Freak Day 3 | the-morsel

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Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

Saturday 31st May 10am

Day 3

What is it about German beer? It just looks after you so well the next day. My serious lack of tokens would suggest there was no going easy so it must be the beer. Headache- none, Mud –gone, Sun – plentiful. The weather gods had finally delivered and the campsite now resembled a hedonistic playground with picnic rugs, hats and bare flesh. Spirits were up and following a generous gin and tonic for the walk, courtesy of our neighbours, (cheers) we headed in for the final day.

Greeted with a dry and unbelievably clean festival site (again great organisation) we settle down in front of the mixing desk for some early morning retro vocal rock from Zodiac. They played a mellow but ever building set that climaxed with a thunderous 10 plus minute riff fest that ebbed and flowed and returned back to the main riff well after everyone had forgotten where they had started. Zodiac left the stage with many more people standing than lying so a job well done on the weary final day crowd. A band I will be exploring more closely in the future.

Now sometimes we meet people at exactly the right time in exactly the right place. Enter nameless festival goer from Denmark. Having met earlier in the weekend we chatted for about half an hour about all sorts of things. Danish laws/taxes/Australian Princesses while sharing a few to pass the time. We discussed the next band up, the oddly named Oresund Sound Collective from Denmark. A purely spontaneous and improvised group that plays elongated space jams. Interest heightened. Further interested was heightened when a blue turban, kaftan wearing, bearded, Strat wielding gentleman strode onto stage followed by an alien mask wearing wizard who we would soon learn was called Dr Space. My guests parting comment was “This band will get inside your head” – you’re not bloody wrong there. What proceeded were three jams of varying complexities, varying styles and personalities, with Nicklas from Papir joining them for the final jam. The expression “head blown clean off” would not be far from the truth. How they manage to pull that off live is beyond be and with so much to hear (and see) within a one hour set, I was left wondering what the hell had just happened! OSE – Wow! 3 hour set next time please.

So with my mind seriously altered (from OSE) I find a nice sunny space down the back and cruise out to Mos Generator. How one cruises out (or even sleeps as some revellers nearby did) during Mos Generator I will never know but it is what happened. What I heard was a brutally yet rhythmic and catchy set full of bottom end, powerful vocals and a churning guitar sound that shook the very earth I lay on. Mos Generator really impressed and on another day or at another setting are a band I can really see myself getting into.

So with the aftershock of OSC and the distant rumblings of Mos Generator drifting into the forest I release myself from my prone position to again wander into the fray for UK’s Admiral Sir Cloudsey Shovell. Now having reviewed this band before, I want to skim over the appearance factor of this band (just check the gallery) and focus on the sound. What you get is what you get.. For the first today and very rare times these days, we saw this set up. Gibson (Flying V), lead, Marshall! Not a pedal to be seen and there is a lot to be respected about this. No effects, no tricks, just straight up dirty rock and roll. Show casing many tracks off the new record and dipping back into gems like Ideath, Sir Admiral got the party mood started and I saw more foot tapping and head bobbing during this set that at almost any other. With the focus on having a good time and some of the best onstage banter going around, Freak Valley’s Saturday (family) crowd lapped it up.

Now there are great combinations in this world. Sausage and Mash, Egg and Bacon, Bonnie and Clyde, The Hoff and anything BUT few come close to this. Samsara Blues Experiment, grass, sun and bare feet! The Berlin based Long Distance trippers (now sadly officially a three piece) bought their sonic wave of phosphorescent jams washing over the sun soaked Duez collective. After overcoming sound difficulties (SBE + Marshall JCM…hmmm)these guys pulled out all the stops opening with the classic “For the Lost Souls” and drifting and charging at the same time through a set list which was stacked with some of SBE’s finest moments. I am not going to go into intense details regarding the set as to be honest I had my eyes closed for most of it and let it wash over me. Upon leaving I was gently reminded I might and to go back and get my shoes. Enough said. Great set and again, as is the trend in this wonderful scene, truly humble and genuinely friendly guys in the merch tent. I wish them all the very best as a three piece. If DF and FV are anything to go one, it’s all good!

Elder, Elder, Elder… This band has just grown and grown on me since hearing of them through the London DF opening night party last year. Until recently my only access to this band was through their brutal 2008 self-titled full length. Following their DF performance this year in London, I went back to explore the new albums having heard a more melodic and cosmic sound than I was expecting. This led me to Dead Roots Stirring. Now having a fuller understanding of this band, I was ready to experience them wholly without stage clashes or scheduling worries. What a set. The noise that this Boston three piece generate is extraordinary and some of the guitar work by Nick DiSalvo is mind blowing. This is the new breed in this genre and it is coming thick and fast. There closing track Riddles of Steele was probably the heaviest riff of the weekend and that is saying something. It was a real treat to see these guys live and undistracted and I look forward to the next time when it will be a headline tour where they can break through the 1hr curfew. Huge.

Now Motorpsycho are obviously a huge band. Having played across 3 decades with over 20 associated releases they are also a band I just have never known where to start with. Over there journey they have dabbled in so many genres it is almost too all-consuming a band to take on from new. It was for this reason and this reason only I decided to take a break and watch these guys from a distance, dipping in occasionally for effect and what I can say is this. It is not surprising these guys are the rock royalty of the weekend. Huge stage presence, huge sound, massive back catalogue and hugely appreciated by the Freak Valley Family. It is obvious there are people here just for them and for those people I am pleased because to an unfamiliar viewer they put on one hell of a show.

From the old school to the relative new school. Closing this majestic weekend was Germany’s Kadavar. Now this is how to close a festival. With the crowd slightly thinning following Motorpsycho, we shuffle in nice and close and get immersed in the retro power rock! Opening with probably my favourite track Liquid Dream (a song I had not previously heard live) and rollicking barely without breath through all standout tracks from Kadavar and Abra Kadavar, these guys are quickly becoming one of the biggest band in this scene. Having completed 2 US tours and an Australian tour this year already, Kadavar are on a roll and when the plug is pulled abruptly right on the 1am curfew Freak Valley is over, somewhat anticlimactically. People are left wandering around, wondering what to do next. The reality it, it’s over.

As the newly formed friendships and old reunited friendships say good bye and dissolve back into the forest from whence they came, I am left awestruck. This was easily the best outdoor festival I have ever attended. This was the friendliest festival I have ever attended. It was the Freak Valley Family for 3 days. A group of people joined by one simple thread, great music. Nothing else mattered for those 3 days. There were no nationalities, religions, egos or attitudes. For 3 glorious days in May, we were all Freaks!

A huge thank you to Jens and his team for a fantastic weekend and for welcoming The Morsel to their festival.

See you next year

Fuzz f'n Tastic!