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paaspop2005schijndel_end037.jpgPaaspop, Schijndel, The Netherlands
March 26th and 27tth 2005
El Guapo Stuntteam, Nile, Textures, Neck, After Forever, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Agnostic front, Floggin Molly, Peter Pan Speedrock, Within Temptation

Paaspop is the opener of the festival season in the Netherlands and it was completely sold out. 2 days of mud, freezing in a little tent at night, drinking beer and dancing to the music of the many acts at Paaspop. We have visited the ‘Masters of Rock’ tent and also the acts on the ‘Main stage’ which were interesting for you.


El Guapo Stuntteam

At the Paaspop site the band was described in the following manner: El Guapo stuntteam doesn’t like bullshit. This band is like a boxing match with Mike Tyson. You are chanceless in the first round and before you know it you are know it you are blown away. They are one of the best rock ‘n roll bands of Belgium. They have even invented a new name for their kind of music: hardrock'n'rollfuckeduptrashcountrypunkhillbillyhardsleazescumgaragerock.


Music

After reading such a description of this band I was really curious to hear them. I found most of the songs to sound alike, there was not much diversion. This is rock’n roll only then with more heavy guitars. The participation of a harmonica gave the music something festive. It was just that little bit extra which gave the band its own sound. I think this is a band which you have to listen to more often to hear the difference between the songs and really appreciate it.
The bass was so loud and heavy you could feel it shaking your bones, this proved to be the case during many more Paaspop concerts in the masters of rock tent.


Performance

Being the opener is of course an honourable job. This festival was blasted off with a very enthusiastic band that’s for sure. They were jumping all over the stage, playing even on their knees, and were anxious to get some reply from the audience. Since the audience was fresh and clean and looking forward to two days of Paaspop they were happy to cheer for this band.
The light was simple, but at least the entire stage was lit, and there was front light so the faces of the band members were lit as well. But that was all, it didn’t add something extra to the show.
El Guapo Stuntteam had brought us their own stuntman: Captain Catastrophe, who set himself on fire causing the audience to cheer even more. All in all El Guapo Stuntteam provided a cheerful start of the Paaspop festival.


Rating

Music 6
Performance 6
Sound 6
Light 5
Total  6 (5,8)

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Nile

Founded in 1993 Nile has invented a completely new genre of metal: Ithyphallic Metal. This is a combination of the death metal we know mixed with the ancient tunes of the Middle-East. Their love for these regions and the dynamics of their sound are powerful enough to take you back to ancient times, buried deep under the sand of the dessert. They have performed with Obituary, Deicide, Broken Hope and Six feet under which are not the least of bands.


Music

With a bass so loud and fast it made your ears tickle Nile introduced us to their thundering metal. It is heavy and hard but there is enough diversion in the music to keep it interesting. The guitars provide the melody. George Kollias had a huge drum set with two bass drums which keep on pounding at great speed for the entire performance. In May they have a new album coming out ‘Annihilation of the Wicked’ they played us the title song from this album. If you like it rough, I would surely recommend this album.


Performance

A dark lightshow accompanied these four men on stage. There was no front light but still the light gave a dark en thus appropriate atmosphere to the show. There is not an awful lot to see on stage, they hardly move. When they play their guitars they are bending over deep so you can hardly see their faces. But it all seems to fit together; mysterious, head banging, dark figures playing dark and mysterious music.


Rating
Music 7
Performance 6
Sound 6
Light 7
Total  7 (6,6)

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Textures

An original and aggressive mix of trash metal, hardcore and progressive metal, enriched by the use of electronic instruments, this is the music which is produced by this Dutch band. Their first cd ‘Polars’ was chosen album of the month in the Aardschok (a Dutch metal magazine). They have opened for bands such as Morbid Angel, Sepultura, Machine Head and Peter Pan Speedrock. In 2004 they won the Essent award and played at Lowlands (Dutch festival). These guys seem to be ready for the big stuff.


Music

The lead singer can grunt, scream and sing, he seems to have mastered each quality alike. They rock on quite heavy, but are not that convincing due to lack of variation; they don’t immediately attract your attention aside from the sound level of course. Sometimes they do surprise the audience with a melodic intro, all of a sudden a beautiful voice sounds, showing the sensitive side of this band. After a while the music seems to sound better, maybe they needed to warm up a bit. The lead singer has some great heavy screams. The sound was fine especially considering this was a festival gig.


Performance

Textures are a band which is growing. They give their all when they’re on stage. They banged their heads all together which is always fun to see. One guitarist even bangs his head and plays his guitar while walking around the stage. Their lead singer tries to make contact with the audience, singing with one foot on the monitor to get closer to them and during the final song he even jumps into the photo pit and climbs the fence in front of the audience. The audience is very enthusiastic; it seems they have brought some fans. The lights were mostly white or imitating a disco and there was hardly any front light which was a pity.


Rating
Music 6
Performance 6
Sound 7
Light 5
Total  6

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Neck

Neck is being led by song smith Leesen O’Keeffe who is known from Shane McGowan and The Popes. Armed with fiddles and whistles this band plays Celtic punk rock as we know it form Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphy’s. That is quite a comparison but Neck will not let you down.


Music

A performance of Neck is like being in a warm Irish pub hidden in a dark alley; they play folk music but with a heavy touch. In between songs Leesen announces the songs in English which is hard to understand but he does it with such enthusiasm it didn’t matter. He proves to be in total control of his guitar completely playing it while holding it in his neck and even playing it with his teeth. Guitars, drums, flutes, violin, some sort of bagpipe, vocals, they all add to the cheerful sound of Neck. The concert is one big party and like each party it also had its more peaceful moments, showing us their softer, quieter side. The sound was fine during this performance.


Performance
The members of Neck seem quite relaxed for when they come on stage they first place their set lists in the right places, then they prepare and the concert is of to a swinging start. The stage is filled with 2 ladies and 4 gentlemen. This music is made to feast and the audience was definitely doing so, one big happy pit arose in this ‘masters of rock’ tent, often they were asked to clap along and everybody obliged to this immediately. The band makes contact with the audience and they play with complete dedication. The lights were part of the show, there was enough front light and all band members were lit.


Rating

Music 7
Performance 7
Sound 6
Light 7
Total  7 (6,8)

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After Forever

Closing at the ‘Masters of Rock’ tent on the first day of Paaspop After Forever was a great choice. The tent was completely filled and everybody was looking forward to some final head banging for that day. They got what they wanted.


Music

At the start of the performance the sounds was not what it should have been, Floor was signing to the side of the stage. After a while though it all seemed to be solved and the sound was fine. Koen who is temporarily filling the position of drummer, due to the absence of Andrè, is doing a great job. Floor sung great and the guys played with complete dedication and surrender.


Performance

The entire band seemed to go for it this evening. Bas was jumping around the stage, showing us his tongue and banging his head. Floor was very talkative this evening talking to the audience in between each song, which gave the evening a very intimate atmosphere. Not only the band was enthusiastic, so was the audience. It seemed as though they had been waiting for this performance. When Koen (drums) finished a song with a solo, Floor went down on her knees, showing her gratitude. The show was great; the light was good all in all a great closure to a great day, without rain I might add.


Rating

Music 8
Performance 8
Sound 7
Light 7
Total  8 (7,7)

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The Dillinger Escape Plan

It was a special day for front man Greg Puciato to perform, for it was his 25th birthday. This band which was founded in 1997 came all the way from the USA to perform. The day after Paaspop they also played at Tivoli in Utrecht so they didn’t just come for one show. Their performance at Lowlands 2004 was awarded with a nomination for the NigthtLive XS Award for best performance. They do give a great performance but after seeing them in Tivoli I believe playing in a normal venue does them more justice.


Music

Without an intro to warn you they start at full speed. But there is more to this band. They provide quiet intermezzo’s, giving the audience (and themselves) a chance to breathe. Greg (vocals) is able to sing in a way you can actually understand some of the lyrics, which is often hard with such heavy music. He sings with complete conviction, he gives his all, as are the guitarists and drummer. No mistakes are made. And they play with energy from beginning to end.


Performance

‘Fire in the hole’ The Dillinger Escape Plan is in the house. From the first second on of their performance they blow you away. So prepare! Ben (guitar) is lethal on stage he is jumping around, standing and sitting on monitors and is completely into his music. As are all the band members. Greg is walking up and down the stage, also jumping onto monitors; he has a very specific head movement and is a magnificent sight to see with all that energy coming out of his small but muscular body. You don’t want to mess with these guys when they are on stage, aggression and energy is shooting across the stage. I missed some interaction with the audience, the present themselves to the audience but there is little contact. There was hardly any light, and no front light which didn’t do them justice.


Rating

Music 8
Performance 8
Sound 6
Light 4
Total  6 (6,4)

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Agnostic Front

They are called the Godfathers of Hardcore: Agnostic Front. That name wasn’t picked without reason; they want to make a statement. Agnostic means doubting the truth and authority. They didn’t want to form just a band but a movement, that’s why they chose Agnostic Front. They started out in 1982 as Zoo Crew, but Agnostic Front name seems to suit them much better. They have been touring the world ever since and today they were here to entertain Paaspop.


Music

Roger (vocals) doesn’t grunt but he does sing with a huge amount of aggression in his voice. He is sometimes assisted by people from the small crowd which was on stage. They rock on heavy and hard during the entire performance but there is enough diversion in the music to hold your attention.


Performance

Sirens… rolling thunder… watch out Agnostic Front is coming. They seem to enjoy themselves on stage. Mike (bass) is jumping up and down all the time, sometimes Lenny (guitar) joins him which looks great. You can see Rogers neck muscles while he is singing, his microphone stopped working but luckily that was solved very quickly. He keeps in touch with the audience by talking to them but it is hard to understand what he is saying. One thing however is understood by the entire tent; ‘the stage is yours’. After this the audience climbs on stage and all you see is one jumping crowd, they all sing along and there even was an attempt to make a little pit, causing people to almost fall of the stage. When the song was over, the stage was cleared again without any problems. There was a party atmosphere in the air for the entire evening from that moment on.


Rating

Music 7
Performance 7
Sound 7
Light 7
Total  7

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Flogging Molly

They have toured all over the world, bringing joy to every venue they attended. This formation of 6 gentlemen and one lady each play from 1 up to 4 instruments, not even counting vocals as an instrument. They performed at the mail stage of Paaspop and turned the entire tent into one jumping and crowd surfing mass of happy people.


Music

All these instruments put together make great music which would even make the saddest person happy. Dave King (lead vocals) talks to the audience in between songs, he sings one song to his father, and says he hopes his father is listening. So behind all this happy music real emotions come forward. One song is dedicated to George Bush, the title was: ‘Selfish man’ and thus a political statement was made. The raw and warm voice of Dave and the fiddles, banjo and flutes make a perfect combination, and the sound was great.


Performance

They howl like the Hounds of the Baskerville but dress like gentlemen, all wearing a suit (and the lady in a skirt) they looked radiant and it is obvious they are having fun. They ask the audience to sing and clap along with several songs; especially’ the rebel song’ is well known and brings out the rebels in the audience. Beer is flying through the air and crowd surfers are landing in the photo pit during the entire performance.  At the end of the show the band even applauds the audience. Everybody is tired of dancing and jumping but is seems they could have gone on for a while, and so did the band for they were very enthusiastic.


Rating

Music 8
Performance 7
Sound 8
Light 7
Total  8 (7,5)

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Peter Pan Speedrock

These three men have been touring through half of Europe and the United States in the Netherlands they have played almost every festival. They have been on the Jack Daniel’s Rock Night Tour and now they have arrived at Paaspop. They are working on a new cd which is presented to the audience of Paaspop.


Music

Thundering drums start the show. With their guitars hanging extremely low around their necks they give their all and rock from the first note on. With a swinging beat they start the party and close the ‘Masters of Rock’ tent at Paaspop. They play with conviction and have a great time on stage. The sound was good as with most other concerts in this tent.


Performance

In the audience there was a huge amount of fans, recognisable by their Peter Pan Speedrock fan wear. On stage are some lucky fans which got to watch the show from that point of view. The band gives all they have during this performance but there is little interaction with the audience aside from some announcements in between songs. The light is ok, thought there is a lot of light shining directly in to the eyes of the audience making it hard to see what is happening on stage.


Rating
Music 6
Performance 6
Sound 7
Light 6
Total  6 (6,2)

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Within Temptation

They have played at Paaspop several times before, this evening they were the closing act at the Main stage on Easter Sunday. It has been about four years since their breakthrough in the Netherlands and they are ever so popular. We are happy to see them in The Netherlands for they also spend a lot of time abroad these days.  A stage filled with two angels and two large air filled pillars with elfish inscriptions, both decorated with ivy are the décor for the performance of this famous Dutch gothic metal band. Fans had been waiting in front of the stage, some had been there for an hour already but it was worth the wait.


Music

Within Temptation always makes sure they please everyone by playing their biggest hits but tonight they had an extra surprise in store for us. They played ‘The Other Half’ from their album ‘The Dance’, there were different reactions to this in the audience… some knew the song and sung along from beginning to end, others were surprised for they had never seen this dark side of the band. With only white lights and smoke and the grunts of Robert (guitar) ‘The Other Half’ was a great dark intermezzo. Sharon (vocals) made some textural mistakes but those were easily forgotten for she made up for it with her great voice during the rest of the performance.


Performance

Sharon looked beautiful, as always, she had a simmering jewel on her forehead and wore a lovely dress. The men off course looked as tough as usual. They were very enthusiastic, asking the audience to clap and sing along, and most of the audience was happy to oblige. During their performances Within Temptation always uses a lot of pyro which is off course dangerous. Usually Robert had to warn Sharon to get back when they were about to go of. But tonight the tables had turned and Sharon warned Ruud (guitar) to get back, but he was already aware of the upcoming danger and they laughed about it. They also used their backdrop with projections of nature. During one song an outburst of a volcano was projected, on stage there were red lights and smoke as well and it almost seemed as thought the projection and the stage were one. Sharon made contact with the audience by making eye contact with people and greeting them, adding an intimate touch to the performance. The lights were great, the performance was great, all in all they were the perfect closing act for Paapop this year.


Set list

Intro
See Who I Am
Dangerous Mind
Jillian
Angels
The Promise
Pale
Forsaken
Stand My Ground
Memories
Running Up That Hill
Caged
Mother earth
---
Deceiver of fools
Aquarius
The other half
Ice queen


Rating
Music 9
Performance 8
Sound 8
Light 8
Total  8 (8,4)

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