Taaaaa. Ta-ta-ta-ta-tada-da-daaaaaaa. The absolute apotheosis of the first day of Best Kept Secret ultimately fits into these two sounds. Finally, the packed beach of the Beekse Bergen seemed to sigh as Jack White delivered the world famous riff of ‘Seven Nation Army‘ started.
Before that, the American had already shown for more than an hour and a half why he is still one of the most exciting rock artists of his generation. In a bath of blue light, his guitar work cut through the evening: ultra-tight and razor-sharp, constantly switching between restrained tension and explosive discharge. White arrived in Hilvarenbeek with the wind at his back. His new album will be released next month Frozen Charlotteon which he continues to build on his coarse-grained garage and blues rock. On Best Kept Secret his guitar solos sounded unpolished but accurate; they sanded past work from his solo career and songs like ‘Steady, As She Goes’ by The Raconteurs. Yet the audience was only able to be fully carried away when that one riff appeared. Such an extremely strong earworm that kept repeating itself in your head for hours.
Even when you immediately exchanged the beach for Mula’s tent, where all the brakes went wild. The rapper had the crowd jumping from front to back and turned the night into a swirling mass of energy. Less subtlety, more physical release. Mula drove out White’s riff.
Curtis Harding at Best Kept Secret festival.
Photo Alex Vanhee/ANP
Duet sets the tent in motion
The first day of Best Kept Secret took place under a whimsical sky. Clouds moved over the Beekse Bergen and regularly drove visitors towards ponchos, trees and tent cloths. Right during Curtis Harding’s performance on the main stage, another rain shower broke out. “Is everyone soaked yet?” he asked, laughing. With his warm voice, elegant grooves and relaxed stage presence, he tirelessly delivered his soul in an earthy and stylish way, without any frills. Songs like ‘The Power’ got extra shine in the rain. “It felt good getting wet with you guys,” he said to a field of swaying ponchos.
The public was also undeterred elsewhere on the site. Visitors meandered from stage to stage on muddy forest paths, past food trucks, beer bars and hidden dance spots. The increase in scale of Best Kept Secret is clearly visible with new larger stages. In the evening, thousands of lights lit up between the trees.
Pommelien Thijs at Best Kept Secret festival.
Photo VHB PHOTOGRAPHY
Did Pommelien also work at an alternative festival like Best Kept Secret?
Amaarae’s cancellation was regrettable, but her replacement turned out to be a direct hit. Pommelien Thijs was about to arrive as a visitor that morning, a few hours later she was on stage. Her band played a set that was firmly established after a busy year.
But did Pommelien also work at an alternative festival such as Best Kept Secret? A look into the packed tent quickly provided an answer. Her recent sound with heavier rock guitars turned out well. Between songs about social pressure, falling in love and vulnerability, she strings together energetic tracks, with choruses that linger without becoming smooth. Halfway through, Meau appears for their duet ‘Het Midden’, which visibly sets the tent in motion. Later ‘Ben Je Klaar’ builds up the tension tightly, and then releases it in a broad discharge on the audience.
De La Soul at Best Kept Secret festival.
Photo Alex Vanhee/ANP
Take some getting used to
Less convincing was De La Soul’s hip-hop. The audience received the duo warmly, but the performance remained stuck in routine. Since the death of Trugoy the Dove (‘Plug Two’), the group has continued as a two-piece formation, but the loss is great. Classics such as ‘Say No Go’ and ‘Ring Ring Ring’ still created a pleasant atmosphere, but much of it remained stuck in predictable audience interaction. Only towards the end did some energy emerge from ‘Me Myself & I’ and especially ‘The Magic Number’, carried by recognition and nostalgia.
Then names like Elmer (great in direct absurdity), Sudan Archives – future pop with violin – and bands like Blood Incantation each entered new worlds in their own way. The arrival of that last death metal band in particular, crashing hard between two gigantic obelisks at Best Kept Secret, may have taken some getting used to. But it became much more than a niche act for seasoned metal fans: extreme metal was alternated with ambient passages and an almost cosmic tension. Here too, Best Kept Secret remained true to its own principle: making room for risk and discovery.
Concert by Sudan Archives at Best Kept Secret festival.
Photo JITTE DAVIDSON