Freak Valley Festival 2014 - the backstage experience

  In Germany we say „all good things are three“. This was my third year Freak Valley Festival and it was definitely the most intense one. Three days, 2000 fans, 30 bands, a shit load of volunteers – FVV 2014 ur nuts!  

Working backstage, not sure if there is a better job?! I’ll still get excited when I get that green  “band”  saying “ all access”. Strike!

 This year the backstage area got changed to a different place inside the AWO area. Not close to the stage anymore but warm and cosy with a real bar, our own drinking cups (last year we had to run around to the other "Bierrondelle" (beer tents) and get them from there), couches, a “Kicker” (soccer table) and heaps of food (although they had that last year too). I really liked the new location – plus the bands got the “ all inclusive” thing. All drinks for free, heaps of booze including Jägermeister, Vodka, Rum and Whiskey. Everyone really enjoyed the great offer from my friend Affi who gave out a Jägershot with every beer.

We also had an actual work schedule this year which was great… I don’t think I’ve ever had so much free time to hang out on the festival ground itself. We were eight people working, about 4 hours a day which meant guaranteed free festival time. 

Festival Day 1:

 Our boss Ellen or as we call her “ Carmen knows best” is great. With her red hair and her dark voice I’ll have respect for her (also she works in the Vortex pub in Siegen-Weidenau so she knows how to handle drunk Stoner Rock Freaks). After a few instructions and hanging up very important signs like “do NOT smoke” or “yes, u can use this toilet, if the door is open”, a food-timetable and our own…. I checked out the festival grounds…

Unlucky or lucky – it was pissing down with rain but it did no harm to the bands show. With lots of beers and enough tents to hop under, it made it quite cozy with all those freaks. 

@Isabelle Bapté Photographie's

  First up on the main stage were The Lone Crows from Minneapolis, USA. They sucked me right in. Playing a mix of Blues Rock, Funk and Grunge – they take you back on a journey, right into the 60's and 70's. A lot of energy going on even though the main crowd was still somewhere else – most likely setting up their tents, doing whiskey tasting or getting a beer. 

The Lone Crows @Isabelle Bapté Photographie's

 

 Right after, the Heavy Eyes from Memphis, USA went on stage (and I mean right after because the Freak Valley team really knows how to hop on and off the stage within five minutes and without hurting anyone or themselves). Their first European show ever and no better way to start it than on the FVF stage. The guys played a stoner blues psych rock with influence of 1960s America rock. They were done playing after 50 minutes but it felt like only ten. 

 I’ve been chatting up with people, checking out freaks walking across the wet grass – I felt like I’m back in the late 60's/ early 70's… Everyone is so relaxed and talkative. People running around with no shoes on, brushing their teeth or dancing in the rain. 

 Unfortunately I’ll have to go backstage now – so I walk pass the security man, showing him my green “all access area” band and I can feel the looks from some other people in my back..and I’m proud that I do belong to the backstage crew. 

So my first shift is with a guy called Dominik. He’s got long dread hair and is from somewhere in Bavaria –he’s got a strong Bavarian accent but I like it. He’s really fun to hang out with and he tells me he owns a pub and organizes another stoner festival in August – Void Fest. Great I think…I might check that out too! 

the backstage crew (Affi & Dominik) @Tom Fyfe

 The first bands that played are coming to the bar – drinking cups are small so they keep coming back more often. While working backstage,  I’m missing out on the last three bands playing –Bloody Hammers from the US, Papir from Denmark (which I got to know later on that night) and Radio Moscow (who apparently kinda destroyed the backstage area a bit after we finished our shift at 2pm).

Papir at FVF @ Neill Hawk

 The interesting thing about being backstage is checking out which bands like to chill out or prepare for their show. Some of them seem just like me. After checking in with Corinna at the front bus, the bands come in and wanna check their internet (sorry for the shit connection guys), sit down, have a drink or eat. Most bands have had a massive trip behind them, being on tour is not always just sex,   drugs and rock ‘n roll I guess. So as we serve the guys drinks, some of them insist of drinking shots with them ( and I really can’t drink many)… after three or four, I decide to cut it off but it’s kinda too late. I am drunk – luckily it’s the end of my shift anyways so my friend Affi puts me into the cab and we go home to our little apartment (only two kilometers away from the festival). I can’t remember that Affi made me a sandwich in the kitchen but I sure remember him snoring as I wake up at about 9am on Friday morning.

Festival Day 2:   

 A massive headache, only food and coffee can help. My uncles friend Tomba, who Affi and me are sharing the apartment with (and with my Rock Freak uncle Micki of course) is my champ. Same as last year, he is the first one to be up and getting breakfast and coffee ready in the kitchen. We talk about Thursday, the bands and some crazy stories which happened. Tomba is the only one who is not allowed backstage, well, he’s just a guest but he likes it. So he’s got more time to drink and enjoy the bands…but he usually doesn’t see the last ones play, so he’s up bright and early in the mornings. My uncle Micki takes care of the people from the press and he’s arranged the rooms and hotels for the bands. So he’s a busy bee like all the other Rock Freaks. When he walks into the kitchen, he looks a bit destroyed and he’s mumbling something about a Mike from the local television station in Siegen. Mike – has called him like 20 times and he’s just not giving up. So Micki is gonna meet him at the festival grounds around 1ish. I wanna come as well cause I’m interested in getting to know this guy. 

typical breakfast morning

 I’m a bit surprised when I meet Mike and his camera team. Mike is mid 50s and doesn’t look like Stoner at all (which of course he doesn’t have too – I only like the music since my first festival 2012). The camera man has been doing his job for over 30 years and the guy who is taking care of the sound is young, doesn’t talk much but seems nice enough. I kinda feel like Mike doesn’t really have a concept…yes, they want to interview a band, get a fan (must be from overseas) and get an interview with one of the Rock Freaks. No worries! We get him Ivy Garden of the Desert – they are a trio from Italy. Their sound is a bit like the one from Colour Haze (who played a massive show at the first Freak Valley). Heavy jams for sure! The guys are really nice; the camera team can do the interview in the press tent on a couch. Ivy Garden speaks open-minded, even though their English is not the best (but Mike’s English is not the best either). Right after, they go on stage, do a great show and the camera team follows them right into the crowd. Later on, they ask my uncle to give an interview and they find a fan from Ireland who was already at the Festival grounds on Tuesday…he came alone and he freaking loves Freak Valley, the friendly helpers, the bands, the atmosphere and the beer and food. 

@Kyle Juett

  
 While I’ve been checking out everything with the camera team, I missed out on Sun Preachers from France. But somehow the bands I miss on stage, I hang out with backstage more than with the other bands. Sun Preachers got really drunk, funny though. They were playing Kicker (German table-soccer game), on and under the table and some of them even fell asleep on those cozy couches. Bands I also really liked to hang out with were Papir from Denmark. Really nice guys, good looking- fun! They had the special big cups, I guess everyone else was a bit jealous of them.. and I still wonder where the hell they got them from (cause we didn’t have them anywhere?!). They also like drinking shots and playing Kicker…although they lost against the French and Swedish dudes… the Swedish dudes from Mother of God were insane. They looked real hard with their long hair and their beards but they were probably the ones with the most heart. The drummer Jimmy likes to beat Affi and me at Kicker but – no way…he only beat us with this 8-year-old boy (still wonder where he came from)…the big Swedish rocker with the blond German dude winning against us – bummer! 
 

Affi, me and Jimmy from Mother of God

 Also surprising was the band Elder from the USA. The singer Nick asked for a beer in German…so for sure, he’s getting one. Everytime a guy asks for a beer, I wonder which band he’s in (cause I really don’t know any of them before the Festival)… and I can’t find him in one of the German bands (I use the Festival guide to compare their faces because they have pics of the bands in there)… so I ask him and god good, he tells me he’s the singer from Elder, so he`s American but he speaks perfectly German. And guess why? He’s a german teacher and has been living in Recklinghausen, Germany since November last year. But still, there is not one accent, no nothing…he just sounds like a German. Bam! So very impressed indeed...cause mostly I think they are hard guys with long hair and hard music and for me, they can’t be anything else…but then, there comes this American dude talking perfectly German telling me his a teacher… his friend and band member Jack is pretty cool too. I remember drinking with him the night before…so I’m happy to see him the next day… he’s kinda cute, from Boston but living in New York now. We talked about it last night – and yes Jack, I know u think Jersey is a pain in the ass but I really like it there :-P Anyways, it was a pleasure sharing cigarettes and beers with you… 

Elder somewhere in Netphen @Andrea Lynn Santos

 but I’ll definitely have to mention my new really cool mates from London. Stubb – you guys shocked me a bit, especially drum player Tom and his girlfriend Danielle. Both drinking a shit load of booze but still looking good and funny to hang out with. Although Thursday was a bit rough, they took it a bit easier on Friday. Plus Stubb was playing on Friday. Classic heavy rock and a journey taking you back to the 60s and 70s. Lots of energy and frantic solos –that’s Stubb. The guys from London are good friends with backstage boss “Carmen knows best” so they had been staying at her place the week before. 
 

beers in the sun with Danielle from Stubb

 Next to Bushfire from Darmstadt, Germany they were the secret house band. But Bushfire will always be the number one Freak Valley band. Especially singer Bill from the US is a pretty damn crazy guy. He’s got so much energy, he loves spending time with the other bands, talking to the audience and helping the other volunteers. I’ve seen him give out food, chatting up with the guys from the press (I know you were impressed), sitting down in the middle of the crowd and screaming his lungs out. I know Bill from the first day at Freak Valley three years ago and I would really miss his face if he wouldn’t be there one year. They’re playing at the “Wake&Bake” stage on Saturday morning. Too early for me but I know their music anyways. It’s action, it’s taff rock, it’s personal, it’s fun. 
 

Bill from Bushfire @Isabelle Bapté Photographie's

 After Stubb, Mother of God from Sweden is up next. They do look scary but it’s just the look really. Their music style sounds like Soundgarden, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.

 Applause when the sun is finally showing up, people are chillin out on the floor, eating baked potatoes with onions, a heavy breeze of weed is in the air under the blue skies of Netphen-Deuz… an air ballon is showing up (they must have the most amazing view ever), there is a line up for the swing, freaks are relaxing on couches and deck chairs. 

  It’s time for Mothership from the USA. 70s heavy rock and guitar solos make their show strong. People are getting up from their  seats because they wanna see what’s happening on stage. Me and my backstage friends stay on the grass though. It’s too nice and we’re still a bit tired from last night (although it’s already 5pm). 
 

enjoying the sun with the backstage crew

 Up next is Blood Ceremony from Canada. My friends are really keen to see them. I saw the singer backstage before, running around in black hot pants, leather of course, and her pretty long hair. Her voice is amazing and her flute playing lets you drift into a different world. No need to hide their love for horror and witchcraft. 

 That’s enough music for the moment. I gotta go backstage to start my shift at 8pm. By that time, most of the bands that have already played are having food, exchanging thoughts and even numbers with other band members. I love the multicultural exchange, the mixture of English, a few drops of German and all the other languages. It’s really nice when the bands order a drink asking in German. They do learn it quite easily “ Ein Bier bitte” – one guy from the Sun Preachers always said (I’ll translate it into English) “ One Beer thanks – but in German we don’t really say thanks when ordering…I didn’t tell him it was wrong cause it sounded so nice when he asked.

Obviously lots of the band members are smokers (not saying just cigarettes) – so the main catch up was happening outside the backstage room. Two benches up front, a small walkway to get pass the guys. Every year, I notice one guy who just drinks (& smokes) way more than the others (or maybe his body just can’t handle it that good). The first year, it was Douglas from the band Gentlenman’s Pistols from England, last year it was some Swedish dude (I really can’t remember his name but I do remember how he threw up the already eaten sausage onto the floor) and this year it was (that’s what we called him “ Stoned Jesus”. He kinda looked like Jesus and he must have been bloody stoned. He was very friendly though and a cool guy but when he fell into the flowers outside the smoking area for the 7^th time, “Carmen knows best” put him into a cab to get some sleep… probably the best choice, since he had to play a big show the next day. 
 

Danish connections: Papir & Oersund Space Collective

 So my Stoner band friends Stoned Jesus from Ukraine were kinda back at Freak Valley this year. You guys played an intensive show last year and you’re definitely  my favorite band so far. Thanks guys! (I had to say that…)

Stoned Jesus @FVF 2013

 I have a little break between my shifts to see Truckfighters from Sweden (I did get distracted first, cause the booklet says they’re from the Netherlands)… but no, they are Swedish and they bloody rock. I’ll stand right in the middle of the crowd, so many people have come out to see them. It’s gotten really but no one really cares. They have lots of energy on the stage, I guess it would be transferred even more if they’d played inside… They play heavy rock, progressive and they mix different styles. For sure one of the best bands I’ve seen at FVF yet. I have to miss out on Blues Pills –the American-Swedish-French quartet. Everyone seems pretty excited to see them. I meet the female singer on her way to the stage- alone – preparing her. Her voice sounds like she would probably give me goose bumps if I would watch her on stage. She’s like Janis Joplin, playing with her band a mix of Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Hendrix, Cream or Aretha Franklin. Everyone seeing them, said they were the highlight of the night.

 The rest of the night was pretty quite…after “Stoned Jesus” left, most bands took advantage of my Boss calling cabs for them. Around 3am my friend Affi and I cleaned up a bit and took a cab home with my uncle who was falling asleep on the couch. Only one more day to go…

 Festival Day 3:

Good morning Freak Valley people. It’s day three, it’s everything – again. The weather is fantastic; I wanna get down to the festival grounds as soon as possible. I’m getting the rest of my crew ready pretty fast. The walk from our apartment to the festival takes about 30 minutes, walking pass the campground. I recognize familiar faces here and there, Iron Maiden tunes are reaching out from a corner. Along the way, we drink a beer, enjoy the view of the campsite. It’s up on a hill, in the middle of green fields and forest. I know some of the bands like Bushfire camp here because they enjoy the atmosphere and being part of the whole “fan-camping-hells-yeah-experience”. I only have to work the last two shifts from 10-2pm so I wanna watch a few bands today. Spending my time with my friends and with Danielle and Tom from Stubb is fun. 

The first band I watch today is Oersund Space Collective from Denmark. I am really looking forward to see guest guitarist Nicklas from Papir play (as I missed out on them Thursday night). This is most likely the weirdest band I’ve seen so far. They entirely improvise their whole set. No songs, no pre-constructed rhythms, just pure music, energetic,  right from the heart. “Stoned Jesus” is fantastic, so is front man “Doctor Space”. He’s wearing “Alien-like sunglasses” and he’s the king at the keyboard.  You can watch the crowd, how they just feel their love of music even though I am not sure if the band themselves was too happy about their sound. They definitely didn’t get enough time to play because other bands were already waiting in the back. Tight stage plan for sure this year! Maybe two or three bands less next year and a bit more time for the others would be great. 
 

@Isabelle Bapté Photographie's

 Next up is Mos Generator from the USA- my favorite. The singer’s voice is so intense, I get electrified from the first 10 seconds he starts singing. They are rocking the stage, very powerful with a lot of emotions. The show goes on with The Admiral Sir Cloudesly Shovell. The British guys have probably found the greatest name on earth and they look like the typical British rockers. They are very gentleman like backstage, always asking nicely about a drink and calling me “my dear and sweetheart”. On stage, the trio plays an exclusive show at Freak Valley…with tunes from the 70s, Status Quo and Black Sabbath. Right up front, I watch Samsara BluesExperiment from Germany. They seem to have problems with their sound and it takes them two to three restarts…After 30 minutes I wanna get out of the weed-cloud surrounding me so I’ll go back to my backstage family. Just then I meet Elder who  I really need to see live. They are up next so I quickly get a fresh beer and walk back to the stage with the drummer from Mother of God. On the way I met Nicklas from Papir too so we check them out together. Elder connects with the audience real quick. They play a heavy psych sound with soaring melodies and sonic landscapes. Classic stoner metal mixed with psychedelic tunes.  

Void Fest @ FVF 2014 @Void Fest

 Motorpsycho from Norway are pretty much the headliner. They are the most expensive band too. They are known all over the world for their unique psych rock sound. They mix it with pop, metal, jazz, post rock and heaps more styles.

I’ll have to miss out on Kadavar from Germany as I have to start my last working shift. The night ends early for me. I am kinda feeling the cold in my bones, exhausting three days of partying and meeting great people. My night ends at 3am, walking back to the apartment, happily thinking about the past three days and already FVF 2015. 

@ Désirée Hansen

 Thanks to a great Rock Freaks Team who again made this festival the best event of 2014, thanks to all volunteers (the food, the drinks, the friendliness, the kindness, the weirdness, the love for music, for being you), thanks to my friends backstage (my best friend Affi, Munki, Flo, Verena, Nadine, Dominik, Nicole, my boss Ellen), thanks to my uncle Micki for this great experience, thanks to Tomba for every morning breakfast and stories to listen to, thanks to Falk-Hagen Bernshausen for preat pics, thanks to Désirée Hansen for the whiskey and musical trip, thanks to Christian Treude for being a true fan and helper, thanks to my friend Isabel for good conversations and great pics and Vincent for being a cool helper (I see u at Void Fest), thanks to my Bavarian friend Alex (see u at Void Fest too), the freaks from all over the world coming to this beautiful small place, the food people, the merchandise people, security, toilet cleaners ( really clean indeed), the workers at the local supermarkets and shops ( we all know u don’t see freaks like this every day) and a special thanks to all you lovely bands (Papir, Elder, The Lone Crows, Bushfire, Stubb, Ivy Garden of the Desert, Mother of God, Mothership, Truckfighters, Mos Generator, Oersund Space Collective, The Admiral Sir Cloudesly Shovell and everyone I missed out on). 

See u all again at FVF 2015 – rock on!