this is not a theme park ride. this is the super cool industrial backdrop of Melt!
My trip to Melt Festival 2013 was all very last minute. I literally got the last ticket for the hotel party train that will take me from Essen directly to Ferropolis where the festival is. I arrived last Friday quite rested because I went to bed as soon as I hopped on the train.
I was super excited because I will be covering Melt with a press pass which means I get to see some of my favorite bands like super front row. Perks of the “job”, I guess. But let me get this out of the way first: Crystal Fighters, which I have been trying to catch since last year, played on Thursday night. So I missed them and I was the saddest person in the world.
But Friday was sunny, my Australian roommates in the train compartment are nice and the line up this Friday was great so there was no reason for me to feel depressed. Melt! Festival is set in a super cool industrial backdrop of Ferropolis with its colossal coal-mining excavators creating the stage for one of the greatest international music events each year in July.
I decided to cover the whole festival using only my new iPhone 5. The camera is great and I’m a huge fan of instagram so why not instagram the shit out of #melt2013?
And that’s what I did.
outside our hotel party train
view outside our hotel party train window
camping suburbia
#seatuation
sunny weather = great day to swim in the “beach”
reading materials
The key to everything VIP @ Melt!
Melt! Mainstage
food stalls. the prices are not bad at all!
selective anger
super cool industrial backdrop
I have to remind myself that this is not a theme park ride
The first band I watched was the Local Natives. They were great live and played lots of their best songs including my favorite, Airplanes, where the crowd got crazy singing along “I want you back, back, baaaaaack!”
Ryan Hahn of Local Natives
Kelcey Ayer of Local Natives
even Psy made a cameo in the audience
“But I’m still, I’m still an animal”
Next up was Austra which had a very Lady Gaga aura about her. I honestly don’t know her and this is why going to music festivals is great because you get to know more new bands that you don’t know of. That and there’s something about seeing a band live versus listening to their tapes. Experiencing them in person somehow makes you listen to their songs in a different way.
Austra or Lady Gaga?
headbang situation
front row fans of Austra
It was almost 9pm and it was still bright. I love European summers.
the gang’s all here!
Next was James Blake. I also haven’t listened to him much so I was very happy to see him live. He has such a mesmerizing voice.
James Blake
James Blake v2.0
mosh pit
this heart balloon was all over the place in Melt
see? but that’s the same girl and balloon haha
YES!
better!
Next up was Alt-J and Purity Ring. I’ve never heard of them but one of my friends is a huge fan of Alt-J. Meanwhile, I caught the last few songs of Purity Ring and they were awesome. Must get a copy of their album.
Alt-J crowd
Purity Ring
Of course the highlight of Friday was The Knife. Their kind of music is dance electro and man, did they dance! Their show was my favorite. They played alot of the songs from their first two albums which I love the most. Just awesome.
is it a casket or a piano that looks like a casket?
Dance #487583475
Dance #7465237482374023
VIP party after a loooooooong day
