OpenAir St. Gallen 2009: Rated!

Sittertobel, Switzerland - 26-28 June

Switzerland | 02 July 2009

Not even the strongest of downpours could put a dampner on another palatable Swiss weekender says Lorena Blattner.

Overall – 8/10
The Open Air St. Gallen stands out due to its own atmosphere and very loyal fanbase. Infrastructure and organisation are professional and the line-up ranks amongst the best in Switzerland. The festival has also been awarded twice for its environmental concept and keeps up with new developments.

Getting there and Back – 9/10
St. Gallen can be reached within an hour from Zurich Airport and is accessible by train from all around Switzerland. There is a frequent shuttle bus service between St. Gallen main station and the festival site (10 minutes travel) around the clock.

The Site – 7/10
One of the few festivals in Switzerland that allows camping on site and (if you’re lucky - i.e. quick) a view of one of the two stages from your sleeping bag. There are enough facilities and showers for everyone and a wide range of food providers. The only thing that could be improved is the terrain. Except from the official footways there are no paving tiles what makes it rather uncomfortable to find your way, especially when it’s raining.

Atmosphere – 9/10
The atmosphere is somewhere between cheerfully drunk and simply peaceful. You easily chum up with your tent neighbours or find someone to help you out with whatever you’ve forgotten at home. For the festival-goers here it’s not about the music in the first place which also means that most punters are very open minded and just give all kind of acts a go.

Music – 9/10
The line-up often has a main focus on independent music, that goes beyond the latest NME hype. You can find everything from rock to electronica and blues to hip hop and punk. It’s actually a shame that the audience doesn’t care more as comparable quality at Swiss festivals is rare.

Get Well Soon
First goosebumps on Friday were without any doubt caused by Get Well Soon. 26-year old German multi-instrumentalist Konstantin Gropper and his band opened the set with’ Prelude’, the first song of his debut album ‘Rest Now, Weary Head! You Will Get Well Soon’. The audience didn’t have to wait much longer for their latest single ‘If This Hat Is Missing I Have Gone Hunting’ either and rewarded the band with as much attention as it is possible in a festival environment.

Peter Fox
Peter Fox took over the main stage where he had been eagerly awaited by the crowd. The founder of the German reggae-pop act Seeed has released his first solo album in late 2008. Live he was accompanied by 15 people, including a wind section, backing vocals, a fake monkey and the American drum band Cold Steel. Fox excelled as a brilliant live performer and got the audience dancing from the first note on.

The Gaslight Anthem
If The Gaslight Anthem, playing as the sun set, had to be described in two words it would be sound and solid - but in a very good way that is. The most outstanding surely was Brian Fallon’s vocal performance. It’s been a long time since a newcomer actually convinced with such a strong voice, not only on the album, but also live.

The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips made their breathtaking signature entrance with ‘Race For The Prize’ with Wayne Coyne gliding over the hands of the audience in a big see-through balloon. The fans got everything they could’ve wished for – ‘Free Radicals’, ‘She Don’t Use Jelly’,’ The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song’,’ Do You Realize?’ and one song from the upcoming album. Also, Coyne dedicated their cover of Madonna’s’ Borderline’ to Michael Jackson, with an ambiguous smile though.

The Streets
On Sunday Mike Skinner literally brought the sunshine back and entertained the crowd roasting in the heat as if he was a kids animator on a Spanish island resort. With a cover version of ‘Billie Jean’, The Streets commemorated before airing their own tracks like ‘Dry Your Eyes’ and ‘Blinded By The Lights’.
Downers

Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Less unanimous were the views on the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. While for some festival-goers the show of the New York based trio ranks amongst the highlights of this year’s OpenAir St.Gallen, others were simply disappointed by poor sound quality and instrumental and vocal performance equally. It is undisputed, however, that Karen O is very charismatic and cool. Maybe cool enough to belie a poor show.