Dour Festival – Dour, Belgium (7/16/16)

Dour festival in is a yearly alternative music festival in a Belgian village of the same name. It’s sometimes nicknamed the Woodstock of Wallonia, which gives you a rough idea of the vibe and love for certain substances at the festival. Since it’s conception in 1989 it is now mainly electronic music that has taken over. There’s still a stage left for punk rock and related genres, that’s where I decided to spend my Saturday.

The first band I really needed to see was Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes. Gallows, Pure Love or Rattlesnakes, Frank Carter is a man that has yet to disappoint and is easily one of the most charismatic frontmen in punk rock. Compared to his Gallows days, though, Carter seems to have gained a little tongue in cheek humor. By doing so he puts himself into perspective, which is a really nice addition to the pure anger, relentless power or showmanship he displays during other parts of the set. The Rattlesnakes on their part are truly a backing band, guitarist Dean Richardson is the only snake with a stage presence that doesn’t disappear in the rather huge shadow of Carter. He also gets his moment in the sun when he steps “on to” the crowd and is carried back a few dozen meters by the manliest fans of the band. Carter of course, does this trick even better and has mastered every chapter in the big crowd participation manual. The songs are what you’ve come to expect from Carter and seem to take influences from his other musical endeavors while still being something new entirely. Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes are an absolute must see, definitely if you have never experienced them live.

Next up was a french band called Le Bal Des Enragés. I’m not sure about how to call what they do, nor if anyone who doesn’t speak French could ever get it. If I had to try I would say they play a fusion of metal, nu metal and punk with a “Rammstein goes to the circus” kind of live show. They clearly don’t give a shit about what anyone thinks, so they’ve got that going for them.

After the burlesque dancers it was finally time to crack open a can of jokes and get aboard the lagwagon. Joey Cape’s men drew a smaller crowd than I was expecting, which on the upside provided for plenty of room to dance for those who did come out. It was a classic lagwagon setlist with all the hits, just like you’d expect at a festival. I could have done with more songs of off Hang but hearing a set that comes close to their Live in a dive selection isn’t bad either. I sometimes get the “another day at the office” feeling at a lagwagon show, but then on the other hand it is. The execution was solid as ever and the jokes weren’t less funny. Someone even brought a smoke for the Caper, because why wouldn’t you. Chris Flippin was inappropriate, Joe Rapuso made fun of the crowd and Joey Cape was the most polite individual on stage. All in all an honest performance by the Fat Wreck icons.

The last non electronic act of the evening was Madball, and I quote “representing the  New York Hardcore scene”. They convinced a noticeable bigger crowd that really seemed to enjoy what they saw. After the first sing alongs and slam dancing efforts in front of the stage, Freddy Madball called it: “now this is a hardcore show”. In a festival with so much electronic music Madball did their part in showing that hardcore has a lot of heart. “If you’re still here you must be feeling something”, Freddy said as he gave it his all during the rest of the – more or less typical – festival set. A quick poll led to the conclusion that almost half of the audience hadn’t seen Madball before. This makes the case for playing shows and festivals out of your comfort zone, because I’m sure there were a lot of souls won. Super solid.