So I am back from the Southside Festival. I am underslept and burned quite badly and my lips are all swollen and look like a silicone job gone horribly long but otherwise I am fine.
The whole trip started off surreal enough ... I took a 4 am train to zuerich and had there was some woman some seats in front of me who just wouldn't stop talking ... it kept interfering with my dreams. At one point she actually said something along the lines of "Maybe things will be better in the afterlife. I am taking big steps towards it". Hmm, ok.
I arrived in Tuttlingen where I had to wait for the bus to take me to my hotel for what seemed like forever. Then I got there and it turned out there would be no busses back all weekend! Argh. I borrowed a bicycle from the hotel then and cycled all the 15 kilometers (around 10 miles) to the festival area, but there was nothing much of interest on on friday so I cycled back pretty soon.
Saturday I decided not to cycle again because the roads were all unlit, and I figured it would be too dangerous.
So I ended up hitching a ride. I arrived to the festival to the news that David Bowie had had to cancel. Not too happy about that because he was one of the only acts on Saturday I wanted to watch.
It also meant I had to endure the tedious Sportfreunde Stiller (a german band very popular with the german speaking alternative crowd, everyone seems to like them, which says nothing about you but that your music tastes are bad).
Imagine a cross between Weezer and german Schlager and you are almost there. Some guy did the right thing and slept right in front of the stage until the pixies came on.
The Pixies were great, though, and so were Placebo. Their stage show has changed a hell of a lot since a last saw them in 1996, when Brian Molko was simply standing on the stage wearing a candy necklace some girl had thrown him.
Sunday saw me hitch hiking again. It took a bit longer to get a ride and when I finally got one I heard the warning on the radio about not taking any hitch hikers in the direction of the festival. YAY. I was a warning on the radio.
When I was walking into the festival area some guys were offering grilled meat to people claiming it was David Bowie.
I got there in time to watch the end of Snow Patrol. Next on was Graham Coxon who I quite enjoyed. Nothing too special, though. But I was amused by the fact that everyone wore a stripey shirt (not the same colors or style, though).
I am Kloot were one of the bands that proved that it was possible to look more of a state than most of the visitors after three days.
The singer may also try and learn how to drink without spilling half the beer over himself I still liked their songs about "love and disaster".
Next a band who were one of the main reasons I was looking forward to the festival, the absolutely wonderful Bright Eyes.
Needless to say they did not disappoint, even though Conor looked very pale and very hung over. This guy needs a break badly, I think. There were a few new songs and some old faves. A really enjoyable gig, especially as Bright Eyes aren't a typical festival band, I think. They have slowly grown to be one of my favourite bands pver the years. I started listening to them a lot in the horrid summer of 2001, but didn't take them all to seriously at first -- file under another lost pretty boy singing about how he never got over her. But I guess there is something special there.
Sarah Bettens played next who turned out to be the singer of a (belgian?) band called K's choice. This was an a bit more light hearted affair.
It rained heavily during most of her set.
By the time Wilco came on the rain thankfully had stopped again and there even was a rainbow at some point. This show was another highlight of the festival.
Afterwards I had to walk over to the main stage, where I caught the last song of PJ Harvey who I don't like all that much.
Then the Hives who were stylish but a little bit too noisy for me to enjoy especially as I was standing quite close to the speakers. The Cure ended the festival with a good set, even though by that time my back ached so much I could hardly stand.
Then it was time for me to make my way back to the hotel, and the following day back home. I was stuck there until 5:30 pm cos I had missed the morning bus, so I only got home very late. The train trip got annoying towards the second half because a group of people with a stereo got on and started playing bad party song and singing along to "Limbo Dance" (David Hasselof, I think) loudly.
I wanted to kill them. Or at least steal their stereo.
And now I am here, and I have to leave for uni in 40 minutes. I also have an exam this afternoon. Guess who is not so happy about that?
7:35 a.m. - 2004-06-29
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