Rock Herk is, as we noted last year, a special sort of festival. Not only is it free and set in a beautiful park (don’t go too far from the festival or you’ll end up entertaining the geese in the pond), it also features two stages. The skatestage dedicates itself to hardcore music, which has been a constant in Herk’s 21 years of festivals. The mainstage is more eclectic and feautres a wide range of bands with usually only one common denominator: they’re in the area of Belgium in the second weekend of July. Most bands also play that weekend on another Belgian festival, Dour.
All Systems Go (15.10) were the first band I saw on the mainstage and these Canadians realised all too well that after this they could go home. The band plays the sort of rock that wouldn’t have you notice them five years ago, but now, in these times where even the most alternative radio stations lower themselves to playing the most commercial samples of nu-metal and R’n’B, there’s something refreshing about a regular rock band. Their singer used to be in Doughboy which, to be honest, wasn’t that much of a reference to me.
All the more the objective the review then: while All Systems Go certainly played a decent bit of rock, they couldn’t keep my attention for long. They did manage to grab it every now and then, but a few songs later I found myself thinking about other things again. That the singer had the courage to climb on the amplifiers could only shock the most weak-hearted of us, which left the band with only one thing to do: get out the hits. A feeling of “ooh, that’s who they are” spreaded amonst the crowd. Decent is okay, but not good enough.

Most Precious Blood were next (15.40) and had a considerable disadvantage: they didn’t have instruments with them. Kombat supplied them with instruments and spirit: like Kombat, Most Precious Blood did tricks with the audience (split the crowds etc.), dedicated all of their songs to virtually everyone in the world and even asked their fans to “tear this place down”. Come on guys, we already had to rebuild the damn place an hour ago.
Most Precious Blood are from New York and this made us wonder why this band played the mall stage (incidently, it’s not a hall, it’s a small kiosque) in the middle of the afternoon. The reason is simple: they are the support act of Madball who got to play on the mainstage (16.20). “We’re here to show you what New York hardcore is all about”. After Madball and Most Precious Blood we know what it is about: much shouting, little action and hugely overrated. It was time for a walk around the park.

You know how artists tend to please the crowds by learning a few lines of local speak? Well, when I heard Victims of Society (17.20) greet the crowd that had gathered around the skatestage in Dutch, I though this was the case here. Only later, when the singer proved to be able of long sentences with a fluent Flemish accent, I learnt that Victims of Society are a Belgian band. Who said festivals weren't educational?
The Victims were the first hardcore band that day to prove there’s more to hardcore than playing loud guitars and sounding like someone’s ripping out your intestines. The band combined noise with rhythm, a pleasant thing to hear. Had they not played a trick with security (they asked their fans to jump over the security fences and back), we’d been really enthusiastic. Now we’ll leave it at mild enthusiasm.

Fireside (17.40, main) is the band around Kristofer Aström (from the single "All Lovers' Hell") . I was expecting a really good gig, but here sound problems wanted to show that sound is the most important thing on a festival. We saw and heard troubles with the singer’s microphone, the bass players’s microphone, the bass, the guitar and the keyboards. Apart from that, all went well. So what should’ve been a memorable performance ended up as muddled attempts to show some class. A surprisingly good cover of "Blue Monday" was the best song of the set and only showed that this band may have it in them.
Another day, maybe.

We can be brief too: Knut (18.30, skate) sucked.

Aereogramme (19.05, main) has been intriguing me for a while: sometimes I think they are great, sometimes I just turn them off. So maybe their concert could give me a more permanent opinion?
Aereogramme proved themselves to be a band, at their worst they sounded like an average emocore band, but at their best they sounded quite impressive. And with a staggering version of "Zionist Training" as last song they ended their good to great concert with a powerful climax. That’s the way to do it, lads.

Soon (19.40, skate) are a relatively new Belgian band and less hardcore than the other bands on the skatestage. You still hear the band is a bit inexperienced, but you also hear they still have room to grow. The best to them and hopelly we’ll see you again on another concert or festival.

Enon (20.30, main) deserve a price for just playing. The trio arrived in Belgium wityhout Toko (reducing the band to a duo), the concert started five minutes later due to sound trouble (sounds familiar?) and, above all, Jon Schmersal was sick.
They may not have played any of the songs I was looking forward to (but, to be honest, most would’ve needed Toko’s presence) and this might not have been a particularly good concert, but in these circumstnace one shouldn’t have expected that. Enon played a decent concert and that’s already more than one could’ve expected.

Born From Pain (20.50, skate) play heavy music. As I’d heard more than enough of that and the few moments I did hear didn’t make me think I was going to miss out on something I’d later regret not seeing, I decided it was a good time to thrust myself on some food. After all, the headliners were next.

The Black Heart Procession (21.55, main) had something in common with All Systems Go and Fireside: after this weekend they could go home again. The Black Hearts have been touring for awhile now (they’d toured the US and Europe since the fall) and this made everyone pretty used to each other. There waere hardly any flaws during the entire concert and the band played majestically. Maybe people would’ve expected a bit more fireworks for a headliner, but this enjoyable feast of emotional music accompanied by enchanting lights gave you the special feeling you were witnessing something awesome.
They are certainly not a gloomy bunch (as some people have suggested): as one of their members is going to wed soon the band decided to play a cover (of a Tom Petty song) and whoever guessed the original performer first won a night with said member. I don’t know whether this is always the case or not, but in Herk the band proved to be even better on stage than on their albums. The Black Heart Procession: buy their record, but certainly see them live.

Time for what I always call an afterparty. The skaters are out out the kioskque and it’s time for the dance fans to awake. Three local DJ duos takes turns in subjecting you to all sorts of dance music. I noticed an old-fashioned MC and someone with a particular interest in raggamuffin’.
The main stage was also transformed into a dance palace with first The Youngsters and then Freq Nasty. The Youngsters (23.20) are a French duo who apprently are the latest hype. Personally, I found their music enjoyable for five minutes, okay for ten minutes and slightly irritating after fifteen minutes. Half and hour into the set they really got on my nerves. In the last fifteen minutes I saw one of them trying to get everyone to raise their hands, which also bored me after a minute or two.
A last stroll around the festival grounds then and time to watch Freq Nasty (00.25). Nasty kicked his set off with a bomb alarm and altered news flashes. From this political statment he went onto the beats that made him one of the more familiar names on the Skint label.
A good set and a nice way to end the 2003 version of Rock Herk.

Until we meet again!