Pukkelpop 2018

[SilverLining]

2 minutes ago, DiscothequeDave said:

I did make an effort to go last minute. Really fucked off that the Wednesday line up was announced very late on or else I'd have gone. By the time I'd decided to go the travel costs were eye wateringly expensive. Still, Alt J as a headliner? Not a chance. 

Travis Scott is headlining this year...

[DDave]

1 hour ago, SilverLining said:

Travis Scott is headlining this year...

Until he cancels.

[arcuse]

3 hours ago, DiscothequeDave said:

2016 was my favourite edition so far :-) 

It sure might be, but from a business stand point it might've been one of their worst editions from the last 5-10 years. Rihanna and LCD both flopped as headliners for different reasons and The Chemical Brothers were a rather lazy headliner booking imo. Their undercard was okay, i guess but the sales were very bad that year.

[DDave]

#savefriday

Anyway. Flights are booked. 

[Semprini]

On 5/4/2018 at 9:49 AM, TheNewUnion said:

When you say backlash, how badly received has the lineup been in Belgium? Have Pukkelpop had a bit of a losing over it?

I'm just going by what I've seen on Facebook and Twitter but there's been a lot of negative reaction (quite rightly so) to Friday. I think the overall picture has been offset somewhat by Kendrick and Arcade Fire (who are proper headliners) but for me the strength of every PKP is in the depth across all the stages. They're never going to compete with RW in terms of headliners but in the past what they have done well is book the best contemporary, old (but still relevant) and up and coming acts for each of their stages. 

Some of the recent headliners played the Club and/or Marquee in the first few years I attended and that's for me what PKP is all about. They set the trend by spotting talent and then giving them the opportunity to break through and flourish. I remember seeing Florence and Tame Impala in the Club and neither even headlined that stage! I think market pressures have made that process/journey/pathway more difficult as most people now want to see established bands and are less willing to experiment with new artists. Added to that is the poor reception that 'nostalgia' (for want of a better description) acts have had in recent years e.g. Noel Gallagher, so the organisers are less willing to gamble on booking them - Suede being a good example Dave as I don't think they'll be there.

I've said it before but if it wasn't for the comprehensive dance line up (which pretty much makes up half of the festival now), I'm not 100% sure I'd still go? Tbf it's now as much about the friends I meet up with each year as it is the music but purely in terms of line up, Melt and possibly Lowlands do it better for my personal tastes.

Let's see what Monday brings though...

 

[DDave]

Realistic predictions for tomorrow. 

Phoenix, Jungle, Charlotte Gainsbourg, George Fitzgerald, Nils Frahm, Jade Bird, Ariel Pink, Fatima Yamaha, Bicep, Gorgon City, Anna Calvin, Ezra Furman, Curtis Harding, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Cabbage, Susanne Sundfor, Everything Everything, Maximo Park.

Edited May 6, 2018 by DiscothequeDave

[Stef_P82]

2 hours ago, DiscothequeDave said:

Realistic predictions for tomorrow. 

Phoenix, Jungle, Charlotte Gainsbourg, George Fitzgerald, Nils Frahm, Jade Bird, Ariel Pink, Fatima Yamaha, Bicep, Gorgon City, Anna Calvin, Ezra Furman, Curtis Harding, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Cabbage, Susanne Sundfor, Everything Everything, Maximo Park.

Charlotte Gainsbourg is a Cactusfestival exclusive. 

[DDave]

1 hour ago, lighthouse said:

Which is too bad, as it's the one name from that list I'd like to see being added the most. Here's hoping for Phoenix, Nils Frahm, Brian JM, Ariel Pink, Susanne Sundfor and Anna Calvi. The rest I personally don't care for. 

And I hate to be that guy, but I'm hoping for something 'bigger', band-wise than The ones listed here.  

So am I.

[DDave]

New names at 10am GMT. 

[DDave]

Yet more disappointment. No big names at all.

And Jungle in the Castello again???

 

[Kikujiro]

Mmmmmmh...i'm happy for Phoebe Bridgers, Noname and Sophie (but she's at a very good festival in Milan in June) and not a lot more by now...

This announcement isn't enough for me to run and buy my combi ticket...but i'll check the acts that i still don't know...as for now i don't know if i'll be at the festival this year...

Maybe i'll use that money to go to the Le Guess Who later this year...

How many names are still to be announced in your opinion? And...what percentage of Belgian artists?

[Trufflehound]

Very happy with The Joy Formidable. Sleaford Mods will be good, but I'm not so sure I need to see them again quite so soon after last time.

The rest? Not so much...

Although to be fair, I've never heard of half of them, so there may be a few discoveries in there...

 

[Kikujiro]

Don't get me wrong...i can see a very good schedule for me at this year edition BUT...a lot of the things i like unfortunately are coming to Italy in the next months (this is very unusual).

But i can easily give you some good suggestions for the 3 days.

[SilverLining]

Extremely disappointed with the very weak line up here, I’m likely going to give this a miss this year, gutted. Looking at the stage splits there would just be too long periods of not doing much and can’t justify the cost of it all :(.

[DDave]

10 minutes ago, Kikujiro said:

Mmmmmmh...i'm happy for Phoebe Bridgers, Noname and Sophie (but she's at a very good festival in Milan in June) and not a lot more by now...

This announcement isn't enough for me to run and buy my combi ticket...but i'll check the acts that i still don't know...as for now i don't know if i'll be at the festival this year...

Maybe i'll use that money to go to the Le Guess Who later this year...

How many names are still to be announced in your opinion? And...what percentage of Belgian artists?

Probably another 30-45 acts, no idea about the Belgians but you'd think there'd be a few. May get a couple of acts from Rock Werchter later on.

Massively deflated. In truth, all I wanted was a decent band to base my Friday night around but there's nothing. THE single worst day at Pukkelpop since I've been going. My only hope is that they fill the Dance Hall with some daft stuff I can lose my shit too.

Positive things are that Arcade Fire are closing and UMO have been added to the Thursday which is the best day by far for me and hopefully fairly clash free. Looks like Jungle, King Giz and Justice won't clash much either so the two days that are decent should be corkers.

Still 2 main stage bands to come on the Friday and Saturday but very much likely to be smaller names. Also one more marquee band on the Thursday and Saturday. 

 

[Kikujiro]

31 minutes ago, DiscothequeDave said:

Probably another 30-45 acts, no idea about the Belgians but you'd think there'd be a few. May get a couple of acts from Rock Werchter later on.

Well it's very strange for me at this time of the year but that 30 names will make a lot of difference...for me is just a question of how many of them will come from Rock Werchter (a lineup that i find so uninteresting this year) or End of the Road (Great!) or Green Man (quite good).

By now i'm not deflated (there's a decent number of good small acts) but surely i need something more than this to take a trip from here to Belgium.

I tell myself that if in the next annoucements i'll get 2 artist i like for day 2 and two for day 3 i'll get my ticket. If not...i'll be happy to go elsewhere in autumn...

Edited May 7, 2018 by Kikujiro

[Trufflehound]

42 minutes ago, DiscothequeDave said:

In truth, all I wanted was a decent band to base my Friday night around but there's nothing.

 

You need to get into Amenra. They were excellent last time out... Although I do accept their sound isn't for everyone.

 

Beyond that, however, I'm largely in agreement about Friday. So far it's shaping up to be the worst day of my Pukkelpop career.

 

[DDave]

11 minutes ago, Trufflehound said:

You need to get into Amenra. They were excellent last time out... Although I do accept their sound isn't for everyone.

 

Beyond that, however, I'm largely in agreement about Friday. So far it's shaping up to be the worst day of my Pukkelpop career.

 

Glad it's not just me. We'll be spending most of the day in Hasselt I think and then heading up probably early evening if at all then getting up there early doors (for us) on the Saturday.

[johnybegood]

I don't understand why do they book always the same rock bands. Once that the Shelter Stage is dead, they only book 6 or 7 rock bands, and they are almost all repited from the last editions (Steak Numer Eight played last year, Amenra in 2013 and 2015, Deaf Havana and You Me At Six in 2014, Touche Amore also in 2014 or 2015...) Is it too dificult to change a bit the selection? Lokerse Feesten has taken all the atractive rock bands from the august circuit!! Pukkelpop has a huge booking budget, this thing can not happen in the next editions (I hope that next year I will go back to Hasselt because this year will be imposible for me)

 

[TheNewUnion]

Piss poor. Nothing of interest beyond Justice. "Terrible Friday" has not improved at all. It's probably a write off now. 

[DDave]

3 minutes ago, TheNewUnion said:

Piss poor. Nothing of interest beyond Justice. "Terrible Friday" has not improved at all. It's probably a write off now. 

Can't imagine many people paying 100 Euros+ for that day. 

[TheNewUnion]

To be honest, I'll go but I'm seriously considering just having a day out locally and writing it off. I want to see a couple of the smaller acts ( JD McPherson at the very least) and also Justice, no way justifies the price though. Maybe I'm just getting old but Travis Scott is a pretty dismal headline act by just about any measure. 

[DDave]

6 minutes ago, TheNewUnion said:

To be honest, I'll go but I'm seriously considering just having a day out locally and writing it off. I want to see a couple of the smaller acts ( JD McPherson at the very least) and also Justice, no way justifies the price though. Maybe I'm just getting old but Travis Scott is a pretty dismal headline act by just about any measure. 

Your right of course but it's made worse when the other 'headliner' is OATW. 

[DDave]

15 minutes ago, TheNewUnion said:

To be honest, I'll go but I'm seriously considering just having a day out locally and writing it off. I want to see a couple of the smaller acts ( JD McPherson at the very least) and also Justice, no way justifies the price though. Maybe I'm just getting old but Travis Scott is a pretty dismal headline act by just about any measure. 

Justice on the Saturday btw.

[TheNewUnion]

Oh. That's not helping Friday at all. I'm going to have a early night I think.