Day 1

After arriving at the campsite in the pouring rain on a Friday morning, I still had to wait several hours until everything started. But all eight stages were tents (not including the open air theatre), so the rain didn’t bother anyone during shows. The walking to and from the tents was the fun part.

By three o’clock in the afternoon, the festival had officially begun. The first act I went to was Novastar in the Alpha Tent. Novastar is a Belgium band that is all about Joost Zweegers. He has just released his second album, and the songs on “Another Lonely Soul” are just as good as his debut. As one of the openers of the festival, he really got the crowd going. Everyone in the tent liked his melancholic pop songs, and they weren’t bothered by the fact that he stopped his band a few times because it wasn’t right or didn’t sound the way it should sound. He played both a couple of his older songs and a couple of his newer ones. Of course his hit “Wrong” wasn’t left out. It was a good festival kick off.

Forty minutes later, in the same tent, The Hives entered the stage, with matching suits and an attitude to go with it. You can say whatever you want about them, but everyone has to admit: they’re awesome live. The always charming and modest Howlin’ Pelle claimed that the Hives would stop the pouring rain outside with their music. And the sun indeed broke away halfway through the set. After it started to rain again, Pelle only commented that the crowd wasn’t clapping and cheering enough for them. Great show from the Swedish.

After the Hives came N*E*R*D. I’ve never seen so many people jumping and screaming all at the same time as they did when Pharrel entered the stage. He jumped, he rocked, he moaned and again stole a thousand hearts while doing so. Sadly, they didn’t finish their set because Pharrel was losing his voice and was having trouble with just talking. Still, the entire tent went mad during “Rock Star” and “Lapdance.” What a show, and what a singer, despite his voice problems.

Next up: The Offspring. With their constant flow of hits, it was very hard to not like the show. From “Pretty Fly For A White Guy” and “Come Out And Play” to the always-popular “Self Esteem”, they played it all. The Offspring, even though reaching their forties, still had punk kids in the front jumping and singing along. It was heart-warming. Getting out of the front area after the Offspring was quite a challenge; loads of people were entering the tent wanting to get a good spot for Faithless.

Not everything about their set was great. But whenever Maxi Jazz mumbled his raps, the crowd went crazy. During their dance-hits like “Insomnia” and “God Is A DJ”, everyone was dancing, from the front row to the back. And let’s not forget all the people who were outside the tent having a blast. It was kind of dull for my likings, but just the sight of the entire Alpha Tent (the biggest tent on the whole festival) going crazy was amazing.

Not really an act, but still worth mentioning was the silent disco. The look of it is just as bizarre as it is interesting. A packed full dance floor, filled with a crazy dancing crowd, but not a single note you can hear. The silent disco from 433fm.com is powered by Philips Headphones and it’s just really strange at first, but after a few songs, you’ll love it. You come in, get a headphone, plug in, and enjoy the music. Not liking what you’re hearing? Simply press a button on your headphones and it switch to the other DJ. Pretty cool if you ask me.

Day 2

Five past one o’clock at the Alpha Tent yet again and The Bloodhound Gang had just finished their first song. The rest of the show was pretty good. Though I didn’t know many of the songs, their comments in between songs were sometimes hilarious, sometimes just lame. Halfway trough the set they announced there would be a “Hey Ya” sing along contest between the Lowlands crowd and the Pukkelpop crowd (pronounced Puke-L-pop).

Lowlands won. The cheering competition between left and right a few songs after that didn’t turn out that well for the right, because they lost. So singer Jimmy Pop killed all the lights and sound on the right for one song. Bloodhound Gang was fun, heavy and a typical American lot. (‘We’re American, we’re stupid!’)

Next up was The Sheer in the Grolsch Tent. I dropped in halfway through the set, so everyone was having fun already. I liked the show, their happy songs, and energetic attitude. It’s a good thing I didn’t see their full set though, because then it would have been too long and kind of boring. All the songs sounded alike and after awhile, they just faded into one another. But it was pretty fun for the thirty minutes I saw them.

Moving to the India Tent, Oil played. Knowing absolutely nothing about them other than the things I read in the program, I wasn’t expecting a lot. To my surprise, I liked them. Don’t call them passionate hardcore/noise emo to their faces, because then you’re dead. You can compare them to Fugazi and At the Drive In (a comparison well made). The India Tent wasn’t that big, so the atmosphere was good, and the show was great: raw, emotional, and a good crowd. What else can you ask for?

After Oil came Gem. It was the second time I had seen them, and they were surprisingly a little better than last time. At first sight, you think they’re the new Strokes. But after a few songs, you realize there is something more. It was a pretty good show, and it seems that the more they play and tour, the more their shows rock. I’m wondering what to expect next time I might seem them.

After that I went to the Alpha Tent to see The Dropkick Murphy’s. They sure do appreciate their roots. Their folk-punk music sounded really Irish and everyone was jumping and moshing. I was surprised at their shout of support to the Boston Red Sox. I don’t know anything about baseball, but I’m guessing it isn’t going very well with that team.

Following the jumping and moshing, it was time for some jumping and shouting with The Streets in the Bravo Tent. It was a rather disappointing show I must say. They were wasted on stage and continued drinking during the show. If you can get drunk and still put on a good show, then it’s cool, but if you’re (getting) drunk and completely dissing your own audience, then its not so cool anymore. The songs at first were okay, but it just went downhill. Maybe next time hands off the booze before the show?

The last band thing I saw that day was Battle Royale II (the movie, not some unknown band). That was really cool, just sitting in a tent with a couple of hundred people at 1.30 a.m. watching kids get slaughtered in the middle of nowhere. I prefer BR I, but this sequel isn’t as bad as people like to say it is. I wonder how many actually saw the whole movie because it seemed everyone was almost falling asleep.

Day 3

Starting with Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra in the Alpha Tent the next morning was amazing. Seeing a bunch of Japanese men going crazy on stage was just unbelievable. They all looked sharp and swinging - suits, sunglasses, thrilling performance. It’s best described as jazzy ska, and their energetic sound made everyone dance with or without a hangover.

Leaving them earlier, I got to the India Tent just to catch a few last songs of Blanche. I had never heard anything about them before, so it was a pleasant surprise. The first thing I thought was that I ended up in some fifties western. Call it alternative country or Americana or whatever you want; you’re not even close. Their songs are sad, but not in a depressive kind of way. Packed in a single mountain song with the enchanting voices of the front couple, it was just beautiful.

Next up in the India Tent was Radio 4. Their new album “Stealing of a Nation” is more funk than punk and more disco than wave, but live the New Yorkers sounded just like they should: fierce, driven, and sharp, of course in matching black suits. It was a great show with everyone dancing like mad.

Forty-five minutes later it was time for Dillinger Escape Plan. During the show, any form of musical logic had disappeared. DEP puts into one song just as many ideas that some bands do in a whole carrier, and just as much energy. It’s Grindcore versus jazz metal versus hardcore versus your ears, leaving the crowd stunned and perplexed. A homage to guitarist Ben Weinman: I’ve rarely seen someone jumping like crazy and playing at the same time. Unbelievable.

If one man was born during Lowlands 2004, it clearly was Razorlight front man Johnny Borrell. He has it all: a cute appearance, a stylish jacket, and a great voice. Their songs finish it off. There was a small crowd this time, but something tells me that the next time they do a show here, it’ll be packed. All that’s left is their debut “Up All Night” to be released all over the world and their victory is known.

Every skate-punk-kid at the festival was looking forward to Goldfinger’s show. But it was quite a disappointment. Don’t get me wrong, it was okay. But that’s all it was. Just OKAY. A Nena cover (99 Red Balloons) and a Darkness cover (I Believe in a Thing called Love) were the few songs that were actually fun; the rest was just average.

Last but not least were The White Stripes in the Alpha Tent. Whether or not they were brother and sister, husband and wife, or just complete strangers, it didn’t matter. With the red and white scenery, Jack and Meg, and their bluesy and pointy songs, it was a great show. All the hits were played including “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself”, “Seven Nation Army”, and “I’m Looking For A Hole” (last two in the encore). They’re a good band with a professional performance. The Lowlands crowd couldn’t have wished for a better finishing act.

Review by: Laura