Southside: From A Different Perspective

When I attended the Southside festival I went with a couple of really good friends, and I thought it would be nice to show you a more personal account of what happened that fantastic weekend. KG wrote this for me.

When you are shaken awake on a Friday morning at 7:45 am, after having gone to bed at 3 am the night before, you begin to curse whatever made you stay up so late. Four hours and fifteen minutes of sleep are just not enough. This was the beginning of this year’s Southside adventures. I was really excited because the line up looked fantastic this year. Excluding the occasional random band I had never even heard of, I was very excited to see them all. Once we arrived and after having lost several vital things, including festival tickets [Ed: My Fault] and sleeping bags, I was thrilled at the prospect of seeing the first band on our agenda, well not really a band, simply Paolo Nutini. I personally really like his music and subsequently was more than excited to see him. One thing is for sure: Paolo can sing; however why he does an awkward forward leaning knee bend while singing, will remain a pleasant mystery. It didn’t look comfortable and is most likely not very good for his back. Yet he consistently did it throughout his whole set. To each his own I suppose.

Next on the list were Fleet Foxes. Sadly it began to rain before they started, but when they did finally appear, bearded and all, no one really seemed to mind the rain any more. The thing I admired most about them, besides their amazing beards and lumberjack shirts (that made them appear as if they had just wandered out of the forest after having spent months there making music and being one with nature), was their vocal precision. They never missed a note and sang in perfect harmony. It was almost like listening to angels sing. I know it’s an awkward comparison, but that is the best I can do.

Next, I nearly spazzed out when we wandered into the tent to see the Asteroids Galaxy Tour. I was in heaven when I got a spot right at the front, from which I could stare adoringly at Mette and wish that I could dress like her, look like her and sing like her. In short I wish I could be her. As expected, the whole entire band arrived in bizarre colors and clothes that, like always, managed to look amazing on them all and only increase my admiration for them. And yes, they not only looked smashing they played smashingly! Although Mette explained the whole band had just suffered from the flu, you would have never known. The trumpets were loud, the drums were strong and Mette voice was so powerful I was afraid she would break and could only wonder how such a tiny body could produce such a stunning voice. Their set was spectacular and I was as happy as could be.

We waited forever for the Friendly Fires. I was so anxious to see Ed dance. No one dances like Ed. No one pulls it off like Ed and no one looks as marvelous dancing as Ed does. Oh and he can sing well too. The whole band was also stupendous, not to mention the hot guitarist. With each song I got more and more into it and it made me very unhappy when it was all finally over.

The best band of the festival though without a doubt was Culcha Candela [Ed: Not recommended, just german pop]. Their music is fun and happy, which only compliments their fun and happy attitudes! No one works the audience like they do [Ed: *cough* Franz Ferdinand]. The place was overcrowded and it was hard to move and sometimes, hard to breath. Yet not one single person stood still. None of the other bands at the festival got a whole mass of people, who were gasping for air and awkwardly pressed against total strangers. to forget their circumstances and go crazy dancing. The atmosphere they managed to create was something incredible and even if you do not like their music or this style of music it was so worth it.

Katy Perry played badly. I state this so bluntly because it was so. Katy Perry cannot sing to save her life. Each note she missed sent shivers of pain down my spine. I couldn’t walk fast enough to get away from her witch crackle. it was terrible. There were many other bands that played and were great live (eg. The Wombats), but if I wrote about all of them you would be reading a novel and not a blog entry. The only other band to make me cringe were the Ting Tings. “Shut up and let me go?” YES PLEASE. “It hurts, I told you so”, Yes it does hurt.  She looked tired and old when seen up close and I might not be one to criticize other people’s fashion choices (having no sense of style myself) but her ensemble made even me want to cry; Not in the “oh this is so unique and creative way that it is too much for you to handle”. But more in the “I am attempting to look cool by wearing a cream colored trench coat that would be better suited on a 65 year old man”. You get my point?

Besides the odd naked drunk man covered in bbq sauce, some mullet wigs and lion costumes, Southside consisted mostly of beer, mud and music. We had a blast laughing with our tent neighbors while his friend had a “deine Mudda” [your mom] insult competition with a random stranger (who yelled his insults from inside his tent) and even more when he introduced us to his dinosaur floating ring named Kevin.

Yes Southside was a good festival, but next year I could do without the rain.

Lovesick – Friendly Fires

Around the Bend – The Asteroid Galaxy Tour

Jenny Don’t Be Hasty – Paolo Nutini

Original post from Absolutely Horrorshow.

More pictures from the festival here.