Gifgrond has always been a place to discover your instant favorite live music performers, bands and deejays. Sometimes the venue smoothly redips into the colorful cast of classic characters, that wil always be readily present to thrill you. But at other times, Gifgrond whips out a brand new can of goodness! Going for the classics, (with the exception of the familiar face of DJ Krikkrak) had simply not been the case at last week’s 83th Gifgrond party.. It was all brand new! Fresh! Think of glitter & glammour with a nice splash of color and a brush of new fancy blackness! It might hurt the eyes, you might have to squint a little, but all worth it!
The legendary place was certainly ready to be pleasantly filled with a fresh bunch of never heard (at Gifgrond!) music before! Once inside, I personally was stunned. Looking at the floor filled with instruments, I could imagine it becoming a where-is-Waldo game in which players had to identify which instrument belonged to which performer. Excitement was hanging in the air as 3 bands, plus deejays Rikkert & Krikkrak were there to play, sing, beat and spin!
Take, for example, the opening band of the night; the Berlin Trio named “13 Year Cicada“. They have been touring all around but not only have they never made it to Gifgrond before, it was also the very first time in 7 years that they were putting on a show in the Netherlands! As if this band had the assignment to make up for these lost years, they got in as the first band of the night and cracked open a bunch of live music that was impossible to dislike. What a talent, what a genre-bending-twisting bunch this was!
13 Year Cicada simply went for it. The bassist swagged around with a tight coolness, the drummer slammed the drums with the swinging mathematics of a strong professor and the pleasant sounding voice/synth provider did everything to get the Gifgrond crowd swinging in a madly electrifying soulness.
Yes, soul, R&B, electronic, math rock… nothing was too out of their reach for them to successfully toss in their creative blender to cook up their own sound.. They showcased a diverse set of music that at times made me think of an alternative answer to “little dragon”. They provided an emotional escape through rhythm and heart. Music that seemed to suit the doom and gloom of the world, placed it on the ground and hopped over it like a surreal bunny whose tail had been on fire. If that doesn’t make any sense, then let me rephrase: it was very good!
Of course, the trouble might normally come when following up a band of this excellent order.. but the Parisian duo named Dear Deer had no problems at all! They popped up as the second live band of the night and started all bright and sparkly!
There was simply no need for a disco ball as the members of Dear Deer would outshine it beyond doubt! Fierce and strong was their presence as they played their strings and catapulted their sounds over the floor.
New wave, electro, post-pop rock and what not! They seemingly had an endless bag full of their own strong sound to be proud of! Gifgrond was digging it, swaying and moving in the cozy confinement of its tight attendence.
The last band had come all the way from Switzerland to take the night away and top it all off! It was nobody less than Omni Selassi, a trio that seemed experimental at their core with the courage to not shy away from whatever fitted their needs. Omni Selassi simply had no difficulty bringing a whole arsenal of styles to the premises.
All gloriously drenched in their own vibe that can be described as material to solidly fly away on!
What a style, what a vibe, such coolness would turn the hair of Robert Smith grey! Music, non-music, noise, dead punk, hallucinative sounds were words that popped into my slowly rendered incapable mind!
They were the kind of band that makes you want to talk about for weeks on end! If you were searching for a band that delivers “unexpected” music, then this might be your answer. With heavy guitar, drums and the voice of an angel, things became the soundtrack of a broken wasteland in which dread dances with glimmers of light. Absolutely moving and mind-breaking!
The night of live music was great indeed, but also big kudos to DJ Krikkrak and DJ Rikkert for successfully playing the artistic oddball tunes to compliment every moment between the bands and take the afterparty to the next level of happiness. Gifgrond 83 felt as young as ever! but dont believe me by my word, but see the quality photos done by gifgrond photo veteran Frank Janssens or simply move your ass, eyes and ears to the next Gifgrond!
www.gifgrond.nl
<KN>
Yeah I Know It Sucks 