{"id":63720,"date":"2025-04-30T19:28:15","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T19:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/63720\/"},"modified":"2025-04-30T19:28:15","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T19:28:15","slug":"gardenstale-goes-to-roadburn-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/63720\/","title":{"rendered":"GardensTale Goes to Roadburn 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The story of Easter, detailing the gruesome death and supernatural resurrection of a cult leader, is pretty fucking metal, all things considered. So it\u2019s fitting that the cream of the crop among underground heavy music festivals, Roadburn, coincides with the religious holiday this year. Not that it makes much difference to me, my partner, or the slew of friends we drag across the Tilburg city centre to enjoy some of the heaviest, strangest, and most envelope-pushing music that music has to offer. We\u2019d murder our feet and livers for this fest any time of the year.<\/p>\n

For the last few editions, Roadburn has spread its venues over several locations within a few hundred-meter radius. The 013 is the main venue, hosting the large Main stage with its signature staircase (a brilliant way to rest your feet while watching a show!) and the smaller NEXT. A 5-10 minute walk away, depending on your state of mind and soundness of body, is the old industrial hall known as Koepelhal, split for the occasion into the larger Terminal and smaller Engine Room. Attached is the diminutive Hall of Fame, where the smallest artists get to do their thing, with the ever-popular skate park next door regularly hosting secret shows, which are often announced only a few hours beforehand. Finally, the local jazz club Paradox is the place to be for the more unconventional material, which is saying something in this place.<\/p>\n

What follows is a cleaned-up live thread I tapped out in hasty bursts between and during sets, my word-vomit witnessed in real time by my colleagues who gave frequent and often unhelpful commentary. Where applicable, I saw fit to include their remarks and any response I had to their tomfoolery. I can not promise this will result in a sane article, but I hope it can sketch a glimpse of what the greatest festival in the world is like.<\/p>\n

Day 1 (Thursday, 17th of April)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

2:51 PM \u2014 As usual, the larger sizes of the merch sell out lightning fast, and so I walk away with a single patch and disappointment. Let\u2019s hope Glassing<\/strong> can obliterate the letdown.<\/p>\n

Cherd of Doom<\/strong>: Surely they restock merch through the festival?<\/p>\n

HAHAHA no
Everyone knows merch goes fast so everyone goes to merch first so merch goes fast
And they always underproduce the large sizes<\/p>\n

sentynel<\/strong>: You\u2019d think if the merch consistently sold out really quickly they might print more next time<\/p>\n

3:12 PM \u2014 Yep, Glassing<\/strong> is fucking killing it. Pushing an almost Spartan setup to its limit. The drummer is just bonkers!<\/p>\n

4:11 PM \u2014 Listening to Oranssi Pazuzu<\/strong> outside the main stage because we could no longer get inside. It sounds impressively oppressive. Wish we could have seen more of it, but I would not have wanted to miss Glassing<\/strong>. Choices choices.<\/p>\n

4:24 PM \u2014 The electronics and psychedelics of Oranssi Pazuzu<\/strong> are really cool. I should have paid more attention to this band.<\/p>\n

4:48 PM \u2014 Slowing things down a bit with Toby Driver\u2019s new age project Alora Crucible<\/strong>. It\u2019s pretty enough, but 10 minutes in, I am still waiting for it to develop into something more than a yoga class background music jam.<\/p>\n

5:17 PM \u2014 It did not.<\/p>\n

5:31 PM \u2014 Listened most of Alora Crucible<\/strong> from the lounge where they pipe down the music from that stage. Very relaxing, better way to experience it than the venue!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

5:33 PM \u2014 Then sludge legends Kylesa<\/strong> reformed on the main stage. No second drummer sadly, but what a treat to see this band live again! Last time was at Graspop in 2011.<\/p>\n

6:44 PM \u2014 Waiting for Faetooth<\/strong> to start. Their first European gig!<\/p>\n

Dolphin Whisperer<\/strong>: love Faetooth<\/strong>, they got a new album on the horizon I believe<\/p>\n

7:10 PM \u2014 Faetooth<\/strong> is decent but not amazing, the vocals are a bit one-note at least on stage. Some nice riffs and I wouldn\u2019t have minded finishing the gig but my feet are too dead to settle for decent right now. At least we can still listen to them for a bit outside the venue.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

9:20 PM \u2014 After a good big meal we went to the main stage for envy.<\/strong>
And it\u2019s already entrancing just a few minutes in.<\/p>\n

9:31 PM \u2014 I am in love, this is the greatest thing I discovered today. The intense and concentrated emotion divided between melancholic post-rock and colossal outbursts of post-metal-hardcore is divine.
This is their 2003 album, tomorrow they will play a modern era set.<\/p>\n

Dolphin Whisperer<\/strong>: envy<\/strong> good<\/p>\n

well WHY DIDN\u2019T YOU TELL ME<\/p>\n

Cherd of Doom<\/strong>: See, bands playing multiple themed sets is exactly why I\u2019d love to go to Roadburn. The Inter Arma<\/strong> sets last year for instance<\/p>\n

10:29 PM \u2014 Envy<\/strong> was my favorite show of the day easily. So intense, so emotional.<\/p>\n

10:39 PM \u2014 Black Curse<\/strong> is apparently overrun, so instead we decided to wait for Concrete Winds<\/strong>. Dame Area<\/strong> was still playing in that venue, so we thought we\u2019d check it out. We walked in and walked back out like Grandpa Simpson.<\/p>\n

Dolphin Whisperer<\/strong>: CONCRETE WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINDS<\/strong><\/p>\n

11:30 PM \u2014 Concrete Winds<\/strong> sounds good for dense death metal but I am honestly too tired for death metal this dense.<\/p>\n

12:42 AM \u2014 But I stuck it out! It was intense, but pretty cool. Sadly my phone died halfway through.<\/p>\n

Day 2 (Friday, 18th of April)<\/strong><\/p>\n

12:49 PM \u2014 Heading in for the first performance on the bill today, a collab of Throwing Bricks<\/strong> and Ontaard<\/strong>. They\u2019ve collaborated successfully before on record, but this is a new commissioned piece.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

1:19 PM \u2014 It\u2019s fucking awesome! 8 musicians on stage, massive sound, but the balance is great and it\u2019s emotionally devastating.
The sound quality is also much better than most Engine Room performances.
Between the two bands you also have a lot of variety. Male and female vocals, synths, violin, two drummers. Gorgeous.<\/p>\n

1:49 PM \u2014 I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll ever get tired of \u2018beautiful serene passage, suddenly interrupted by the most devastating wall of noise.\u2019<\/p>\n

2:54 PM \u2014 Midwife<\/strong> was very pretty, very demure, and very much not what I was looking for right now. Sort of a shoegaze, dreampop, slowcore thing that feels more appropriate for a summer sunset than a dark crowded hall and foot pain. Will check again later!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

3:20 PM \u2014 Now for one of my most anticipated shows of the festival: Messa<\/strong> playing their new album The Spin in full!<\/p>\n

3:41 PM \u2014 Their stage presence is a bit static, but the album and execution thereof are so good it\u2019s easy to forgive.<\/p>\n

Dolphin Whisperer<\/strong>: They don\u2019t typically have a big stage presence from what I gather. They didn\u2019t when I saw em in a small club<\/p>\n

5:11 PM \u2014 After Messa<\/strong> we intended to see CHVE<\/strong>, the solo project of Colin [van Eeckhout] from Amenra<\/strong>. The line was pretty long, so we declined to join it. But it was all speed 0 soundscapes and were even boring when listening from the lounge.<\/p>\n

Dolphin Whisperer<\/strong>: why go fast when you can go sloooooooooooooooooooooow<\/p>\n

5:13 PM \u2014 But now it\u2019s time for round 2 of envy<\/strong>! Loved em so much yesterday, we wanted seconds. Today is the modern set, including all of Eunoia, their 2024 album.<\/p>\n

6:36 PM \u2014 Envy<\/strong> was once again beautiful and crushing.<\/p>\n

\"\"6:39 PM \u2014 After envy<\/strong> we went to queue for 40 Watt Sun<\/strong>. Patrick Walker is doing a solo show in Paradox, the jazz club, and it\u2019s bound to be jam-packed. Thankfully we got in! Now having another beer and waiting for the man to make us weep.<\/p>\n

7:02 PM \u2014 Walker surveying the crowd: \u201cThat does not look comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

7:34 PM \u2014 Between songs this man is the funniest fucker alive, then he starts playing again and instantly it\u2019s misty eyes and goosebumps. What a character, what a musician.<\/p>\n

8:52 PM \u2014 Sometimes you gotta stop and smell the Korean fried chicken.<\/p>\n

9:22 PM \u2014 Now waiting for Genital Shame<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

10:20 PM \u2014 Genital Shame<\/strong> was decent, but couldn\u2019t hold our attention. Also I was much too close to the speakers and the kick drums were overpowering the guitars. Caught a friend heading out and decided to follow her to Gnod<\/strong> Drop Out with White Hills<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

11:04 PM \u2014 Gnod<\/strong> was very particular music for a very particular audience under a particularly large amount of drugs. Endlessly spooling 70\u2019s space rock psychedelics. We didn\u2019t stay long. Instead we opted for Thou<\/strong>, playing Umbilical on the main stage.<\/p>\n

Dolphin Whisperer<\/strong>: THOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU<\/strong><\/p>\n

11:19 PM
I always kind of skirted around Thou<\/strong>, but they put on a good show. Unforgivingly harsh and unstoppably heavy, with the biggest riffs I\u2019ve heard today. I don\u2019t feel the amount of heart I got from the best performances today, but it\u2019s a fun and filthy way to end the day.<\/p>\n

Day 3 (Saturday, 19th of April)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

1:54 PM \u2014 Scarfed down a fresh stroopwafel, brought my ebook for breaks and waits, and shuffled into the Terminal for D\u00f8dheimsgard<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

They\u2019re playing Black Medium Current front to back.<\/p>\n

2:05 PM \u2014 It\u2019s more of a sardine pressure vat than a sardine can in here.<\/p>\n

2:11 PM \u2014 But the show is great! The big hall works for the expansive spacy black metal and the band is performing with fire<\/p>\n

2:38 PM \u2014 We escaped the crowd to join a different one and check out Haatdrager<\/strong>, a project from students at the Metal Factory in Eindhoven. Claustrophobic electro-laden sludge. It\u2019s fucking awesome!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

2:44 PM \u2014 The vocalist is a very talented young woman. Throat ripping screams, but she also focuses on flow and rhythm in a more hip-hop fashion which gives the music an urban fusion flair akin to Backxwash<\/strong> and d\u00e4lek<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Dolphin Whisperer<\/strong>: Like and subscribe<\/p>\n

3:42 PM \u2014 We left for ice cream, then headed back to catch the off-kilter hardcore punk of Gillian Carter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

3:49 PM \u2014 Instrumentation is cool, sharp riffs with unexpected turns and skronks. Vocals are very one-note though. Will try to get into Grey Aura<\/strong> instead.<\/p>\n

3:52 PM \u2014 Samantha compared the vocals [of Gillian Carter<\/strong>] to Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit sinking into the Dip and it is 100% accurate.<\/p>\n

4:29 PM \u2014 Grey Aura<\/strong> was worse though. Embarrassing vocals honestly. Yelling like he wanted the kids to get off his lawn.<\/p>\n

Tyme<\/strong>: Boooo! Too bad. I dig Grey Aura<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Dolphin Whisperer<\/strong>: That\u2019s really sad to hear \ud83d\ude41<\/p>\n

\"\"5:09 PM \u2014 We grabbed a drink and intended to get in line for Uniform<\/strong>. And so we did, but the Terminal filled to capacity before we got there. Not willing to face another sardine pressure vat, we went with plan B: a collaboration between Sumac<\/strong> and Moor Mother<\/strong>. Now waiting for that while giving our feet a rest on the main stage steps.<\/p>\n

Tyme<\/strong>: Sumac<\/strong>?? Hmmmmmm. Interesting<\/p>\n

Dolphin Whisperer<\/strong>: Sumac<\/strong> + Moor Mother<\/strong> sounds the kinda collab that is so high art it may be impossible to sniff it. Hope it\u2019s enjoyable<\/p>\n

You\u2019re not far off. It doesn\u2019t feel like they managed to glue freeform activist hiphop and sludge doom together cohesively. More like switching between the Moor Mother<\/strong> bits with heavy guitars, then Sumac<\/strong> bits where they play actual riffs.<\/p>\n

6:23 PM \u2014 We left to see Coilguns<\/strong> instead. That turned out to be the right decision. Frantic hardcore punk with ketamine energy and acidic left field swerves; it\u2019s not always sane but it\u2019s highly entertaining!<\/p>\n

6:25 PM \u2014 The vocalist is especially all over the place, pulling himself across the stage by the afro and using 5 different styles and inflections in the same song<\/p>\n

6:29 PM \u2014 Also met one of our Discord users, inkster.<\/p>\n

Dolphin Whisperer<\/strong>: inky is very social + nice<\/p>\n

She was! We left before the end because it was a long set and our feet are so fucked, but Sammy and I had fun watching Coilguns<\/strong> with her for a bit<\/p>\n

8:52 PM \u2014 Caught a couple songs from Denisa<\/strong> after dinner. A sort of raw post-punk meets Emma Ruth Rundle<\/strong> from Indonesia. Not extraordinary, but solid, sung and played with heart.<\/p>\n

9:38 PM \u2014 Also a few songs from Doodseskader<\/strong>\u2019s set. First saw them opening for Alcest<\/strong>, and their stark, raw nu-sludge, with intense visuals synced to the music, hasn\u2019t lost its potency.<\/p>\n

9:43 PM \u2014 Alt\u0131n G\u00fcn<\/strong> is a big change of pace, though. They play a mixture of psychedelic rock and Turkish traditional music. It\u2019s very danceable, but for me it lacks a little oomph, a bit of grit.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

11:21 PM \u2014 Bidding the day goodnight with Chat Pile<\/strong>. They play their music well, but I was hoping that\u2019d be enough to make me enjoy their music more, and it isn\u2019t. Still, it\u2019s an effective, brusque brand of spasmodic aggression. The frontman pacing back and forth barefoot in shorts like he\u2019s in the Ministry of Funny Walks is quite the choice.<\/p>\n

11:38 PM \u2014 Okay, \u201cWhy\u201d was a hoot, fair is fair<\/p>\n

Tyme<\/strong>: Still sounds like you\u2019re having a blast tho! <\/p>\n

I gotta admit it, that was a pretty fucking fun show yeah<\/p>\n

Day 4 (Sunday, April 20th)<\/strong><\/p>\n

10:04 AM \u2014 Mild hangover. Went to the local metal dive bar last night with some of our festival pals. Partied til 3:30 am. I am getting too old for this shit. Except fuck that, it was a ton of fun and I\u2019ll fucking do it again!<\/p>\n

2:01 PM \u2014 Dragged my husk to the Terminal to see Vuur & Zijde<\/strong> play Boezem, which I gave a very positive review<\/a> a few months ago. Curious to see how it plays on stage!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

2:53 PM \u2014 Though the music was performed perfectly well, a giant industrial hall is probably not the ideal venue for Vuur & Zijde<\/strong>. I think they\u2019d do better in a more intimate setting. But some minor sound issues aside, it was a pretty good show overall.<\/p>\n

2:56 PM \u2014 Halfway through we decided to move to the smaller Hall of Fame to check out Bacht\u2019n de Vulle Moane<\/strong>, a band that\u2019s only a year old and supposedly plays some intense black metal festuring analog electronics.<\/p>\n

3:05 PM \u2014 \u201cGood evening Roadburn!\u201d Dude it\u2019s 3 pm.<\/p>\n

3:14 PM \u2014 This sounds less like black metal with electronics and more like someone yelling over muddy hardstyle.<\/p>\n

3:26 PM \u2014 It didn\u2019t annoy me, but it did bore me. I didn\u2019t come here for techno.<\/p>\n

Dolphin Whisperer<\/strong>: Every time is the evening if you\u2019re playing black metal<\/p>\n

That\u2019s great, maybe they should have tried that instead of playing techno haha<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

4:01 PM \u2014 Just watched an animated short movie called The Hunter made by Costin Chioreanu. Quite cool, though the plot was lost on me. Pretty imagery though!<\/p>\n

4:32 PM \u2014 Frente Abierto<\/strong> plays flamenco, but a dark and heavy variation thereof. Interesting, but not really to my tastes.<\/p>\n

6:11 PM \u2014 Michael Gira\u2019s set with Kristof Hahn (both from Swans<\/strong>) was an exercise in patience. Slow droning soundscapes, eventually joined by slow droning vocals. At some point I could no longer stand the slow droning.<\/p>\n

6:13 PM \u2014 Turns out Sumac<\/strong> has quite a lot of slow droning soundscapes as well. I don\u2019t need to like everything Roadburn has to offer, but gee golly, I hope I\u2019ll enjoy at least one thing more than Vuur & Zijde<\/strong> today.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

7:37 PM \u2014 With a belly full of noodles we plowed on back to the Terminal to catch a slice of Big|Brave<\/strong>. More slow droning soundscapes, but the vocals help give it a slightly better sense of progression. Still, when the song devolves into crash cymbal taps and nothing else for a few minutes, I do get a bit restless.<\/p>\n

7:41 PM \u2014 When the buildup is more noticeable the music is much more enjoyable, thankfully, and the vocals are powerful.<\/p>\n

7:48 PM \u2014 All in all a good performance that requires a bit more patience than my exhaustion has left me with.<\/p>\n

9:03 PM \u2014 Bo Ningen<\/strong>, heavy psych rock from Japan, is a lot of fun and the first thing with this much energy today. Quite diverse, exploring different moods and textures.<\/p>\n

9:25 PM \u2014 They manage both heartfelt space-outs and extended high-octane jams. Exciting show and excellent musicians!<\/p>\n

\"\"9:35 PM \u2014 \u201cThis will be our last song!\u201d
They still had 15 minutes.
They still went over time.<\/p>\n

10:58 PM \u2014 Closing out the festival for us is Haunted Plasma<\/strong>. The glitzy darkwave with an edge reminds me of that scene in Blade with the vampire nightclub. The woman on the mic has a sweet spectral presence. A bit one-note, but otherwise very enjoyable and a worthy festival finale.<\/p>\n

Even though the line-up was a bit frontloaded this year, it still resulted in some of the most hardest-hitting and affecting live music I\u2019ve yet experienced, even from bands I\u2019d never heard of in the first place. Both envy<\/strong> shows and the Throwing Bricks<\/strong> collaboration with Ontaard<\/strong> were the stuff of legends, and this kind of discovery is what makes Roadburn such a joy to return to, year after year. And it\u2019s all the sweeter having a great group of friends to experience it with, as my partner and I attended few shows without at least one other friend by our side. So dear reader\u2026 same time next year?<\/p>\n

\n\tGive in to Your Anger:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The story of Easter, detailing the gruesome death and supernatural resurrection of a cult leader, is pretty fucking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":63721,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3936],"tags":[32803,32804,32805,32806,32807,32808,32809,32810,32811,32812,32813,32814,32815,32816,32817,32818,32819,32820,32821,32822,32823,77,32824,32825,32826,32827,32828,32829,32830,32831,32832,32833,32834,32835,32836,32837,32838,269,32839,32840,32841,32842,32843,32844,16,32845,15,32846,32847],"class_list":{"0":"post-63720","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-40-watt-sun","9":"tag-alcest","10":"tag-alora-crucible","11":"tag-altin-gun","12":"tag-amenra","13":"tag-bachtn-de-vulle-moane","14":"tag-backxwash","15":"tag-bigbrave","16":"tag-blog-post","17":"tag-blog-posts","18":"tag-bo-ningen","19":"tag-chat-pile","20":"tag-chve","21":"tag-coilguns","22":"tag-concrete-winds","23":"tag-dalek","24":"tag-dame-area","25":"tag-denisa","26":"tag-dodheimsgard","27":"tag-doodseskader","28":"tag-emma-ruth-rundle","29":"tag-entertainment","30":"tag-envy","31":"tag-faetooth","32":"tag-frente-abierto","33":"tag-genital-shame","34":"tag-gillian-carter","35":"tag-glassing","36":"tag-gnod","37":"tag-grey-aura","38":"tag-haatdrager","39":"tag-haunted-plasma","40":"tag-inter-arma","41":"tag-kylesa","42":"tag-messa","43":"tag-midwife","44":"tag-moor-mother","45":"tag-music","46":"tag-ontaard","47":"tag-oranssi-pazuzu","48":"tag-sumac","49":"tag-swans","50":"tag-thou","51":"tag-throwing-bricks","52":"tag-uk","53":"tag-uniform","54":"tag-united-kingdom","55":"tag-vuur-zijde","56":"tag-white-hills"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}