Opening act Feverdream is a three-piece from Rotterdam and the best way to describe them would be Experimental Emo-Core. Formed in 1997, drummer Arnold, bassist/singer Saskia and guitarist/singer René have built up quite a reputation. From their promising debut "Pretend That It’s Forever" to their second full-length "The Sky Is Full Of It", they are now well on their way with their third album called "Future Directions" which was released on August 10th.

The hurrying, always-moving drum play and the driving, always going on sound of the bass makes a good foundation for the chaotic guitar. At first you don’t know what is going on, but then you come to realize there is indeed some kind of melody in their songs. Straight from the beginning, they dive into this mix of tense, raw emotion, and edgy music. A good example of the overall eat-your-heart-out feeling was "This Big".

René has a very powerful voice and he is not afraid to use it. Just when you think he starts to slow down, ending with a softer note, the force of his lyrics just hits you in the face. The song "Bloodspeed" proved that Saskia’s voice compliments him very well. Up until then she wasn’t too involved with the singing and this was a pleasant surprise.

I was amazed at how they combine their intense melodies with hectic noise. While shouting his bleeding lyrics and throwing himself into the crowd during "60 Seconds", you can almost feel and touch the honesty in their music. For me that was a little over the top, but its dramatic effect fit rather well.

If you like Fugazi, you will definitely like Feverdream. They couldn’t choose a more appropriate title for their latest album, and I’m sure we will be hearing a lot more from this band.

The cheering started almost immediately after The Thermals entered the stage. Mind you, they were only setting up their instruments and the show was yet to begin. A promising start nonetheless.

And before you knew the show had started it was already over. With an average length of about 2 minutes something seconds, they managed to play a lot of both their old and new songs in barely an hour. Racing through the set at enormous speed, they didn’t seem rushed at all. Only stopping between songs to take a gulp of air, The Thermals seem to be on a tight schedule. From their opening song til their last, the energy is just overwhelming.

The short pop songs are very easy to listen to and the crowd knows them by heart. Simplicity seems to be the main idea behind every one of them with lyrics such as "And I would give the last shred / of my broken head / for the songs you say / and the words you sing" and ‘The future deaf / so the few left / will need a fist / when no one is listening."

From Portland, Oregon, The Thermals are Hutch Harris (vocals, guitar), Kathy Foster (bass) and Jordan Hudson (drums). Very distorted vocals, guitar, bass and drums one might say.

Though the songs itself are really energetic and filled with adrenaline, they sound pretty similar when listened to as a whole. Only a couple of songs really stood out, like "How We Know" and "A Stare Like Yours". "Let your Earth Quake, Baby" was one of my favourites. Of course, "No Culture Icons" was played among other songs from their debut album "More Parts Per Million".

Their happy and cheerful power pop is very summery and The Thermals are at their best at small venues. Maybe that’s why the show was pretty good despite the 'I’ve-heard-this-one-before-feeling'.

With around two hundred people in the audience, the atmosphere was great. The Thermals just leave you with a big smile and wanting more.

*Pictures from the show here.

Review by: Laura