I believe this is my 10th visit to the Way Out West festival, or something like that. Time flies when you have mud on your boots. So what’s up in the forest this year?
It’s always a tough sell to be the first band on an open-air festival, as you really have to bring your A-Game to wake the sleepy crowd. I’ve seen a few bands pull it off on earlier editions of Way Out West, most notable the inimitable Jehnny Beth with her band Savages in 2015.
The Kills.
The Kills were certainly up for the challenge. This was one of the bands I was looking forward to the most this year. The rock duo of Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince have been fighting to earn their place on stage since 2001, as seen on Anthony Bourdain’s show and many other places. With influences from Mark Lanegan and Iggy Pop, the stage frenzy of Alison is combined with a few somber notes. I think it was a good show, even though their songs are better suited for a dark club scene. As Alison said herself, “We’re playing night music at daytime… Weird.”
“Baby lately the plans we’re making
Are the shape of things that never come
Hold your horses, the lights up
Can’t feel it coming back around”
— The Kills, Doing It to Death (2016)
I’ve been listening to French electronic duo Air for decades. I even went to Kyoto and recreated the lonely walk from movie “Lost in Translation” with that special Air tune on my iPod. This time the band appeared in the forest to play their entire debut album “Moon Safari” from start to finish.
Chase & Status playing for a tent full of kids. “I’m too old for this shit.”
PJ Harvey has been a solid pillar in the alternative music scene for decades. Last time I saw her was back in 2016 during the Hope Six Demolition Project tour, which was surprisingly dark. This time she seems to be on a brighter note, including the white dress. The songs are connected by bird song for some strange reason and her fellow musicians appear to be glued into the floor, but she is still the focal point from start to finish. Arguably the biggest star of the entire festival, no one can fight back when she gives songs such as “Down by the water” and “To bring you my love”.
Getting some perspective on Jack White.
I was really looking forward to see Queens of the Stone Age once again, but unfortunately they cancelled last week due to Josh Homme’s medical care. They were replaced by Jack White (The White Stripes, The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs), but the sound was too full of distorted guitars so I quickly retreated far behind the crowds.
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