Aah, Roskilde. My favourite refuge from the wears
and tears of the real world. Four days away from work and stress. Four
days of music, beer, friends, party, mayhem and what not. In short -
four days of fun in a not always so funny world. Love it -always have.
And it was even my tenth year jubilee at the festival this year, so it
was bound to be good. With two exceptions I've been there every year
since 1995. Growing up in a small town near Roskilde it was the obvious
choice of a party week in the high schools summer holiday. Some go to
Ibiza. I go to Roskilde. Back in my early days it was the rock 'n' roll
that had most of my attention but now it's Roskildes Metropol stage
where a choice of the worlds finest electronically music have played
since the stage opened four years ago that catches most of my interest.
Since it opened we've been blessed with the likes of JunkieXL, Darren
Emerson, Carl Cox and Sander Kleinenberg to name a few.
This year it's mainly Tiga and Etienne De Crecy that's pulling me in
Metropol's direction. Other stages have got their pull on me this year
with phenomenal names like Roger Waters performing Dark Side of The Moon
and The Streets with Mike Skinner and his mates doing what they do best
- running amok in the most entertaining way I can think of.
Back in the old days before I got too used to comfortable things like a
real bed and a shower every morning we used to spend a week at Roskilde
camping out at the festival and warming up from Monday and sometimes
even Sunday before the music started. That was then. There's no way my
now 28-year old body can do that anymore so a good friend of mine and
myself have kicked his mum out of her Roskilde apartment for a few days.
Well, not really kicked. She went to stay with her boyfriend voluntarily.
Thursday afternoon we arrive to Roskilde clean, showered and ready to
let the four days of fun begin. We don't get far from the station before
we find that the special
Roskilde mentality is alive and kicking. People go absolutely mad in the
best and funniest ways at this festival and we're walking on what we
think is a completely empty path when suddenly a head pops up from the
bushes alongside the path. "Where the fuck did he come from?" I ask my
mate confused. The face smiles and shouts: "I found it, I fucking found
it," and then he shows a mobile phone. At the same time four other heads
and upper bodies appear from the bushes within 50 metres in front of us.
Apparently the lads had a beer or two too many the previous night and
for some strange reason he lost his phone to the power of the bushes.
- Welcome to Roskilde. These things happen all the time.
We get to the festival and half an hour after the gates have opened we
pop into another of my best friends. He's sitting with a Scotsman who
seems to have lost the battle to gravity and strong spirits. "Look, he
was the first to vomit in the festival at Roskilde this year. We just
got through the gates after five when they opened and there he went," my
friend says not without a bit of pride in his voice.
Thursday started great but
music wise it ends badly. It's a fun night - no doubt about it, but it's
just a shame that an 80's rocker by the name of Axl Rose decides to ruin
the last bit of the evening for me. In an attempt to relive the old days
I go to watch him and his version of Guns n Roses play at the Orange
stage, but it's absolutely awful. The music is bad and the solos are
ridiculously long so Axl has time to go back stage and change his
clothes. Five times!!! Ah well, we find the camp site after the
music ends and walk around enjoying the Roskilde craziness for a good
few hours before the comfortable bed in the warm and clean apartment
gives us old folk a good nights sleep while the rest of the Roskilde
Hardliners do it the real way. The way it's supposed to be done. In a
tent that's freezing when you fall a sleep and so roasting hot when you
wake up that you're convinced that you're just about to die from
dehydration.
Friday starts out with a hangover that just won't
quit. Dammit Axl, it's your fault. I had to leave your concert because
it was so bad and then we found the Rum Bar and later we ran into some
friends in the camping area who had apparently just won the yearly Jim
Beam grand price. And I have a strange feeling I drank it all. We go for
a stroll and end up sitting in a camp with people from all over the
world and I meet the person who wants his Roskilde time more than anyone
I've ever met. The guy is from Australia, so I instantly think that
alongside what seems to be about a million others from his country he
lives in the UK and just caught a cheap flight over. But no.
He lives in Sidney and spent a bit more than a thousand euroes on a
plane ticket to get over here JUST for the festival. Amazing. His
enthusiasm and the help of breakfast and more whisky removes the last
bit of my hangover. And just in time, because none other than The
Streets are on tonight. One of the concerts I've looked forward to the
most. It'll be my third gig with Mike Skinner in control but since my
last he's come out with two more albums so I'm well excited. And
needless to say I'm not disappointed. The lads never disappoint. Halfway
into the set I find myself sitting down on the ground alongside 20.000
others. Why? Because Mr. Skinner told us to. As we jump up - again on
strict orders from the man in charge - the party reaches new heights and
this sole image shows just how much a hold he's got on his audience.
Fantastic. Nothing less.
Saturday Metropol is a success as which it’s been
since it opened with big crowds enjoying the music and the areas other
various offers. The area around the tent is by far the coolest place
with it’s big cubes outside the massive tent which are all decorated
differently. One has a bar, others different kind of seating. A great
place to go and chill out after dancing for hours. Metropol on Saturday
is the big one for me music wise. Superdiscount with the main man
Etienne De Crecy and Tiga are rocking the Metropol stage and I’m even in
for a treat with a promise to get an interview with Tiga, the man behind
the big hit some years ago “I wear my sunglasses at night” and a bunch
of other big productions. But nothing is ever easy at Roskilde and half
an hour before Tiga is supposed to go on his Danish manager is not a
happy camper. Tiga is nowhere to be found and not reachable on his
mobile. I wait and I wait. And wait, but apparently the star is not in
the mood to be interviewed and comes out of his transport five minutes
before he’s supposed to go on stage and walks straight on. The gig
itself was really good and so was Superdiscount that was on before him.
I can’t write many details, because I didn't exactly have my notepad
out, since I was dancing like a madman for hours .
Sunday morning my legs hurt more than my
head when we're wandering about at the camp site which by this time of
the week is beginning to smell. Badly. Some of the folk have gone home
and a guy is running around with his tent tied to a long string trying
to make it fly like a kite. There's no wind and the tent must way at
least five kilos but strangely it doesn't seem to bother him. I turn
around and see a Swedish guy sitting in a supermarket trolley with a
price tag on him.He's on sale for a 100 Danish kroner (about 14 euros).
A bargain his friends try to convince me.We crack up laughing because
this is so Roskilde and it's why Roskilde is my place.The place where I
went and once sat half naked in a sofa at five in the morning watching
the sun rise with a good friend and a Norwegian girl. The place where my
friends once got tied me to an armchair I drunkenly had fallen a sleep
in and carried 50 yards away from our camp just so they could piss
themselves laughing at my confused face when I woke up. The place where
we drew cartoons on the arms of one of my best mates while he was
sleeping. Why? you might ask. Why not? I'd ask you back. The answer is
as simple:Because we could. Because it's Roskilde. |
(C)
Copyright Clubbing Magazine 2001-2006
