Frozenland Festival Report
Leeuwarden June 5th/6th 1998
 

So after a shower and something more decent to eat I'm back from the gutter which is known as Frozenland. Well the name of the festival is kinda wrong, cuz it wasn't freezing and they didn't had any ice cubes to put on a slice of pizza.

First I missed the interliner so I had to wait for 1 hour. When I got there soon a festival buss arrived to bring all this scum to the festival area. From there we had to walk a distance which is way too long, esp. when you have all these full cans of beer in yr package. When I arrived at the gate I went to the press booth where I got a yellow wrist thingie and some paper thingies for some food and drinks. When I wanted to go to the festival area there was this huge amount of people waiting to get in. Everyone was searched even the complete luggage you had w/ you. So you couldn't bring in any knives, too much drugs alcohol or even a can opener. Hey, I was lucky and went to the camping through the back stage area. There this green Opel came and I was allowed to sit on the motor hood which saved me a long distance of walking. I put up my tent when it was all windy and stuff. I met some friends and after my tent was put up and some talking I met a friend who stood in line for the search thingie and all. Later I dropped my zines w/ free 7" at the Sonic Rendezvouz booth, so they could distro that for me.

Then I went back to the entrance of the festival and met some friends. I told them about the drugs and knives thingie. So they gave me 24 cans of beer (12 per person is allowed and some knives). So back to my tent I walked w/ 24 cans of beer, knives, recording devices and no one searched me. Being from the press is good for something. I met them back at the camping area, where I tried to find some friends but failed. While they made up their tent I finally found some other friends. Peter didn't had a place to sleep so he could sleep in my tent as well.

About 17:00 peter and I went to the festival area to watch Pigmeat. As usual lotsa fun from these two weirdos. Too bad they're religious as hell, so I didn't notice the lyrics as much as possible. They threw serpetine thingies in the crowd and w/ the last song one of the duo used this fire-extinguisher, very cool. And they even put in a piece of the Spice Girl's crap if i'm not mistaken by now. After that The Heideroosjes were playing, you could hear them from far, so I went to the market area to look for some vinyl. I didn't know how much money I was gonna spend, so I didn't buy the Zowiso record yet, later on I found out that a friend of mine bought it. I went back to Comet to watch Millhouse, I didn't like it that much and got back stage. There I ate some sauerkraut and desert. Heideroosjes were there and Marco came to me. While we were talking some boy who worked there asked them for signatures and told them they played good. Shortly after that I went back to Comet to watch Indecision, also NY-hardcore w/ some members who are also in Millhouse. Only this is way much better. After that, up to Galaxy to watch the beginning of Senser. It sounded good. After two songs I left for Better Than A Thousand in Comet. Soon I left, cuz it reminded me why I dislike the sxe hardcore scene, esp. at gigs. Then just hanging around everywhere until it was time for Battery. I've seen them once before and still isn't my taste of hardcore. There I met friends of mine who were in good old habit. More beer was getting through my mouth. After that we all went to Galaxy to see Run DMC. Arno and I got fed up w/ that hiphop shit and got back to the camping to get something to drink.

When we got back, Run DMC was still playing. In the meantime the mixture sauerkraut + beer + bourbon wasn't working. So next time don't eat sauerkraut before you start to drink. You're gonna puke, just like I did. After Run DMC, I met some friends in the Galaxy where some ska sound surfers played music until very early in the next morning. After some talking they finally played ska. The obvious people started to act like an idiot according to Stella who wasn't there. Hello Stella. I fell as usual and my ankle kinda hurt (well I noticed that the next morning). At an unknown time we all went to the Comet to watch a movie. Peter and I were tired after some time and went to my tent to fall asleep.

The next morning we got up and ate and drank something, a man has to have a breakfast. Since I didn't know what typo weather it would be, I put on me shorts, eventhough it rained all morning while I was dreaming (I awoke from time to time). And since nothing good was gonna play for a while I went back stage and met another friend, Lenneart. He plays in Boycot and Distress. There we just sat and drank som tea. It was a good decision to wear shorts, the sun came through. After a while relaxing in the morning, early afternoon I went to get some chocolate milk (I transferred into a chocopunk that day). This saved me lotsa money. Then it was time to go to the Polaris to watch Barkmarket. Just before that, some friend spotted me. I hardly spot anyone, with some exceptions. So I got some beers to drink and some usual chit chat. Finally time for Barkmarket. That sounded okay and I had a great time. During that I went to Comet to watch Spirit 84. It went to too much sxe shit, so I left. Back to Polaris cuz Klinkhamer was gonna play. Finally some skapunk which kicked ass. Too bad of my ankle hurt. I couldn't skank my ass off. At the end they played a very good skanked up version of Bro Hymn. Cuz of this I missed everything of Kepone, oh well shit happens.

Finally eating time. Cuz there weren't ice cubes to put on a pizza I ordered a pancake. Works every time. Then a friend of mine found out that he also could buy chocolate milk. The pack I had was like the 3rd of the day. He kinda got sick of all the cola and water. After that I went back top Polaris to watch the Turpentines. They make some 60ies trash noize. Friday I got very happy when I found out they were playing. I heard about them from a good friend, she gave me their 7", and I had already fallen in love w/ it. When I got in I saw the members of the Hellacopters and talked w/ them. Robban told me they were trying to play on the Lowlands Festival as well. Too bad the tent was so empty. The Turpentines kicked ass. If you like Hellacopters, Nomads, Sonic Rendezvous Band, check this band out. After that I went to Meteoor and found Peter again after I saw some Ec8or. We left for the tent to get some other clothes, like long pants and a leather jacket w/out beercaps on it for me. When we got there and were in my tent it started to rain. And not so light.

When we got back to the festival and arrived at Meteoor, a part of the tent was falling down, so no Shizuo. That sucked, cuz I wanted to see them. Almost everyone was underneath something, afraid they were melting or something. From there I went to Comet to listen to some Backfire, not my typo hardcore. So backstage time again to get rid of the last free thingies tickets. And check out if another friend had arrived yet. From there to the Galaxy where the Cardiacs already started w/ their thingie. In between I talked with the singer of Refused. He liked the Cardiacs and went to Comet for the Burning Heads. I dunno what to write about this. Some told me it was ska in another jacket, others told me it's kinda symphy rock and a third I talked to said it was more like Zappa but more fast slow thingies (?). I know one thing: it's good music and I like it. At the end I found Mirella again. And we walked to Comet.

I was kinda tired by then. I went there to watch NRA. Well only the beginning. Hey! I wanted to see the Hellacopters from the beginning till the end. I'm glad it was more crowded than it was when the Turpentines played. Some songs they played, in random order: Born Broke, Gimme Shelter (yup an asskicking Rolling Stones cover), Hey!, Riot On The Rocks, 1995. To name a few songs. And as usual the improvisation thingies which were awesome. When they wanted to stop, people kept on yelling for some extra songs. So they played Gonna Get Some Action Now and the one I asked for a couple times, Soulseller. I had a great time there and I wasn't tired anymore but energetic as a young puppy. After that, drinking a beer, I really needed that, and back to Comet for Refused. That kicked ass as well. They even played New Noise live, and it kicked ass. Refused is definitily one of the best punkrockhardcore bands on this planet right now. From there back to the camping to kill time.

On the way back we stopped to watch the ending of Surf A's. They make surf (cowpunk) and sometimes even mixed w/ ska. Just great. We were on time to watch the most religious band which played this festival: Cradle Of Filth - blackmetal - it was very sleep catching. It's very funny to watch this band. When this was over, Mirella, Peter, Cynthia and another person and I went to the gabber tent. (Gabber = hardcore house, for all non-Dutch people.) Neophyte was doing his thingie. It's funny to watch all those people. When they are just getting in the mood, the music stops. Really funny. It's the same w/ some hardcore bands, but not as bad like this. When DJ Paul Elstak played we made a circle pit inside the gabber tent, now this really kicked ass and was funny as hell. Those gabbers never knew what hit them.

After that we went back to Comet to watch someting more than the half of Boogie Bights, a weird movie. After that back to the tent. There was a campfire in font of this bus w/ music. They played some good music from time to time (Mad Caddies, Reel Big Fish (didn't recognize them immedialty when it rained that afternoon, made me really pissed off), Voodoo Glow Skulls), but also very lame assed music like Van Halen and those bitches from Goede Tijden Slechte Tijden (good times bad times - dutch soap). The next morning Peter helped me w/ breaking up. The background music from the bus was good ska ska ska oi oi. What a good way to wake up. Peter and I said goodby to Jelle, Eelke and Mirella so we could catch a bus to the station. There I had to wait for 30 minutes for the interliner, a good place to sleep in, to get home, sleep, eat and take a shower and type this thingie as well.

Copyright © 1998 Marcel Etten