If there’s a constant force in the European festival landscape when it comes to quality booking it has to be the Haldern Pop Festival. For years now the cosy event in the West of Germany delivers just the right mixture between established musical favourites and exciting newcomers that are constantly on the verge of becoming your favourite new band of the next season. It’s a pleasure for NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION to finally return to the event this year after a few years of absence and I am personally very excited to attend as it’ll be my first time ever. So, there’s beloved heavyweights like Father John Misty, Julien Baker, Michael Kiwanuka and Kat Frankie who are topping the bill and plenty of acts I don’t know yet but hopefully know a bit better following August 10. But there are a few gigs I really can’t wait for and in case you are interested these are my personal seven tips.
Black Midi
This band is pure concentrated chaos and since everybody says ‘Go see them live’ I think it’s probably best to do exactly that. Their freshly released debut LP Schlagenheim is a weird and wild affair and I must confess it’s quite a listening challenge for me. But I’m pretty sure it will all make a bit more sense once I’ll experience the furious, partly improvised math rock madness of Black Midi live on the stage at the Haldern Pop Festival.
Fontaines D.C.
Ah, you’ll always get me with good post-punk. And these Irish lads surely got me with their stunning debut Dogrel. The record is packed with frantic and gritty anthems, carried by energy, anger and frustration with a group that really knows how to transport their passion.
IDLES
I mean, come on … do I need to say more? It’s freakin’ IDLES, for god’s sake! 2018’s most important rock band is taking a victory lap, following last year’s furious album Joy As An Act Of Resistance and with every gig they simply increase their dedicated following. They already convinced me so I’m just here for the sweaty sing-alongs in the mosh pit.
Khruangbin
I’m really late to the party but only recently I finally found time to discover the music of the three-piece from Texas and of course I heavily fell in love with their laidback Thai Funk extravaganza. Khruangbin deliver the perfect soundtrack for warm summer nights and smooth days in the sunshine and therefore they are a perfect match for a summer festival like Haldern Pop.
Soap&Skin with s t a r g a z e
There’s just something about the musical presence of Anja Plaschg. Her songs can be various things – gentle, existential, furious and tender but she manages to let each track tell a different story. And the support of the celebrated s t a r g a z e ensemble on stage at Haldern Pop will definitely help to show a whole new side of the entire Soap&Skin cosmos.
Stella Donnelly
Playful, charming and surprisingly entertaining – Stella Donnelly‘s album Beware Of The Dogs is already one of 2019’s finest debut releases and I’m really curious to see how she performs these little indie-folk gems with their hard-hitting messages live on stage.
Whitney
Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek are on the brink of releasing their second album later this summer and we’ll surely get a few first tastes from Forever Turned Around during their Haldern Pop Festival set. I only recently jumped on board of the Whitney train and it took me three years to realize what a wonderful record 2016’s Light Upon The Lake was and still is. Their wonderful Americana/Folk will be a beautiful soundtrack for the summerly festival ground, I’m pretty sure about that.
So, are you as excited as I am? Awesome! We’re giving you the chance to join me by winning tickets for the festival right here. All you need to do is follow these three simple steps:
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