This isn’t really a festival more a series of gigs, oddly enough; some are bloody miles away Alec Empire for instance is playing about 100km away. I can’t make out any way of getting there. Wednesday finds hours of wandering around the town trying to find something to do until the gig begins, there is nothing in this town short of motorways and traffic so I retreat to the 'old man stench of piss and Gauloise hotel Ibis' to put in a day of work and 7 o-clock soon comes along. The band that I am dying to see on the bill Puppetmastaz passes by and I am completely unaware; instead snoozing and end spending the evening dreaming about the guitarist in Pyscobilly outfit Naked Ruby coming out of prison and sharing the gory details of a murder he committed back in the day. Waking up at midnight, all the bands have finished and I have seen nothing, balls. Apparently Puppetmastaz & Sian Supercrew were smashing, the surprise of the day being a Slovak hip-hop band called N'Toko.
Disappointed at the discovery I am the laziest Hack around I endeavour to be at the next set of gigs. Thursday sees Malta’s three-piece Beangrowers take the stage. Lead singer the gorgeous Alison Galea belts out her songs with all her heart and is charge of wailing in all senses with her rather nice pale blue guitar. They compare themselves to Sonic Youth or Joy Division which feel a bit out (let alone far apart) of kilter. I come away with a distinctly Yeah Yeah Yeah’s sound is bashing out in this hall. Would love to hear more of them.http://www.myspace.com/beangrowers
Belgium’s An Pierlé & White Velvet: The singer An Pierlé has a fantastic dress on, all bunched up tartan. For the outfit she flips from accordion to piano with idle ease. The band throws a big orchestral sound into the air, invoking a Nick Cave Abattoir Blues / Lyre of Orpheus feel. The White Velvet band providing fabulously layered tracks, this feels like it should be danced to in ball gowns. Attempting to get the audience to dance like they are in ball dresses doesn’t go down too well. http://www.white-velvet.com/
