Rock Werchter 2004: Friday
Roy Kasius - 02 July 2004
FRIDAY
Do these angry
men really originate from rural Wales or are the Lost Prophets a bunch of spoiled kids from the West Coast?
They start the second day of Rock Werchter amid thunder and heavy showers, the heaven crying for mercy in
the face of the gigantic wall of nu-metal guitars. The truth is that singer Ian Watkins' voice can't compete with all the
instrumental violence of his band or the savagery of Mother Nature.
Black
Rebel Motorcycle Club's show is about as interesting as watching an egg hatch - a long time waiting for one moment,
which isn't that interesting anyway. The band members are all good musicians but what they create is as appealing as eating
mouldy bread. Maybe it's the bad weather or maybe it's the early timeslot but that shouldn't justify the 50-minute ordeal
of bland go-nowhere they impose
.
Be afraid. Be very afraid. Dave Wyndorf is angry, very angry. Monster Magnet
pull off one of the most aggressive performances of the festival. The people standing in front of the stage even have to duck
flying debris, after leadsinger Wyndorf smashes his guitar in two and violently chucks it into the audience. Their music is
like their act, hard and aggressive, and that's exactly what this festival needs about now. They are cool, arrogant, and their
3 minute songs are fantastically raw and insufferably hip. That includes an awesome cover of the Gunclub's song 'Poison Ivy'.
The Detroit foursome gives us a 45-minute lesson in how garage rock should sound at its best and if you play like the Von
Bondies do today you have every reason to be cocky and arrogant.
But the people's choice award goes to The Dropkick Murphys. The anticipation is high. Dangerously high.
The audience devour the Dropkick Murphys' unique blend of Irish folk and American punk. But they are certainly not the best
band at the festival.
So it's just as well that a big-haired figure, dressed in a black one-piece stole from cat woman, has just come
on stage. It can only mean one thing - The Darkness have landed. The field is packed with thousands of fans
anxiously waiting to catch a glimpse of Justin and his mates. Even the stars come out to watch The Darkness put down one of
the best shows of the weekend, with Justin proving he's not just a guy in a weird suit. Even the deaf would enjoy his performance
as the colourful frontman pounds and scissor kicks his way across the stage.
The tent is packed, the lights are out, and everybody is screaming for The Sugababes to make their entrance. Funnily enough most people are here to see the Babes fall flat on their cute little faces, but if curiosity killed the cat, then what did it do to the Sugababes? It makes them the stars of the moment. They surprise their audience with a full live band, lots of rhythm and hip movement and voices tailor-made for the occasions.
Nu metal may be declared dead by the music media but please don't tell that Korn, it'll just piss them off. Jonathan Davis and his men scream, roar and rage like their lives depend on it during an ear blowing set. When the band play their biggest hit, 'Freak On A Leash', the temperature of the crowd rises to a boiling point. Now who said metal is dead, huh?
Just to hammer
the message home some more, Metallica take the stage, having been given an extra large slot in which to show
off their near perfect technique, one that bursts with energy almost as brightly as the fireworks illuminating the sky. 'Nothing
Else Matters' finishes a perfect show and for that moment nothing does.
Click here for more Rock Werchter 2004 reviews!
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