Suikerrock 2010: Rated!

Tienen, Belgium - 29 July - 1 August

Belgium | by Roy Kasius | 02 August 2010

Overall – 9/10

Suikerrock (Flemish for Sugar Rock) really lives up to its name, ‘cause Suikerrock is sweeeeeeet! Suikerrock is the ultimate visitor-friendly festival. It has everything you want in a festival. A great location, an even better line-up and best of all it’s affordable for almost everybody.

Getting there and back – 8/10

Because Suikerrock is located in the heart of the city Tienen, there are plenty ways of reaching the site without having to track through a muddy field with your GPS. The train station is a mere ten-minute walk and buses run from neighbouring towns. Free parking is available within walking distance, but you have to know where to go. There are no parking areas available especially for the festival, so you just drive around until you find a spot. Public transport seems the better option in this case.

The site – 9/10

Facing the main stage there’s a church to the right, some shops to your left and a couple of pubs and restaurants behind you. Organising a festival on the main square of a smaller city turned out to be a stroke of genius. No mud fights, easy access and food and drink available nearby. Suikerrock’s organisational skills also surface in the facilities onsite. There is a big cabin with actual flushing toilets that are, surprisingly, kept clean throughout the weekend.

Atmosphere – 8/10

Belgians are usually very relaxed and laidback when it comes to watching concerts. Throughout the weekend, most days do indeed start out a little subdued. Saturday opening act The Opposites have to ask the audience to gather a little closer to the stage. But as the day continues more and more people are coming onto the main square in Tienen. As the saying goes, “the more, the merrier”. The singing, dancing, jumping and clapping are getting louder by the hour climaxing in a crowd that has as much fun as a good night out, but without the bar fights and beer throwing.

Music – 8/10

Suikerrock is following a trend of booking acts that were big in the 80’s and 90’s but were unheard of since. Headlining acts Jamiroquai, Seal and Grace Jones are a sure bet to sell enough tickets to fill the main square day after day.

Uppers

Stereo MCs – 7/10
The old geezer still has it. Stereo MC singer Rob Birch seems to be living today like it could be his last. Not because he looks shabby and worn out, but more so because of the energy he puts into his performance. No part of the stage is left unattended. But of course Stereo MCs trip hop and dance music wasn’t made to be enjoyed standing still. The audience appears to agree with Birch and dances in unison to the tunes of ‘Connected’ and ‘Deep Down And Dirty’. Though as soon as the band strays away from its hits, the crowd seems to lose interest. One thing is sure, singer Rob Birch is not to be blamed.

Jamiroquai – 8/10
It’s been awfully quiet around Jamiroquai the last few years. A new album is in the making though and the band is performing here and there. The years of silence haven’t done much damage though, as Jay Kay and his band have the crowd going like there’s no tomorrow. The sounds of ‘Cosmic Girl’, ‘Deeper Underground’ and ‘Virtual Insanity’ are all greeted with a rain dance befitting Jay Kay’s trademark Indian war bonnet. If this performance is anything to go by, the new album is going to be a bestseller.

Arid – 8/10
Belgium has one of the most productive music industries in Europe. Bands like K’s Choice, dEUS and Soulwax have been spreading their gospel beyond the borders of their country for many years. Arid are one of those bands that have everything it takes to become the next big thing. The main attraction of this soft rock band is singer Jasper Steverlinck whose golden voice has no competition in Belgium. For this performance, new songs are intermixed with hits evoking hundreds of spectators to sing along in unison; a rare sight for this otherwise subdued audience.

Shaggy – 7/10
Expect the unexpected at Suikerrock. Shaggy is by no means a pop singer who brings his music on tape, or even worse, that lip-syncs. No, the Jamaican rapper delivers a full band live experience with guitars, drums, backing vocals: the whole shebang. And he does so with flair. He has a couple of hits up his sleeve waiting for an old fashioned sing-a-long. But the audience meet the songs that are less familiar with the same indulgence. Arms are waving left to right, people are jumping up and down and the good cheer is spreading all around.

Grace Jones – 9/10
The best performers always start late. Thirty minutes after the show was due to start, there’s still no sign of the 62-year old singer, actress and model. But nobody is moaning, in fact the anticipation is rising by the minute. When the curtains finally fall, you can hear the distinct voice of Grace Jones, but there’s no visual to match. A quick scan of the stage shows a dark masked figure all the way at the back on a rising lift. The remaining 90 minutes of the show are as equally exciting and surprising as Jones’ entrance. The singer changes one outrageous outfit after the other, revealing more and more of her trained physique. The singer performs all her hits like ‘Pull up to the Bumper’ and ‘Slave To The Rhythm’ with passion and even finesse. The evening culminates in Grace Jones singing an entire song while balancing a hula-hoop on her hips and walking around the stage. With a work out like that it’s no wonder she’s in such great shape.

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