose to enter the stage with Austra's 'Beat and The Pulse', and leave with LCD Soundsystem's 'All My Friends'.


All in all, I'd say my top 5 shows were, in order:


The Strokes
M.I.A.
The Tallest Man On Earth
Foals
Arctic Monkeys


And the 5 I'm most bitter I missed:


Chris Cunningham
Charles Bradley
James Blake
Janelle Monáe
Magnetic Man