Festival Accessibility | Travel | Bag Storage | Accomodation
16th August, IJssportcentrum, Eindhoven, Netherlands
Graspop Metal Festival adventure left me craving one more Summer festival fix last year.
I had been clocking Dynamo Metal Fest. Saturday’s line-up was almost too good to miss. Charlotte Wessels, Within Temptation, Sirenia, Phantom Elite, Obituary and Ministry. Conveniently, I realised I had not given myself a gift for my big birthday so, Dynamo was the perfect excuse for another escapade.
I was excited to see Within Temptation at a festival in their home country. Also wanted to check Obituary, after getting into them in the previous year. Ministry was a band that caught my attention back in the 90s, it was about time I tick them off my list. Needless to say, could never see Charlotte Wessels and The Obsession enough times!
Unfortunately, Phantom Elite split up shortly before the festival. I also missed out on checking Sirenia, I wanted to secure a good spot for Within Temptation, and they were on the opposite stage.
Hanabie
Saturday was kicked off by Hanabie, a Japanese metalcore band who took over the stage with incredible energy. The tunes alternated between J-Pop influenced clean vocals and metal screams, interesting mix. It was my first time seeing a Japanese act. Quite an experience!
One thing I loved was their stage presence and outfits: a carefully curated mix of girlie and metal. It was not music I would normally listen to. They were fantastic live.
Charlotte Wessels
This was one of my favourite performances by Charlotte and The Obsession. The backdrop was upgraded to show colourful animations which changed according to the songs played. Everyone at the band seem very much on their element. There were loads of smiles and interaction with the public. It felt like they were at home. They were joined by Elianne Anemaat on cello for Soft Revolution and The Exorcism.
It was a fantastic set, with many memorable moments. We prepared a “We <3 Crying” sign which ended up right in the middle of the front row. Whilst Charlotte was introducing The Crying Room in Dutch. Our group got so animated she switched to English and dedicated the song to us.
A few months later, the whole Dynamo set was released on her YouTube channel. Live recordings of Soft Revolution, The Crying Room and The Exorcism were also included on The Obsession Deluxe Edition. I love listening to them, brings back fond memories.
Obituary
A death metal band formed in Florida in the mid 80s; Obituary has been key in the development of the genre.
The staging was quite basic, besides a large backdrop with the band name and artwork from their latest album. Their brutal and laid-back staged presence demonstrated why they are legends of the genre. They were there to play the music and melt people’s faces, and that’s what they did!
I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to see them play so I didn’t prepare. Their vocals are some of the ones I enjoy the most from that style. Glad I got to see them live.
Ministry
Ministry was one of the founding bands of industrial metal. I came across them in the 90s through their song Just One Fix. I was fascinated by the heaviness of their music and the mix of metal and electronic elements. It was difficult to get hold of anything by them back where I grew up. I mostly heard what was played on Mtv at the time.
Their staging was theatrical, with video screens projecting imagery related to the songs. It featured a big podium decorated with what looked like the skeleton of a bird. The lead singer occasionally leaned over it delivering their lyrics, as though they were a sermon.
They performed well known tracks such as Just One Fix and N.W.O. I enjoyed the theatrics of the set and getting to see the classics live. The intensive use of vocal effects made all the songs slightly similar, which is not something I enjoy. It was good to tick them off my list.
Within Temptation
Within Temptation, a Dutch symphonic metal band going for over 20 years, was one of the acts I was most looking forward to see, especially after meeting them at the artist tent.
They were on fire. The setlist was a mix of classics and tracks from their latest album. It was my first time seeing them with Vikram Shankar, who joined the band after Martijn Spierenburg announced his departure a few months before. Vikram was a legend, his performance brought new energy to the songs. His keyboard antics where out of this world, like when he climbed up on the drums stand as he played a chord with one of his hands. I felt he lifted us all with him.
I was glad to finally see one of my all-time favourite bands at a festival in their own country, it was a very different vibe. The only downside was the crowd. More on that later.
Meeting Within Temptation
The artist tent is something I look out for at festivals. It gives fans the opportunity to briefly say hi to artists and maybe get something signed by them.
Charlotte’s set was early in the day, she was playing at another festival later, there was no chance for her and The Obsession to have a slot. It was a shame, I missed her spot at Graspop artist tent after nearly not making it there in one piece (check out my post about that particular festival).
Within Temptation’s slot was mid-afternoon. I couldn’t believe I was going to have the chance to meet them. I was both incredibly nervous and happy. I have been listening to their music for over 20 years. They were the band that got me into symphonic metal. I took my copy of the Black Symphony DVD for them to sign.
When it was time, I went in line with my friends, most of which had met them before. They helped me stay grounded. The band was nice and laid back in person.
Vikram was not with Within Temptation when they did Black Symphony, but I am a big fan of his arrangements for The Obsession. I snuck a copy of it which he was more than happy to sign.
I was over the moon after meeting them. Really made my day.
Crowd Surfers Tsunami
The only downside of Dynamo were the crowd surfers. It didn’t help that we were close to the centre of the stage. The place where they come to the most.
There were already quite a few of them during Ministry and Kreator’s set, I thought, they will just go home during Within Temptation. I was wrong. There were two or three of them coming along, often at the same time.
My friends made sure I didn’t get kicked by telling me to get down. This also meant I spent most of the show hiding between waves of them. I heard Within Temptation, more than seeing them. I couldn’t’ relax or vibe properly to the songs which affected how much I enjoyed the set.
Festival Accessibility
The festival grounds were flat and easy to navigate which I thought made it quite accessible. There were two stages. The artist’ tent was located on the sides of the main stage. The food area was located outside of the building. It was a smaller festival than Graspop, I found it quite easy to find my way around after a short while.
There was no information about accessibility on the festival website last year. I didn’t see accessible toilets within the building; the normal ones were easy to navigate. I was aware of additional portable toilets close to the second stage. Not sure if they included an accessible one, I didn’t use those.
All the information on the website is in Dutch only. I managed to translating by using an extension on Firefox web browsed. I am pleased to see accessibility information included on the festival website this year.
Travel
Dynamo Metal Fest took place in Eindhoven, a city in the South of the Netherlands. I had to be smart organising my way there, I had no annual leave left. Luckily, there was a flight from Birmingham Friday afternoon that would take me to Amsterdam by early evening. From there it was just a quick shuttle to the hotel and then travel to the festival the next day.
The Netherlands is very well connected through trains. It took a little over 90mins, including a couple of changes, to reach Eindhoven, taking a train from the airport.
Dynamo runs return shuttles from the city centre to the festival grounds throughout the day, more information and purchasing links can be found on the festival website. They worked far better than the ones we got for Graspop, it helped that they were coordinated by the festival itself, not a separate company. The pickup/drop off points are close to the town centre and easy to identify. They worked well for both getting to the festival and back. Highly recommended.
Getting to our accommodation later that evening was a bit tricky. The area didn’t feel very safe to walk around. We booked an Uber which took many turns after eventually cancelling the trip without collecting us. We resourced to stopping a local cab, which didn’t come cheap, but was the best option for our safety.
The place where we were staying was in a residential area of Eindhoven, it was easy and safe to walk to the town centre the day after. There were many pleasant views and a much calmer atmosphere than what we experienced the previous evening.
Bag storage
Logistics with the Airbnb meant it was not possible to drop of our bags before heading to Dynamo. This worked out in our favour, we wouldn’t have made it there and back in time to catch Charlotte’s set due to train connection delays.
Fortunately, we found a place where we could store our bags which was relatively close to the train station and open throughout the night. Life saviour.
Payment and access to the site was via an app. My friend booked it. One medium size locker was big enough for both of our bag packs. Traveling light pays off!
Accommodation
Finding affordable accommodation was not easy when deciding to go to a place last minute. After researching a few options, my friend and me settled for an Airbnb advertised in as a boutique hotel in a renovated house. Surprisingly affordable.
We were slightly concerned about arriving after midnight. We called the number for late check in, as well as alternative numbers on the door several times with no response. I risked it and rang the doorbell, which was far louder than I wished for that time of the night. A pleasant Dutch hotel owner opened the door soon after. He understood our situation and made sure we were comfortable. The room was lovely. It was so nice to have a bed and a clean bathroom, at last.
We were slightly concerned about arriving after midnight. We called the number for late check in, as well as alternative numbers on the door several times with no response. I risked it and rang the doorbell, which was far louder than I wished for that time of the night. A pleasant Dutch hotel owner opened the door soon after. He understood our situation and made sure we were comfortable. The room was lovely. It was so nice to have a bed and a clean bathroom, at last.
I was glad I made it to Dynamo, even though I paid for it with aches and pains from surviving the crowd surfers. I didn’t even get it as bad as my friends who were helping them out!
This adventure taught me a lot about how I enjoy metal music. I like to vibe to it, have a little headbang and get lost in the melody. I love being at the barrier, but not so much if I am worrying about getting pushed around by people moshing or dodging crowd surfers. Since then, I have occasionally made my way to the back of the crowd to enjoy the music (more on that on my previous post).
I can’t believe it has been that many months since Dynamo. I have far more stories to share. Will come back with another one soon.
Leave a Reply