Haldern Pop Festival 2012 – A Look Back

After a long train ride we finally arrived in the quaint little village, Haldern – a very quit place. At first we went to the Haldern Pop Bar to drink some coffee. The Haldern Pop Bar is a small bar in the middle of the city and is also an event location of the festival.
Then we went to the festival grounds. On Thursday two areas of the festival terrain were opened: the beergarden stage and the Spiegeltent. The Spiegeltent is a very special place – a room of mirrors and colored beams of light caused by the colored windows. Fantastic!
Here is what I want to tell you about the festival-days:

On Thursday there were two other venues in the small town of Haldern, the small Haldern Pop Bar and the local church, which was also used as a concert stage. In the church we saw the first concert that day. Once there, the room was completely packed. People were sitting on the floor or stood around just to catch a view of the artists. On Stage LONELY DEAR. A high voice with rhythmic shouts repeatedly called attention to itself. The church gave the concert a special and unforgettable atmosphere. The audience was drawn into the songs and listened to the concert up to the very last note. A lovely way to start off a great festival.
 Unfortunately the attempt to get into the Haldern Pop Bar right after this failed. It was just too crowded in the small bar when there were EVERT AND THE DRAGONS playing.
So we went right back into the church to see A WINGED VICTORY FOR THE SULLEN. Their music is nested and builds up melodies that blend into each other. Perfect to dream away and to calm down on an evening like this.
Then the highlight of the evening came: APPARAT. Before that, however, the great soul singer CHARLES BRADLY played at the Spiegeltent. Again, no chance to get into the location – simply too packed. So I checked out his concert on the big screen in front of the tent and it was really impressing what was going on inside the tent.
After it – finally – APPARAT followed at the beer garden stage. The electronic artist Sascha Ring arrived with his full band and when the MODERAT song Rusty Nails was played people were going completely crazy. Therefore.
A wonderful first day of the Haldern festival!

WYE OAK started at the main stage on Friday afternoon. The band played only two shows in Germany – one in Munich the day before and the one at the festival – and due to the fact that they didn’t really sleep a lot they felt like in a dream – at least that’s what they told us. But one thing is for sure: they played a great concert!
After that, we went straight on to see OTHER LIVES – it was just a wonderful concert in the afternoon sun. Great, great, great!
Next stop was the DAUGHTER show at the Spiegeltent. The singer was so impressed by the audience and the atmosphere that she had to smile even during the songs. We were also really impressed by their concert and we hope for their new album which will hopefully be out soon.
THEES UHLMANN performed on the main stage with his band next. He entertained the audience with his stories and when he started to play his songs the people danced and danced. Perfect!
Saturday’s headliner on the main stage was the enormously hyped indie-band TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB . The audience danced the whole concert and the three nice guys of the band spreaded good mood.
Our evening ended with a great show by OBERHOFER at the Spiegeltent. A successful closing of the second evening!

When we were on our way to see SKINNY LISTER on Saturday we came by at the secret surprise show of PHILIPP POISEL. Melancholy entered the third festival day.
Then back at the Spiegeltent to see HONIG‘s show, but Stefan Honig was not alone, he got backed by a band. His powerful sometimes rough-sounding voice and the matching instrumentation of his band gave his music a very special touch. It was beautiful to see that the singer was thrilled by all the people’s reaction. We definitely look forward to his new album…he told about it in an interview we did with him after the show. Anticipation!
We also saw some songs of TEAM ME – a band that knows how to convince with catchy songs.
Oh, how long did I look forward to the moment I can see WILCO live? Definitely a long time. They entered the main stage and one thing was clear: these guys are experienced band and know exactly what they do. Super familiar and clear songs and a mix of old and new songs made WILCO‘s set perfect.
On the way back to the tent and checked out the ALT-J concert. Again it was almost impossible to get inside the location, but at least there was the possibility to see the concert on a big screen. The four guys from the UK convinced everyone with their catchy beats and the great voice of their frontman. So, the last evening came to end, and we said to ourselves that this was another great festival day.
Our conclusion of the Festivals is very positive: the Haldern Pop Festival is a very beautiful festival with a very relaxed atmosphere at a great rural location. Even in the small town of Haldern you are always welcome and we felt very comfortable all the time. The audience was mixed – young and old together. The three festival days flew by and we will definitely come back next year. We are already now curious about next year’s line-up and are looking forward to some more great days in Haldern in the anniversary year when Haldern Pop Festival will turn 30.
Thank you Haldern Pop Festival, thank you Haldern. See you next year!