xgoatboyx

These events happened over a week ago so I'm just going to go over the highlights from my pictures and notes (some of which aren't that helpful):

Dad gave me a lift up to Gatwick Wednesday night, on the way I saw a safety sign that just read THINK BIKE this caused me to curl up laughing in the back seat for some time.

Met Matt, we got coffee and prepared to wait eight hours for our flight, since loosing my job I actually managed to avoid caffeine but at the time I was up for a little insanity, drank two large black ones and a Marks & Spencer own brand coke for the hell of it. At one point armed police with big (I mean BIG fuck off) guns came up to everyone and asked for their passports then left. In my notes I seemed to have scrawled MY UZI WEIGHS A TON.

Tried to sleep on the plane but couldn't, felt better for having closed my eyes.

Ran around Amsterdam Train station missing one train to Tilburg by seconds then having another cancelled while we waited. A little back history on me before the next part. My Dad used to be a quantity surveyor, this job took him to work on building in Australia, America and a couple of times Holland. The only times me and Mum have moved with him is when he was working in Holland, the last time I remember was when I was eight and Dad was working on an oil refinery in Vlissingen, by that time I was in school and Mum was still teaching, so Dad would work in Holland during the week, come home on weekends and when school was out me and Mum would go live with him in the house he rented there. I had this half backed idea of going back to Vlissingen to have a wander around for an hour (not that I can remember where the house was but I still have the high street in good memory). Now I can find Vlissingen on a map but I didn't know where it is in relation to Amsterdam and Tilburg, and as I found out

It's actually nearer to Belgium, oh well, never mind, TO ROADBURN!

Found a Dutch newspaper on the train

Apparently my star sign in Dutch is just "Waterman"

Matt fell asleep on the train


When we got to Tilburg we had to wait for the free bus to the campsite, overheard a surreal conversation between a group of young lads from which country I don't know talking about Metallic in their language, then they started to do bad Arnie impersonations in English. The bus came up driven by a long haired dude wearing flares, overheard him talking to a guy at the front about how his Mother, his wife and his girlfriend where helping out on the catering in the campsite and then saying "we are going to have a party, yesh?"

Set up camp



Looking back on this photo me and Matt should have done some Black Metal posing in these woods.

The campsite was owned by a safari park so there was also a petting zoo



Took the free bus back into Tilburg and found a bar/restaurant that had their menus stuck on vinyl records that you had to take out of the covers to read. Venue opens, I go into the merch stalls and blow over a hundred Euros on CDs. Matt shows me around all the rooms, then I go back to the merch stalls and blow even more on CDs.

When I come back Ufommut have already started


Nice and Psychedelic.

Baroness next.


Me and Matt have to ask ourselves; "why did they not suck this time?" Well 1) they didn't have Torche to show them up this time and 2) they've gotten a lot tighter since their album came out, the instrumental stuff doesn't work on record but it does live, they actually became one of my top bands for the festival.

A middle aged Dutch guy came up to us after noticing my Dead Kennedys tattoo he asks how I got into them as I'm obviously younger and I explained I just came to Hardcore by being a fan of Punk and that I was only twenty six, he calls me a motherfucker for being younger then asks "have you heard of Crash?"
"Who?"
"Crash"
"Oh, CRASS, fuck yeah"
"No not Clash, Crash, they had a symbol with a cercul..."
"Yeah that's what I said, Crass"
Then he said something about him not being English then the conversation kind of died. I kept seeing him over the next few days, I'm normally the one who's awkward and wandering about running into people, it's nice that it was someone else this time. There was a lot of things I was liking about Roadburn, that it was such a small scale thing, that the people in the campsite weren't loud, obnoxious arseholes you get at British festivals and the Vegan food in the venue was bitchin' too. A couple of things I didn't like was people smoking weed everywhere, they had special rooms for that seeing as you can't smoke it out on the street in Holland (although a few people did), I even saw people light up right under smoke detectors (I actually hoped the would set off the sprinklers as it got really hot in the smaller rooms) and that the whole thing seemed to be a sausage fest, I don't think I saw a single female the whole time, just women that came with their boyfriends.

I went back to the merch stalls, picked up a Neurosis hoodie and a load of Neurot CDs, went over the Saint Vitus stall but they hadn't finished setting up. One of their roadies told me "Hey, Orange Goblin are starting in five minutes...go rock out and we'll be ready when you come back" so that's what I did.


It occurred to me just how much the British take this band for granted, they always give great performances and make great tunes but they always wind up playing dives or get shit slots a festivals, it really surprised me that they got put on the main stage here. Went off to watch Minsk but the room was packed, had to make do with just listening to them pressed up against a wall. Went back to Saint Vitus' stall and got a shirt and a patch. Met up with Matt and watched Burial Hex in the basement of the merch building, that was cool. Went back into the main venue as Matt wanted to watch Motorpsycho, went right up to the top and found out how the do the projections.

Went off to watch Wolves In The Throne Room but it was too packed, went back to find Matt. Got bored after awhile so we went out and took a walk around Tilburg 'til the bus took us back to the campsite.


Got up early the next morning and took the "train" coach to the other side of the camp where they have a supermarket.


Found this weird beetle while we waited for the "train" coach to take us back


When we got back to our tents we where greeted by this sight

Got the free bus into Tilburg and had a look around.



Went into the merch building and found Church Of Misery signing their CDs, got a shirt and their new album, too shy to ask them to sign it.

They were showing a documentary on Stoner Rock in the basement, we came in at the part about Sleep and Om as we were leaving we actually walked past Al from Om.

Went into the venue, watched Negura Bunget, not really my thing but they were alright.

"My name is Steve Von Till, this is my spaceship, we are Harvestman"

I like his folk stuff but I'm not too keen on his drone stuff, he played some of the songs I hoped anyway.

The last time I saw Mono they were getting heckled by Dillinger Escape Plan fans in the Mean Fiddler. An instrumental Post-Rock band may be an odd choice for a Doom festival but they weren't out of place, I turned around and saw the crowd a bit perplexed during the quite part but they were on their feet and paying attention when the heavy parts kicked in.


Cathedral are actually alright when they aren't promoting a new album. We get treated to just the hits and very little resent stuff.




One of the main reasons I came






Watched Scott Kelly do a solo set, which was cool but he doesn't seem too confident just playing by himself yet, before he started Wino walked past me to talk to him.

Whenever I describe Church Of Misery I normally say they sound like Black Sabbath if they were Japanese and only wrote songs about serial killers, but after watching them I have to say they come across as a cross between Black Sabbath and The Stooges, the singer throwing himself around stage, diving into the crowd, alternating between giving the peace sign with both hands and flipping everybody off, the band carrying on no matter what. Best part is I'm seeing them again in a couple of weeks.






Found a nice Irish pub the next day and ate chips. Went into the merch building to watch the rest of that Stoner Rock documentary but instead they were showing one on Amebix, I didn't mind them before but now I may have to give Arise another go after watching that.

Watched Amenra, they were fucking great but I hated that the singer hardly faced the crowd.

Caught a little of Grey Daturas.



Eugene S. Robinson gave a spoken word performance, he started talking about the times he got beaten up as a kid, it was really creepy and weird, as he was talking he started taking off clothes like he does with Oxbow, then he told a story about what he did to a debt collector that I don't want to repeat but it but the fear of Eugene in me.

Then he brought on Black Sun and did a song with them.


Saw this sign.

And wondered "is that a promise?"

Watched a couple of Young Gods songs.



Watched Nadja, who were really good but after half an hour of the same thing I just thought "Om are on soon, I'll enjoy them more"



and I did

The other reason I came








Hands down, the best time I've seen Neurosis.

Watched Skullflower for a bit, they were ok but Matt pointed out they sounded like they were all playing a different song.

Here's the back of Matt's head


Got up early the next day to pack up our tents and head for Amsterdam


Shocked to find out that the Dutch for disabled person is invalide

Pizza place at Tilburg station.

When we got to the Hotel we were told our rooms wouldn't be ready for another two hours so the receptionist gave us a map and pointed out the Red Light district straight away.




This house has an Anarchy symbol on it and it made me smile.

Went out to a couple of pubs that night but went back early as Matt was tired.

The next morning we took a long walk across Amsterdam to find the Van Gough museum but the queue was too long so we went in the Rembrandt museum instead, they don't allow photography inside so here is some art I found on the street.


Went into Anne Frank's house which was cool.

Obligatory Canal shot.


While I was waiting for Matt in the hotel lobby to go out a Dutch guy asked me if I knew where the toilet was, I didn't as he left he told me "don't smoke too much" Hit a few pubs then Matt insisted on looking around the Red Light district ("We're in Amsterdam, I'm half cut, I'm going to look at naked ladies") we did hear one good exchange between a prostitute and a punter haggling
Her: "fifty Euros"
Him: "five Euros"
Her: "five HUNDRED EUROS" before slamming the door in his face.

Got chips, went back to the hotel, got up early, went to the airport, came home, wrote this. Now to sort out my life.