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Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
Freak Valley is one of those festivals that I have watched grow over the past 2 years and whose line up this year was simply too good to ignore any longer. This is my account of the festival as I saw it. A London based Aussie in a very “green” forest in Germany with great beer, great people and some of the best bands of the planet. What is not to love about that, right?
Thursday 29th May 4am
Day 1
Alarm sounds, stumble to front door, enter cab, shuffle through Gatwick’s finest border control, stagger on board a big orange plane (no plugs here), chatter excitedly as I slowly awaken and then boom, touchdown Cologne. Saunter to hire car desk, skip to car pick up, enter Netphen into the SatNav then charge toward the Freakiest of Valleys!
Our first snag is quickly realised when a stop for provisions (read beer and munchies) and we soon realise that it is a public holiday. OK, this was not going to curb the now bubbling anticipation and excitement and we head onward, through heavy rain, toward the campsite. Find site, tent up, quick recharge from early start and down the hill to the festival site to arrive seeing them raise the gates for the official opening of three days of stoner heaven. On first impressions, Freak Valley was that it was a great sized festival and the organisation and friendliness of all involved was a welcome change to some events I attend. There was also a distinct lack of visual security (a far greater presence of helpful and attentive first aiders) All these observations were discussed and appreciated as we cashed our tokens and settled into our first Veltins of the weekend.
Friday was always going to be a discovery day for me and with the first two acts in The Lone Crows and The Heavy Eyes, the persistent rain soaked early goers were treated to some good old stoner blues jams with a particularly enjoyable set from The Heavy Eyes which were a band I had heard only a few times before. The great thing about Freak Valley is that baring the Wake n Bake early smaller stage, there is no clashes; there is no running between venues. It is one stage and this allows you to watch bands you would not normally see. The Bloody Hammers were up next and although not my thing, there was a really strong following for this band and the rain did nothing to curb the enthusiasm of the quickly growing throng as they unleashed their uncompromising gothic/primitive doom riffs on the adoring.
A trip to the merch tables and the first (of many) Pork Rolls with potatoes…..hmmmmm.. we settle just in front of the sound desk (the rain had finally stopped) for Papir. The first of the Danish bands this weekend (the second would get very weird), Papir are a 3 piece instrumental psychedelic jam band that have worked with bands such as Causa Sui. After searching them out on Youtube, I was intrigued as opposed to excited but was willing to give them a go. Well, what a set. These guys played a set that somehow bought the festival together for the first time. It was almost an official opening of sorts because as they tripped through their Strat led jams, the groove was definitely on. The rain had stopped, the Veltins was flowing and Freak Valley was underway. Overall, a great set from a really impressive band whose live act is miles above and beyond anything you will find on Youtube so check them out.
As the temperature dropped and the oil drums fires were lit over near the cocktail hut (not a sentence I have every written in a gig review before) Iowa’s own Radio Moscow lit up the Duez skyline with their brand of 70’s blues rock. With the stage now packed for the first time this weekend, Radio Moscow put on a high energy and incredibly tight set with bookend tracks Broke Down and No Good Woman. Having seen this band play on a Sunday afternoon at the London Desertfest, this was more their scene. Under a stormy Germanic skyline these guys more than justified their Thursday headline slot. Beer buzz well and truly on, we return our cups for the generous refund and head up the hill, courtesy of the virtually free shuttle bus, and roll into camp, damp, muddy and completely content. Bring on Friday!
