Erstellt am: 5. 7. 2011 - 10:21 Uhr
Poolbar 2011
For years now, despite having travelled to music festivals all around the world in exotic locations such as Iceland and Australia, there has always been just that one festival which was just so far away that I never made it there: the Poolbar Festival in Feldkirch.
Johnny Bliss, 2011
Johnny Bliss, 2011
Despite its intriguing length (six weeks in total!) and fantastic line-up (this year including Hercules and Love Affair, Santigold, Kettcar, and OK Go) it always seemed just so far away and inconvenient for a city boy like me.
Therefore.. we had unfinished business, Feldkirch and I. This Friday, for the festival's opening weekend, I took a seven hour train journey through the mountains, to make this fated date with destiny.
Now, writing this on the train heading back to Vienna, two thoughts occur to me: 1.) I really really enjoyed myself, and 2.) I want to go back, and I don't care who's playing.
Johnny Bliss, 2011
This won't be the first time that I acknowledge that the line-up is but a small part of what makes a festival incredible (or, alternatively, suck). Over the years, I've also been to muddy rain-soaked outdoor festivals where my favourite bands have headlined and my tent has gotten destroyed, and I've had a terrible time, wanting nothing more than to escape back to my warm comfy bed in Vienna Hütteldorf. On the other hand I've attended muddy rain-soaked outdoor festivals where unknown bands played and my tent STILL got destroyed, and I've had a wonderful time (see: Wetterleuchten Festival).
Johnny Bliss, 2011
This is a bit of a digression. Poolbar this weekend was neither rain-soaked nor outdoors, and no tents were destroyed. Portugal the Man, meanwhile, put on a good display of predictable indie pop on Friday night, and then Saturday I found myself raising a "hail satan" into the air (see right) to a host of metal bands, including Vorarlberg's own The Sorrow.
On-site DJs were also great, belting out the standards, such as Beastie Boys, Michael Jackson, Booker T. & the MGs, and so on. They also played a lot of contemporary junk-pop for us to gyrate to, but I cannot recall any moment that musically broke the mood for me, nor can I truly recall becoming bored.
I tell you all this because *this is* a music festival, and it's important that I tell you about the music. Also, being a bit of a music connoisseur at these festivals, I have to admit that all too often the music either does become unspeakably dull sometimes, or the line-up doesn't work (i.e. Mika pop songs and THEN DJ Shadow?? wtf), and that simply wasn't the case at the Poolbar. Diverse the music was, but it also was in the proper context; neither at the forefront of my festival experience nor taking the backseat.
The festivals that tend to work the best for me have a strong social element: you make new friends, your flirt outrageously, and you share the tradition of special festival moments with people… and it's simply a fact that the audience at the Poolbar are just so goddamnned nice .. I mean, really very friendly, and in no time at all you are dancing together, or maybe just hanging out in a corridor and playing table football - all kinds of things that really don't sound so special but they are, because if the atmosphere is good then you are open to the people connections which make up the heart and soul of any good festival.
Johnny Bliss, 2011
Johnny Bliss, 2011
Was there a disappointing aspect to the Poolbar?
Well, maybe just the one: I came expecting the venue to be party (no pun intended) to an awesome architectural theme, and there simply wasn't one. Replacing the annual architecture project was merely a half-hearted minimalistic light installation.
Because there is the architecture competition every year, where would-be architects apply to have their own design providing the annual visual theme, I came expecting to see one, and I'd gotten hyped up about it. Fail.
I interviewed some people on Friday night and some of them did seem a bit disappointed about the "Architektur" … Listen to this:
Johnny Bliss, 2011
On Saturday, however, the metal fans (and non-metal fans) really did not seem to give a f*#k about the visual or architectural qualities:
Johnny Bliss, 2011
Now, about the atmosphere… Well, owing largely to the music, the mood Saturday night was entirely different from the mood Friday night. However there was a certain congruity between the two. Having only been here two days, I could still listen to The Sorrow roaring on upstairs, and think to myself, "well, that's just the Poolbar" .. the concept is very broad.
Johnny Bliss, 2011
Owing to the fact that it is going on for a full six weeks, the festival is lent a certain license to appeal to all sorts of different crowds. It is also kind of nice to see people who wouldn't ordinarily go to metal gigs emerge dazed onto the dance floor, and then ever so slowly begin to bob their heads, and maybe eventually jump into the mosh pit. I suspect that more than a few people have gone to the festival initially to see their favourite bands, but then returned to the World with their taste in music forever altered.
Johnny Bliss, 2011
Oh Poolbar. As Arnold Schwarzenegger once said, I'll be back.
...Anyways, there is plenty of time to come back. The Poolbar Festival will be running until the 16th of August, and you can find out more about the festival and the line-up at their website (see above right).