Festival report: Fluff Fest 2012, day three

I took a little break from writing these days, since I had to take my time to address some other writing, and otherwise, projects I have going on or hope to have in the near future. Additionally, yesterday was the date of my birth, so I just gave my brain a rest from everything. There is still a ton of writing to be done for the blog, so I have to keep my game up and you can definitely expect this page to run in the same pace as it has been doing this entire month.

A day like any other, filled with a long list of bands, though I managed to see only a handful of names for various reasons. As a result, this review will definitely be shorter than usual or at least I will try to keep it as such. Here is the list of bands for the third and final day of "Fluff Fest" 2012:

Main Stage:

2:05 PM: Brat Pack

2:45 PM: The Tidal Sleep

3:30 PM: Ritual

4:15 PM: Landscapes

5:05 PM: Soul Control

6:00 PM: Pianos Become The Teeth

7:00 PM: Tangled Lines

8:00 PM: Trapped Under Ice

9:00 PM: Verse

Tent Stage:

2:35 PM: Boiling Point

3:20 PM: Sin Of Lilith

4:05 PM: Landverraad

4:55 PM: Sen Deni

5:45 PM: Mobius

6:45 PM: Tupak Amaru

7:45 PM: Sloth

8:50 PM: AYS

10:00 PM: Unveil

"Brat Pack" was the first band to kick it off that day and what a marvelous choice it was. I presume that everyone knows about this Dutch hardcore/punk outfit, so there really isn't any need for any special introductions. It really was just the perfect band to start the day, making the crowd's tiredness run for cover. If I remember well, this band has played previously in Serbia, maybe even more than once though I am not sure, and on "Fluff Fest" I realize what a mistake it was to miss their show in my country. The band is extremely energetic and enjoyable with their awesome melodies and a specific attitude radiating from the stage. Their songs definitely have a certain special something that makes you want to move around and dance even if you would happen to hear their songs for the very first time. Add to that the fact that there were no real breaks and the band just came and played their way through a really speedy setlist, and you end up having a superbly charged performance. Excellent band, really glad I finally got to see them live. 

"The Tidal Sleep" came next and I have to say that I was very excited about hearing them live, since on "New Noise" I heard them from a distance and they seemed rather appealing. The German quartet took the stage and presented their interesting combination of post metal/hardcore and screamo to the audience. If you haven't listened to them before, like I haven't, this can be a hard bite to swallow. The heavy riffs, eerie transitions and depressive atmospherics are excellent, but on first listen you realize that the vocals really stand out from the instrumental section. Maybe it was just my impression, but I have a feeling the singer has a too clear voice for this type of thing. It took me a song or two to realize that this, in fact, is a really appealing trait of the band. The weird mix of highly contrasted sounds is rather cool and I ended up liking the band a lot. Bet you didn't expect that sharp turn, what a twist! Either way, it did take me some time to get into them live, but it was definitely worth it. 

Now comes the time for a really neat surprise hailing from the Czech Republic. "The Sin Of Lilith" is a quintet playing that nice amalgam of emo and screamo and not knowing anything about the band prior to the performance made everything that much enjoyable. The band created some truly appealing sounds and melodies, at times reminding me of bands like "Optimus Prime" and "La Quiete" although much more tender. At several instances they make good use of that "building up" moment in songs, going from slow and gentle to becoming quite chaotic and choking. The vocals also range from plain talking to top-of-your-lungs screaming, which additionally contributes to variety in a specific song. Also, the band was visually very interesting with lots of movement and I think the singer is the only one on "Fluff Fest" who decided to walk around amid the crowd and perform his band duties. Overall, a very entertaining band with a lot of potential, so be sure to check them out.

"Pianos Become The Teeth" was the next band I managed to grab. To be honest, if it was 2010 I would have been thrilled about seeing them, since back then I was loving their "Old Pride" album and I'd go berserk if I got to attend their show. After those recordings I kinda feel apart from the project and all their other material passed by me unnoticed, so now I went to the gig just because. Needless to say, the band managed to resurrect a big portion of that love I had for them and I'm really happy they did. They sounded exceedingly powerful in concert with impacting melodies and vocals which really stand out and leave you impressed. Although I didn't hear their newer material and I wasn't able to recognize songs, the performance was very entertaining and it definitely keeps your senses busy and focused. I managed to see them on "Ieperfest" as well, though I have to say that they had a much more massive sound of "Fluff Fest". More about that is yet to come, but until then I just have to say that their show was fun and I'm glad I saw them live. 

Now we come to the closing act of the main stage and it is a really tough nut to crack. "Verse", USA modern hardcore which achieved a sort of cult status with its recognizable sound and scores of video footage of their insane shows. Personally, I never gave them much attention so hearing them live and experiencing the flamed up atmosphere was a really interesting thing. The crowd really did go crazy almost instantly and you could see scores of movement on stage and in front of it. Backed with a really clear, yet powerful sound, the performance seemed like it will be a really amazing one. There is a huge "but" looming on the horizon of this review. All would be fine and well if it weren't for the singer and his need to take time and talk between songs. Don't get me wrong, I really love it when a band is doing the best it can to interact with the audience. When it is, of course, done subtly and, most of all, naturally. It started off good when it comes to "Verse", the first speech that is. And I didn't mind the fact that it lasted for a good couple of minutes. But then came another one. And another one. And, I think, another one after that. Aside of actually wasting time that could have been used for playing, since the monologues ate probably a couple of songs, the horrible thing were the very words spoken. Too many sentences defending "Defeater", endlessly promising how "Verse" put their heart and soul into the new record and how they don't have money and don't have jobs, for instance how the singer "fucked off his boss to be able to tour". As a wise person said after the gig, "he is just a good marketing person" and I fully agree. Dude, I don't have a proper job for well over a year now and still I'm able to scrap some money and travel for bands and support them, betting that I'm not the only one in such a situation.  So instead just say once "hey we have a new record, buy it please", don't wrap it in emotional words and most of all just be quiet and play. I'll probably lose readers with this review due to the band's fame, but I was extremely annoyed by their entire performance because of these bad sides I mentioned. If it wasn't for the babbling, this would be a really cool gig.
So there it is, the last festival day ending in not such a glorious fashion. The whole day ended up being crappy because of my uncanny ability to ruin stuff, so maybe that is the reason this review is somewhat bitter. Either way it was a great fest yet again and I will be sure to attend next year as well! See you all there in 2013!