Alterna-Sounds-Festival

Alterna-Sounds-Festival, Münster 05.04.2014

World can be great and far, even everything seems to be so near. What would you call it, when an old rocker from the Ruhr area goes to Westphalia just to visit his favorite bands from Bavaria and Switzerland and later talks about it on Stoner Rock Austria – that´s desert rock feeling made in Europe. One evening, cruising through the orbit of Monkey3, just to continue your journey into universe with Colour Haze is a privilege of first class happening. And somehow this has its special connection to the Lake On Fire festival, because the headliners from last year and the upcoming event shared that stage at Münster.

Alterna Sounds Festival was located at the amazing Sputnik hall, a cool location which reminded me a bit on Astra Kulturhaus Berlin. The event was created for two stages and five bands. From Münster and the surround came Wooly Antshake and Mindreader and as special guest from Rostock our old buddies Coogans Bluff took part on this night (I saw them several times) and remember one Friday evening, shivering together with guitarist Willi for our soccer teams (Rostock and Duisburg) playing just before concert. But this evening now, I had only a little time, so I concentrated on the two headliners, I´m sorry that I can´t talk about the other bands this time.

MONKEY3 (C) Michael
Since I first time heard a song called “Jack” I lost my heart to the music of Monkey3. Meanwhile I visited them a lot of times live on stage and so it was great joy to meet the band again. As Boris told me later they had just arrived from Lausanne, only to perform this one event – great enthusiasm I would say!

MONKEY3 - (C) Michael
I was very excited waiting for one of my all-time favorite songs which is of course "Icarus". And after the announcement was done, the keys in the background started muttering the intro to that epic song. The four guys took the stage, first time for me to see Kevin, the new bass player and after Walters starting shots Boris took the lead and led us to the stars with his wonderful clear and emotional licks, floating in elegance over the powerful sound carpet of Guillaumes keys. I will not explain my complete emotions about this unbelievable song which has to do with some happenings last year, but I never have heard a piece of music that produces so much positive energy and emotion, a song about enthusiasm and the might of human dreams and wishes. It was my cure after a hard time, the hand of Gods of Rock´n Roll that was offered to me. Yeah, somehow a religious experience. So you may imagine that I banned myself taking photos during this magic song, there is no time for anything, when I listen to "Icarus". The set was mainly oriented on the current album “The 5. Sun”, perhaps the most compact and powerful album in the band´s history. And the cool bass  intro to “Jack” sounded great as ever, Kevin has taken his part in the band as if he had never done anything others. So in the end it was a wonderful concert of world´s greatest instrumental rockers, just another mosaic stone in the picture of my deep adoration to this band.

MONKEY3 - (C) Michael
So coming back from the planet of the apes (although the pictures in the background during the concert were influenced by Kubrick´s 2001, of course) it wasn´t easy to calm down and there is only one band, I think,  that I was able to inhale after Monkey3 – that´s for sure Colour Haze!

MONKEY3 - (C) Michael

In times of RTL and Bild newspaper you should be careful with the word cult. In our society this term is often used for strange things I will never understand. But if cult comes from class and capability then Colour Haze deserves it to be cult. In the European underground scene this band is surely the most admired trio, fantastic solo musicians who founded an origin and authentic style, that a complete generation of musicians like to imitate. Philipp, who plays the fat strings harder than anyone other, a sound, that kicks your ass like thunder and lightning; Manni, who rushes over the skins like a wizard, with energy that never seem to stop; and of course Stefan, who plays the guitar in a way only Stefan does, a style that would make old Jimi smile on his cloud when he passes by. And together they change between fascinating psychedelic workouts and the hardest riffs in the universe. Thanks again to Gods of R´n R that they have put them three together.

COLOUR HAZE (C) Michael

We got a classic set with the bands most played live acts, connected with two completely new songs. Yeah, and the rumors are right, Stefan confirmed that the band is working on a new album, wonderful outlook for future. “Aquamaria” and “Moon” were a traditional start of a Colour Haze concert, but too late I noticed that I got problems with my camera, so I had to do a lot of shots at the end of the concert. But similar to Monkey3 there is a song during which I will never put photos, that is “Transformation” from latest album “She Said”. This epic is an energy fountain of first class. Coming from a smooth and leisurely rhythm Stefan develops a solo, that increases its intensity more and more to an ecstatic feeling, a float of optimistic and positive electricity, that lead you to outer worlds but also to the best ghosts into yourself. This song sets you free, it´s hypnotic in best way.

COLOUR HAZE (C) Michael

Certainly “Peace, Brothers And Sisters” was also a main part of the evening with a particularly virtuosic solo of Stefan. And the new stuff have taken all my senses and anticipation to the new album, whenever it will release.

COLOUR HAZE (C) Michael
The audience was highly satisfied, same as for Monkey3, when they got “Love” and “Temple” in the end. And although the band members had some problems with illness the days before they gave us an encore with “Get It On”.

All visitors of Lake On Fire 2014 can feel happy to see this great band performing live, one of the biggest highlights of the year. And Stefan has promised to give us an interview for Stoner Rock Austria just before the festival, so let us be curious for what he will tell us. For all who can´t wait until that event in summer, there is Desertfest coming up at last weekend of April in Berlin with a fantastic line-up, three days of Stoner, Doom and Hardrock, I´m looking forward to that.

by Michael