performing at Melkweg, Amsterdam
photos courtesy of Tomas de Wit
update and additional photos by Shawn King
So yeah, everything you’ve heard about Glastonbury is true; it’s a madhouse. Getting in the night before, I went to see Battles, who were having trouble with some video, but it didn’t matter -- they were champs. Mud, drugs, and sprawling dystopian villages are Glasto’s fame.
In Stuttgart, Germany, we caught up with opera singer Timur Bekbosunov, who sang on a track from A Mad and Faithful Telling. This dude has got so much talent and seriously has the best laugh I’ve ever heard.
In Italy, Spanish rockers Depedro opened the festival in the mountains of Sordovolo where time seemed to stand perfectly still. No one wanted to leave.
Lausanne’s festival, called Libra, was free to the public and fearlessly books a bunch of avant-theater and dance. We were the only US band on the calendar and were treated so amazingly well.
The Traumzeit Festival, which translates as Dreamtime, was situated in an abandon post-war iron factory in Duisburg. Italian sax-metal trio Zu played a ballistic set before I went over to see Branford Marsalis and Joey Calderazzo Duo. I was absolutely grateful for an hour of acoustic sounds.
Back in London, the Wireless fest was like night and day compared to the Glasto fiasco. The Sounds played too short a set as every act was sped through the changeovers. TV on the Radio had the stage around sunset and delivered everything I was hoping for -- l love these guys.
Now we’re above the Atlantic to go and regroup before more US dates. We all wanted to thank KEXP & listeners for indulging us -- you guys inspire! I’ll just sign off with a message that we endorsed from Yo Gabba Gabba.
Help Your Friends – Will Sweeney with DeVotchKa for Yo Gabba Gabba!
One Comment
lausanne is in my town thank’s for your pictures. Your gig was a great moment