During the weekend of July 4th and 5th, I had the pleasure of being at the 3rd edition of PITCH Festival in Amsterdam. PITCH Festival is set in the middle of Amsterdam at the WestergasFabriek, a former gasworks now used as a cultural venue. Consisting of 6 stages, from the smaller venues hosting some fantastic DJ’s, to the main stage and the former gasworks building itself hosting some of the bigger acts in the world, PITCH was ready to show everyone why its such an ever growing festival here in The Netherlands.
PITCH boasted quite an impressive line-up for only it’s 3rd edition, being able to name the likes of Massive Attack, Moderat, Little Dragon, Caribou & Darkside amongst many other fantastic DJ’s and a plethora of up and coming artists from around the world. Unfortunately, as is the case with most festivals, several bands and acts will clash causing you to have to make the decision of a lifetime! This time the decision was made even harder with the World Cup being played and Holland having made it through to the Quarter Final and facing Costa Rica.
Let me get down to it and give you my top 5 favourite moments at PITCH 2014:
#5 BANKS / DARKSIDE
Probably the hardest decision I had to make during PITCH, when half hour into Darkside I had to make the decision to stay and watch the rest of the gig or go and catch the start of the Holland – Cost Rica game. Being the patriotic Dutchman that I am, I decided to catch the start of the game and cheer the boys on! Regardless of how the game ended, I must admit I regret having left Darkside to catch a very boring first half of football. If the first half hour of Darkside was anything to go by, I bet I missed one hell of a show!
Tied with my number 5 moment was BANKS. Having hit the music scene by storm since releasing ‘Before I Ever Met You’ & ‘Warm Water’, BANKS has become a much sought after artist. Here at Rockstone we are big fans of her, and constantly play her tracks at the office, so I was quite excited to go and see her! Unfortunately I was a tad disappointed. I enjoyed seeing her live and hearing the tracks I always sing a long to but it wasn’t the show I was hoping for. Hopefully her shows will only get better as she plays at more festivals after releasing her album ‘Goddess’. On a happier note, she did a semi acoustic version of ‘Warm Water’ which I really enjoyed.
#4 FKA TWIGS
In at number 4 comes FKA Twigs. Ever since I heard ‘Ache’ I have been wanting to see how she would be live and I wasn’t disappointed. I have never seen someone own the stage with so much attitude yet be so shy when addressing the crowd and thanking us all for being at her show. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her out diva Beyonce at a Diva-Off (If such a thing where to ever happen). I really enjoyed her show, which started off mellow and gradually built up to include the heavy beats and percussion we are used to in her tracks. If you enjoy FKA Twigs through your speakers, you’d definitely enjoy seeing her live!
#3 SNAKEHIPS
Another Rockstone Office favourite, Snakehips was a must see! Some of my mates didn’t know Snakehips and there wasn’t anyone else they wanted to see at the time so I brought them a long to see Snakehips. They had a great time, and I feel like a hero for introducing them to my friends! Snakehips could be summarised into one word… BANGING! They played everything from their own tracks such as ‘On & On’ to classics such as K.p & Envyi’s ‘Shorty Swing My Way’! These London Lads definitely know how to get a party started so go and see them when you can!
#2 MODERAT
WOW! They had and gave it all! From the epic intro’s, the intense build up’s, and the awesome visuals, Moderat are a new favourite of mine! I was already a big fan, and when I heard their album ‘II’, I became an even bigger fan, but seeing them live has put them on another level! The album sounds so much better live and the visuals accompanying them just add to the awesomeness that is Moderat. When, the now already classic, ‘Bad Kingdom’ came on the crowd lost it and I managed to capture some of it for your viewing pleasure!
#1 HOLLAND BEATING COSTA RICA ON PENALTIES
Probably a controversial choice for some of you but an obvious choice for many others. Even though I previously mentioned the boring first half of football I witnessed, I must admit it was a nail biting end! Costa Rica fought bravely and kept a clean sheet against the mighty Robben, Van Persie & Sneijder. However, local Den Haag boy, Tim Krul came off the bench to everyone’s surprise in the 119th minute to be the hero and save two penalties which sent us through the semi finals to face Argentina!
For you that hate football (shame on you all!) Richie Hawtin was playing a set at the main stage next to the screen showing the game. Poor guy was playing to thousands of people staring into a different direction watching the game. Was quite the surreal experience watching Holland play while having Richie Hawtin blast tracks into your ear. The set ended right after the 90 minutes so I hope Richie Hawtin got to join in and watch the extra time and penalties which saw us go through to the semi finals!
So if you missed PITCH this year and are wondering whether to go next year, do it. I enjoyed my weekend at PITCH and managed to see some exciting acts. Luckily for me I also got to watch my beloved Holland make it through to the semi finals so that was icing on the cake. It’s an intimate festival with a fun crowd and a line up that would have many drooling… so don’t hesitate next year and PITCH IT UP!
Michael Boulas