In 2005 I went to the Roskilde Festival in Denmark, and it rained like a bitch. But this didn’t create the mild muddy discomfort that Glastonbury back home is renowned for, because this wasn’t just a weekend-long festival. This was eight days long, and before halfway through many people had abandoned their tents which had filled up with water or floated and slid away, and no one had anything dry to wear. It was a cold and wet and uncomfortable week; and one of the best weeks of my life.
Roskilde seems different to other festivals I have been to. There’s no one reason why – it’s partly that the music is so truly eclectic – there are seven stages spread over the site and you can hear anything from death metal to opera on any one of them throughout the festival. It’s also got a lot to do with the people – most of them aren’t English which is a good start! People come from all over the world to enjoy Roskilde, whether it’s the Scandinavian countries, other places in Europe, or as far afield as Australia, and because most people you meet are going to be from a different nation everyone has a different take on life, has had different experiences and is genuinely interested in getting to know the people around them.
Since I first went in 2005 I have been back to the Roskilde festival several times including in the summer of 2009. I went as always with Robbie who introduced me to the festival, and this time we decided to both bring our girlfriends. This would limit how obviously we were able to admire the beautiful Scandinavian girls at the festival, but [I’m sure] it had its perks too!
We met two Croatian girls, Maja and Iva, on the train to the festival site and as they were Roskilde-virgins we offered to show them around when we arrived. We met up with some of our Danish friends who were waiting for us in the festival grounds, and camped together in a great spot they had spied out for us! A day or so later we were joined by Swedish girls Ana and Hanna, and Camp SlowPök was ready to take on the festival!
The first few days of Roskilde are generally about parties in the campsite, smaller bands at the Pavilion Junior stage, and plenty of Tuborg beer. The weather was great in 2009, and so we rocked up to the stage with beers and a guitar in the early afternoon and enjoyed the sun, drinks and music well into the evening. On the first day I saw some great bands, the best of which were a fantastic metal act called Scamp where I moshed with the Power Rangers, and the first night I spent dancing like a loony on the top of a huge skate ramp whilst a selection of DJs pumped out fast, loud techno music.
Roskilde 2009 was such a good year it’s really difficult to think of the highlights. Playing our Super Monster Destroyer songs on the guitar whilst a handful of confused and drunk Scandinavians rocked out with us is a perennial joy I have associated with Roskilde since the first year we went, and a staunch fans from that year and since always join us on the choruses. The drunken antics of us and everyone around us are a constant source of amusement. Whether it’s being blindfolded and force fed a rum that’s more akin to liquid gunpowder than a drink, or enjoying cocktails served in pineapples with sparklers and streamers hanging off them, the end result is often the same ridiculous merriment and carefree abandon.
Of course the music plays a big part as well, with highlights from 2009 being the awesome and long-missed Faith No More who played a blinding set, had a row on stage and were every bit as entertaining as you would hope. Nine inch Nails played some classic tracks wonderfully, and did some artsy nonsense which was a bit boring and self-obsessed, just as you would expect! The Pet Shop Boys filled the air with their familiar synths and harmonies that awakened many memories from my childhood, and their stage show was very clever and entertaining – dancing and moving the blocks that made up the stage around and reconfiguring it so smoothly that you rarely noticed they were doing it until another song had started and everything looked different. Slipknot were brutal, their timing impeccable and their volume unparalleled throughout the festival!
And then there were the smaller names that I would never have heard of were it not for Roskilde that year. Alamaailman Vasarat were one of the best – a Finnish group who mixed leading melodies on trombone, clarinet and baritone saxophone with rhythm and bass provided by two cellists and a tight jazzy drum beat. The Soil and Pimp Sessions played ‘death jazz’ – a type of all-out frenzied jazz which is as relentless and fast as it is tight and chaotic. They were a Japanese group, fronted by a short man with an afro and big dark glasses in a very jazzy three-piece suit, and the rest of the band were young Japanese guys in Bermuda shorts and fluorescent sneakers. Their energy was awesome and contagious throughout the crowd! Amon Amarth filled the air with their pyrotechnics that were more prolific than any I have seen, and their Viking chants that make you want to grab their drinking horns and join in with the party and start some pillaging! The Mars Volta were crazy; Gojira were as tight and mathematical as the French have ever been; Zu were chaotic and confusing; Frightened Rabbit were beautifully folksy and moving; 2562 were danceable, bass-driven and fresh sounding dubstep; Madness were tight and their age was barely noticeable; and of course Volbeat were metal even your mother would like (with Elvis vocals)! There are just too many bands to mention here. So check out the official site for a full list.
And for God’s sake, go to the next festival!
Don’t forget to check out the pictures.