Frequency Festival | 08.20-08.22 | Vienna

Words by: Lindsay Colip | Images by: Steven Walter

Frequency Festival :: 08.20.09 – 08.22.09 :: St. Polten, Austria

Frequency Festival 2009

Frequency Festival, in St. Polten, Austria (outside Vienna), was JamBase’s last stop on our European Festival circuit. For the first time in eight years, the park had been moved from Salzburg to St. Polten and the seven stages had been split into two different parks, the DayPark and NightPark. The DayPark had four stages – The Race Stage (Radiohead, Bloc Party, Kasabian, Jet, Ting Tings, Editors, Subways), The Green Stage (Grace Jones, Little Boots, Enter Shikari, Ska-P), Weekender UK Stage (Airborne Toxic Event, Official Secrets Act, The Black Box Revelation) and the Open Air Stage (bands who won an earlier online contest), while the NightPark had The Electro Floor (Crystal Castles, Eric Prydz, Crystal Method), Urban Art Forms Floor (Carl Cox, MSTRKRFT), and NME Floor (Kele Okereke from Bloc Party, Michael Mac vs. Fake Lashes, Andy Rourke from The Smiths). It was a lineup sure to be insane, bringing thousands of teenagers with raging hormones out from their parent’s houses and into the dust.

Thursday, August 20

It was bloody hot and the only appropriate attire was bikinis and boardies. Unless you came fully clothed, in which case you probably ran through the sprinklers or got hosed off by one of the security guards. The overall scene can be described in four words: teenagers on the loose. The average age was 17, maybe even younger. These kids seemed frantic to smoke, drink and make out as much as humanly possible. Which meant that at 3 p.m. on the first day of the fest people were already passing out and slurring their words. What little variety of beverage and food that existed was pretty expensive, and the venue didn’t have any water stands readily available to refill your cup either, so unfortunately you had to keep buying more and more plastic. I also realized how much I appreciated the hand sanitizers that were everywhere at the other festivals but absent here. Toilet paper was also in short supply. So, a hormonally challenged crowd, bad bathrooms (for chicks), blah scenery, no free water and expensive food. My immediate thought was the music better kick ass.

Enter Shikari :: Frequency Fest 2009

Glasvegas, a Scottish alt-rock band that had previously under-whelmed me at Melt! Festival (JamBase review here), took the Main Stage first. James Allan (lead vocals, guitar) started the day saying, “Austria, I fucking love you already. The girls are incredible and they aren’t wearing much!” Supporting Allan was Rab Allan (lead guitar, backing vocals), Paul Donoghue (bass) and Caroline McKay (drums). Besides a Christmas record they put out last year, they’ve released just one self-titled studio album. So far it has brought them plenty of press and praise, including being nominated for approximately 13 awards and most notably winning the Phillip Hall Radar Award (NME Awards). They’ve also supported Oasis on tour and are about to play a few dates with U2. So why do I still think this is an incredibly boring band? I simply can’t get into their overly dramatic (but not in a fun Editors or White Lies way) and uninspiring sound. Am I missing something?

From here I went over to the Green Stage to catch Enter Shikari, the opening band on tour with The Prodigy this summer. The crowd seemed extremely amped up way before the guys even came onstage. When they finally ran out, I understood why. This is a high-octane, head banging, post-hardcore screamo band from the U.K. Electronica mixed with hard beats, dirty bass and plenty of screaming. This isn’t my scene, however to be fair, they were really entertaining. Roughton “Rou” Reynolds (vocals, electronics), Liam “Rory” Clewlow (guitar, vocals), Chris Batten (bass, vocals) and Rob Rolfe (drums) played their instruments with energy and style, spinning and jumping and beating the crap out of the poor things. They played plenty of songs off of their new album, Common Dread, and I fully understand why The Prodigy would want this in your face, energetic act on the ticket.

Kasabian :: Frequency Fest 2009

Back to the Main Stage, where Jet had just started. This Aussie rock ‘n’ roll band was at its best again today. The crowd loved their old school rock sound, singing enthusiastically along to favorites “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” and “Cold Hard Bitch.” They played several from their new album, Shaka Rock as well, including “She’s A Genius” (which is definitely the song to download) and “Beat On Repeat.” Frontman Nic Cester was singing/screaming his heart out and his scratchy voice sounded absolutely perfect live. A highlight of the show was when Cester’s brother and drummer, Chris Cester, sang a few of the songs from behind his drum set, including “Holiday.” The other members rounding out the band were Cameron Muncey (lead guitar) and Mark Wilson (bass). They had to play a very short set, like most of the earliest performers did, so they didn’t get to play very many songs off of their new album, but I think the crowd got the idea. If you like rock ‘n’ roll, you will like this band. Period.

“How’s everybody doin’? We’re The Ting Tings. Pleased to meet ya!” Katie White said as she greeted her audience. The other half of the electro-pop U.K. duo, Jules De Martino, was already out onstage, rocking the keyboard, drums AND guitar, all on one song. These two put on quite an impressive, entertaining show. The wild outfits, the fist pumping/dancing around, the multiple instrument playing and their dynamic stage presence make them a hard act to beat, if you want to dance and sing, that is. They played catchy sing-alongs such as “Great DJ,” “Shut Up and Let Me Go” “Fruit Machine” and ended on mega cult hit “That’s Not My Name.” Although a fantastically entertaining and enthusiastic show, it was the exact same show as Sziget Festival (JamBase review here). If you plan on seeing these guys (and you should) just don’t expect to see something different from show to show. Further, good luck NOT getting “That’s Not My Name” stuck in your head. Impossible.

Kasabian, an alt-rock band from the U.K., blew the crowd away. Tom Meighan (lead vocals), having just been quarantined in Sydney literally DAYS before because of Swine Flu, put on an impressive show. His other bandmates had been sick as well, but nobody showed signs of being sluggish or tired. Meighan was supported by guitarist/backup vocalist Sergio Pizzorno, bassist Chris Edwards, drummer Ian Matthews, touring guitarist Jay Mehler and touring keyboardist Ben Kealey. They played for almost two hours, including packed arena favorites “Club Foot,” “LSF,” “Underdog,” “Processed Beats” and “Shoot the Runner,” as well as newbies off their latest album, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, including “Fire” and “Where Did All The Love Go?” Catchy lyrics, good beats, great guitar riffs and a nice blend of rock & roll and electronic, their new album is a definite grab if you like these guys.

Continue reading for Friday’s coverage…

Friday, August 21

Frequency Festival 2009

First up was Milow, aka Jonathan Vandenbroeck, a 27-year-old Belgium singer-songwriter. The ONLY reason I had heard of this guy was because his super popular and cheesy 50 Cent cover, “Ayo Technology,” had been on every single radio station since I arrived in Europe back in June. The cover has received more success than the original in Europe and his video has gotten over 20 million hits on YouTube. That being said, Milow wants to be known for more than this cover song. He wants to be taken seriously as a musician and I wanted to give him that chance. What I witnessed was definitely a sensitive singer-songwriter, along the lines of a James Taylor or Bob Mould. He happily sang folksy love song after folksy love song to the semi-confused crowd. Where was the smarmy “Ayo Technology” guy they wanted to see? Vandenbroeck even played a cover of Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl,” so there’s that. The music was so fluffy and sugared that I had to leave. I couldn’t even stay for his ‘hit’ song.

To put things back on track was Little Boots, aka Victoria Christina Hesketh, an electro-pop singer/musician from the U.K. She plays keys, piano, stylophone and some crazy Japanese instrument called the Tenori-On. Having only put out one studio album, Hands, she’s amassing quite a following and so I wanted to check out the hype. All five feet of her came out smiling in a cute, silver futuristic dress with her bleach blond hair in Princess Lei buns. She certainly resembled Kylie Minogue in size and appearance but in no way did she hold a candle to Miss Minogue’s stage presence, swagger or song quality. Hesketh definitely has something about her – a pleasant sweet voice, a cute package, a desire to get people disco dancing – but she isn’t delivering yet. Her popular songs “New In Town” and “Stuck On Repeat” weren’t catchy lyrically nor made me want to dance. As opposed to say The Ting Tings, who make one want to shake-shake regardless of what they’re playing, what Hesketh might need is for someone to get a hold of her and help her grow into the pop star she has the potential to be. I was hoping for much more and perhaps in a year or so, she’ll be someone to enjoy watching.

Radiohead :: Frequency Fest 2009

Next, it was off to the Main Stage for Bloc Party, where the sold out crowd crushed towards the front for an almost two-hour mega dance/mosh show. Like their performance at Sziget Festival last week, they were high-energy and loads of fun. Old hits “Banquet,” “Hunting for Witches,” “Helicopter,” “Mercury,” “Two More Years,” “This Modern Love” and “Signs” were flung into the air, as well as new single “One More Chance.” Kele Okereke broke a guitar string for the first time in years because of his excesses rocking out, which only brought the crowd into more of a frenzy. The cool thing about this performance was that it was completely different from the setlist at Sziget and Melt! Festival. Thank you, Bloc Party, for shaking it up a bit. Yes, they played several of the same songs, but nothing like the verbatim Oasis or Ting Tings back-to-back shows we saw. Much appreciated. If you want to dance and be yelled at by a frontman with the biggest smile EVER, go see these guys. A fun sing-and-dance-along show.

And then came Radiohead. The most impressive crowd I’ve seen all summer pushed, shoved and finally crunched itself into a tight Tetris like formation and waited for Thom Yorke and company to come out and smack the absolute shit out of them. I couldn’t keep my eyes off Jonny Greenwood (“the mad scientist” as photographer Walt calls him), who seamlessly goes from ATTACKING his guitar to tinkering on the piano to making beat after wicked beat on whatever the hell he uses. There are so many wires, buttons and gadgets that he uses that it’s impossible to tell what’s going on, which makes the sound even more impressive. You can’t understand it, nor can you understand how the hell Yorke comes up with the music. The stage was set like last year’s tour, with the hanging icicle lights glowing with crazy colors. The HD screens were back as well, with close-up shots of each of the member’s face/body parts. Honestly, the show was leaps and bounds more remarkable than any I’ve seen since my arrival in Europe that it’s almost unfair to compare. Radiohead is a different league of musicians/creators/aliens.

Radiohead Setlist
15 Step, There There, Airbag, All I Need, Kid A, The National Anthem, Nude, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, The Gloaming, Myxomatosis, Climbing Up The Walls, Street Spirit (Fade Out), Videotape, Jigsaw Falling Into Place, Karma Police, Bodysnatchers, Idioteque
Encore: These Are My Twisted Words, Pyramid Song, Reckoner, (Nice Dream), Paranoid Android
Encore 2: Everything In Its Right Place

Continue reading for Saturday’s coverage…

Saturday, August 22

The Sounds :: Frequency Fest 2009

What is it with festivals either having extreme heat or excessive rain? To see if we really want to be here? To prove our dedication to the love of music? Regardless, despite heavy rains, the performances started on time and the first show on Sunday was Port O’Brien, a folk-indie rock group from Northern California. A little bit Modest Mouse, a little bit Vetiver, these guys sang their folk hearts out to a very small but dedicated crowd (because it was pouring rain). The band started out as folk duo Van Pierszalowski and Cambria Goodwin and soon after they added a rhythm section of Caleb Nichols and Joshua Barnhart. Pierszalowski works on his father’s fishing boat up on Kodiak Island, Alaska while Goodwin holds the title of head baker back on shore at Larsen Bay, and THIS is where they get most of their musical inspiration. Songs about being stuck at sea, living amongst beautiful wilderness, surviving the freezing cold weather, isolation and longing are beautifully penned by the duo. They harmonized and twanged their way through several songs off Threadbare, their new album coming out October 2009. A very pleasant, appealing, folksy sing-along band, Port O’Brien is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Cue The Sounds The Swedish new wave, punk synth pop group is led by a hottie in stilettos named Maja Ivarsson. A total Blondie throwback, she grinds, gyrates, squats and curses her way through each song, giving the front row quite a show. Although she has an incredibly sexy and tough stage presence, she remains approachable by constantly thanking the crowd for their support. The only problem is her voice is not good. It’s not bad or annoying, per se, but it’s just blah and flat, which sucks because she looks hot (unbelievable legs) and seems like a fireball. And the band behind her looked fantastic as well (think A Flock of Seagulls) and played their hearts out. The songs are actually quite good, too. Catchy lyrics, great synth, good dance beats, Atari sounds here and there, it all works for a fun dance band, EXCEPT her voice. Their third album, Crossing the Rubicon, came out this summer and they played several songs from it including “No One Sleeps When I’m Awake.” They also played some of their more popular songs, including “Painted By Numbers” (which I really enjoyed), “Living In America” and “Tony The Beat.” I’ll give them another try when Ivarsson gets some vocal training. Then again, what do I know; I like Crystal Castles and Alice Glass’ voice sounds like cars crashing.

Frequency Festival 2009

The Subways took the stage and even though the rain held, the crowd moved in. I had been introduced to this U.K. alt-rock band at Sziget Festival and although I didn’t like the music necessarily, I LOVED the performance. Billy Lunn (lead vocals, guitar) and Charlotte Cooper (bass, backing vocals) are so much fun to watch thrashing about onstage. And Cooper certainly thrashes; it looks as if her head is going to pop right off with each head thrust. Lunn dances and twirls about, frequently yelling at the crowd to “get craaaaazy!” amongst other things. They play with such intensity and enthusiasm that it is impossible to not join the party. Now that I knew the songs better, I really enjoyed the performance. I can honestly say that I probably will never buy one of their albums, but I wouldn’t miss one of their shows if they came to town.

After another 30 minutes of pouring rain, the Editors took the stage. Ah, how perfectly dramatic this U.K. dark indie group can be, reminiscent of a Phantom of the Opera performance – moody, dramatic, sexy, theatrical. Taking your eyes off of Tom Smith (lead vocals, guitar, keys) is impossible. He sings each song with such passion and enthusiasm it would be rude not to give him your full attention. With his booming, commanding voice he silences the crowd and stirs them into a frenzy as well. “Blood,” “All Sparks” and “Munich” were huge hits at this set, but really every song was just as good as the next. Their new album, In the Light and On This Evening, will be released in October, and from what I’ve heard it’s a little more synth friendly/heavy than previous albums. Based on the live versions it works as fantastic, dark indie disco rock.

Editors :: Frequency Fest 2009

All in all, Frequency Festival was sub par. The lineup was indeed great, with highlights being Radiohead, Editors, Jet, Kasabian, The Subways and Bloc Party. The crowd, however, was SUPER YOUNG, and it actually made more of a difference to my enjoyment than I’d expected. Excess pushing, shoving, drunkenness, shenanigans and a blatant disregard for others made it difficult to enjoy the scene. The food was so expensive that most people went to the supermarket down the street, which was an absolute shit storm each morning. Drink prices were hefty as well, prompting people to get completely sloshed before heading into the grounds. The fact that it was balls hot at times – so hot that people were passing out left and right – and so wet at other times that you had to fully commit to being soaked and frozen for the day, was unfortunate. But, alas, the Festival Gods wanted it that way. The grounds were nothing special nor interesting, especially after being to Melt! Festival (amongst the enormous At-Ats) and Sziget (set on an island in the Danube). Hell, even Lollapalooza, sitting amongst the beautiful cityscape of Chicago, or Sasquatch!, nestled at The Gorge in Washington, or even Outside Lands, perfectly placed in Golden Gate Park… now THOSE are settings for festivals, not some random patch of grass and gravel an hour outside of Vienna.

The music always saves the day. In this case, hearing Kasabian belt out “Fire,” Bloc Party rip open “Banquet,” The Ting Tings bop up and down to “Great DJ,” Editors croon to “Munich” and Radiohead serenade us with “Videotape” made everything okay. Better than okay, really. The point of these festivals is always the music and sometimes we get greedy. But hey, if you’re dishing out money in this day and age it better be worth it, right? That’s the whole point of the review, to answer the questions, “Who is worth opening my thin wallet for? Who deserves my love and affection?” I dare say, unless the lineup is off the freaking charts (Radiohead all day, every day?) then this is NOT the festival to propel you overseas. We never even made it over to the NightPark because the crowds were too insane (and not in a good way) and the lines to get on buses were outrageous (especially when it’s pouring rain). I’m sure that Crystal Castles, MSTRKRFT, Eric Prydz and The Crystal Method kicked ass because they did at all the other festivals. Frequency Festival is not to be frequented… unless you’re 17. Then, get after it!!!

Continue reading for more photos of Frequency Festival 2009…

Enter Shikari

Glasvegas

Jet

Eagles of Death Metal

Eagles of Death Metal

Radiohead

The Sounds

The Sounds

The Ting Tings

The Subways

The Subways

Little Boots

Kasabian

Kasabian

Milow

Port O’Brien

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