Recap : Mildtfest & Eindhoven.
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Jumping on a train pretty much last minute, I had done before.
But jumping on a plane? That was a new one.
If you have read my lengthy post about their Forum gig in February, it won’t come as a surprise when I say how much I love Tonight Alive. They’ve been among my favourites for a while now, always managing to write music that speaks to me in a very personal way. Even if I don’t know them as people, what they create as a band and me, we click. Big time.
I was meant to go to Reading Festival, but work commitments happened and Reading didn’t. Tonight Alive were one of the bands I was most excited to see on the bill and I was disappointed to know they were in Europe and I wasn’t there at all. And then my work rota changed and I ended up with the day they were playing Eindhoven as my only day off of the week. They were accompanied by the likes of two British bands I like a lot, pop punkers As It Is and Roam, and it seemed reasonable, so, you know, I jumped on a plane and here I went and stuff.
I had been to Eindhoven before, twice actually, and both times to see Tonight Alive. The first one happened in September 2013, around the release of The Other Side. They weren’t playing France and the closest date to us was Eindhoven. Tonight Alive in the Netherlands happened again in the summer of 2014, a couple of days before we headed to Reading Festival (where the Australians were appearing too). The support act for these two shows (they were also playing Amsterdam’s Melkweg) was Mallory Knox, and it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up.
And the third time happened on the 24th of August 2016.
A couple of words about Eindhoven in itself, first - this summer was the first time I’ve actually enjoyed it with sunshine. September 2013 was alright up until 5pm when I kinda wanted someone to wrap me in a blanket, and August 2014 was on the dreadful side. August 2016 was hot, burning hot, me facing dehydration hot. It was over thirty degrees and I didn’t even bring a jumper. That kind of hot.
Weather aside, Eindhoven is a lovely little town - emphasis on the little. There is not much exploring to do, just a stroll around the city centre is enough, but it’s an adorable, sun filled stroll for me, so who am I to complain? I (finally) went inside St Katherine’s Cathedral and it is beautiful - I’m not a believer, just an architecture nerd.
I was staying at the Inkijkmuseum, which is very small, independent, and super lovely. The room where I stayed was called the museum room and was filled with hundreds of small paintings (according to the website, the theme to all these paintings is Show Your Hope). The owner told me that guests sometimes find it hard to sleep because their attention is solely on the paintings, and had I not been knackered by a day of intense moshing and crying, I would have joined them. The art nerd in me was in love.
The same owner also told me to have some of the blackberries from his garden and the free food lover in me also was in love.
Food wise, I did have some wonderful fries with a kaassoufflé (a cheese patty, if you’d like) that contained probably some of the best cheese I’ve ever had. I also had a small vegetarian pizza (I mean, pop punk festival, moshing, plaid shirts, sunshine, what choice did I have? I’m here to defend pop punk. “Vegetariana” was also one of the rare words that felt international enough for me to be sure there wouldn’t be a dead animal hidden in my food. Oh, to be a vegetarian abroad) which was very nice. And only 3 euros.
I’m afraid my visits of cities abroad are often bland food wise but that’s what happens when you’re a vegetarian on a small budget, I suppose.
And then, Mildtfest - at the Dynamo, the only venue I’ve been in in Eindhoven, but a great venue regardless. I ran into Manon (who I’d met, funnily enough, in one of my Dutch stints to see Tonight Alive) and she had actually made the effort to listen to all the bands on the lineup beforehand. We ended up watching several Dutch bands, including Ravenna and their rock orientated Taylor Swift cover or my moshing during Coral Springs’ Busted cover. (I mean, what could be better than moshing to a cover of Year 3000 in the Netherlands?)
Mildtfest also marks my discovery of a really good British band, Milestones. I don’t even think the name was familiar but here they were, with their catchy yet emo sound, and here I was, loving life and wanting to see them again, the sooner the better.
Roam was the first of the three bands I wanted to see the most. I have mentioned them in the past, and there’s not much to say apart from “I love them very much”. They entered my life by storm when my heart was broken and they have stayed in there for the long haul thanks to their mega catchy pop punk and their Sum 41 vibes. (I mean, Deadweight?) Their performance in Eindhoven is incredible and everything I wanted from them and from an ideal pop punk gig - why do you think I ended up moshing (and also almost losing all my worldly possessions, only to find them safely behind the bar half a song later) like there was no tomorrow? I think my favourite thing about Roam, whether it is live or on CD, is the enthusiasm they exude. Man, if there’s a band that is having a good time while doing their thing, it’s them and no one else. You can feel it every time they walk on a stage - they just want to have fun and have a blast. And it’s so much easier for the crowd in front of you to have a blast if you are.
Then it was all about As It Is. See, they’re the band it’s cool not to like. Their bouncy tunes and Patty Walters’ high-pitched vocals (doubled with the fact that he used to be a YouTuber, also how dare this band get nominated for Best British Newcomer when he’s, in the words of Bruce Springsteen, born in the USA) aren’t to everyone’s taste, and admitting you’re into them if you’re into pop punk is a risky move. And hard as I have tried to classify them in the guilty pleasure section of my life I just can’t. Everytime I see them live, they draw me back in, one sunny number at a time. I can’t help it. Ben Biss’ grittier vocals mix oh so well with Patty’s, and dammit, they are catchy, they are optimistic and positive and when seeing them live, you just want to have a little bounce because all you ever were was sorry and all you share are dialtones, dialtones. Man. I’m done pretending I want to keep them hidden as my dirty little secret. Throw me in a basement where they’re playing and there’s no guilty pleasure anymore. Just a talented lot and a tiny emo human who’s a fan.
And finally, Tonight Alive. (Yes, I casually avoided Ghost Town, as you might have noticed)
Seeing Tonight Alive live feels like a breath of fresh air, and it always feels like I am exactly where I am supposed to be, and I am the person I am meant to be. Their sets exude so much positive vibes (Jesus, who wrote that) that I feel untouchable, invincible - not to make a terrible pun just yet, but yes, they did perform Invincible acoustically and yes, it did melt my heart immensely. Also Let It Land. Let It Land always gets a gigantic yes from me.
The set is, for the most part, dedicated to songs from the Australians’ latest record, Limitless. Limitless had its ups and down in the press - some loved it, some hated it, some were downright mean about it, some were shouting and whining about wanting another pop punk album when the band said they were inspired by Coldplay and Alanis Morrissette. Who knows. I actually do love Limitless, it has an energy to it that is very warm and positive, and very, very importantly, it exposes Jenna McDougall’s voice for the treasure it is. That woman can sing, and live, she is transcended. Her voice resonates in a way that I’ve never heard before from her, and I think it is how I can tell you all that whatever your opinion on Limitless is, it makes sense as an album. The setlist makes sense, there is no boundary between what is “pop punk” and what isn’t “pop punk”. In front of me, I just have a band who is real, who is doing what they want to do and who manages to mix the different eras of its brilliant career with an ease that would surprise a lot of people.
As always, Tonight Alive also provides us with a little life lesson on positivity and standing for emotional freedom (which resonates very true as I am myself in tears when Jenna starts talking). She encourages us all to make our life what we want it to be and not to be stopped by other people’s beliefs and desires and hearing several hundred people shouting “My reality, my expectation” is nothing short of beautiful and great proof that this band can inspire the most positive feelings like no one else.
Also, Waves. Man, that voice.
Also, Waves. Man, that voice.
Mildtfest was an absolute success for Tonight Alive and, let’s be clear, it wouldn’t be shocking if I turned up next time they grace the Netherlands with their presence. Who knows.
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