Stunning!
I dug out my cloak and staff and headed over to the dark side, or the Prog Main Stage as it was known. I prefer to call it the Farmfoods Zone, as I put my pint on the floor and within 10 mins it had nearly turned into a Slush Puppie. It's supposed to be indoors FFS! It was colder than it was outside. I swear! Even the band I went to see – The Von Hertzen Bros – complained about the cold, and they are from friggin' Finland!!!
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I'm glad I did pop over as Von Hertzen Brothers were one of the best bands I've seen in quite some time, they were simply stunning! I wasn't too sure what to expect as I'd only heard Stars Aligned and was bowled over by it. Everything else was a new experience. If you haven't seen them before, the guys are simply electric. They can be a bit difficult to follow as they divert from prog to metal to pop in a few bars, but if you open your mind to this eclectic fact then the rewards are immense. Flowers And Rust was the first song to grab me by the throat, and it is such a roller coaster of a number, soaring around the bitterly cold room warming the cockles. Kie von Hertzen had the right idea jumping around like a Tasmanian devil (a possessed one at that). I prefer to know bands songs when reviewing, but Von Hertzen Brothers setlist became instantly memorable. Angel's Eyes suddenly explodes mid way for a killer guitar/synth solo. Mikko addressed the assembled audience to advise a song that is hardly played but was requested in the UK. The song? King Crimsons 21st Century Schizoid Man, the absolute jewel in the crown of the set, building into an enormous crescendo and had to be witnessed first hand. It wasn't the largest of audiences but I swear it got one of the biggest cheers of the whole festival. After coming on really late Von Hertzen Brothers played well over their allotted time, and to be honest the organisers made the right decision in not pulling them off (Fnarr!) as the last two songs were the icing on the cake (but couldn't eat it due to it being FROZEN!).
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To be fair, Von Hertzen Brothers could have played the AOR side, and no one would have complained, they were that good, and their music crosses many genres. If I had to explain the gig in two words it would be 'F*cking WOW!'
Setlist
Insomniac
Writings On The wall
Coming Home
Angel's Eyes
Always Been Right
21st Century Schizoid Man (King Crimson Cover)
I Believe
Freedom Fighter
Let Thy Will Be Done
To view all photos taken during this set click here. There are 3 available.