Reverence Valada Festival Portugal 2015
1st December 2015After the success that was the 2nd edition of Reverence Valada, the organization has just announced that a 3rd edition will happen. In 2016 between the 8th and 10th of September, psychedelic rock will once again return to the peaceful village of Valada.
We take this opportunity to remember how the 2015 edition was like.
Going back to Valada for the Reverence festival for the 2nd edition was a somewhat unsettling trip. There still were images in my mind of last year’s peaceful village, the friendly people, the great weather, the awesome music and the feeling that for three days the outside world did not exist and we were outside of reality. In fact, during both editions I could not care less about the outside world; I was not curious about the news, wars, economic depression, or politics. Instead I found myself in a bubble that for three days shielded me from reality and gave me only music, peace and relaxation. Upon arrival I was happy to see that some things had not changed: the village of Valada was still peaceful and filled with friendly people and quirky small bars, where you were welcomed as if you were at your grandma’s house. Going back was good and I was happy to see that things were still the same.
Day 1
After setting up tent in the nicest camping area of any festival in Portugal, it was time to investigate the scenery. There was a new river beach with bar areas, jet-skis and other stuff to pass the time, the shower area was exactly like last year’s (too small) and the bathrooms were too few for the crowd that gathered there.
This first day had fewer bands, eight to be more precise, so the concerts started at 5 PM in the Rio Stage (the only stage open on the first day) with Luna Marada, a funk rock psychedelic mixture that showcased great energy throughout every moment, featuring some old-school rock and roll vocals and well crafted psychedelic guitar solos. The highlight was a very creative cover of Portishead that the crowd seemed to enjoy very much. Up next were Beautify Junkyards, a psychedelic folk band that had a big ensemble of instruments and a female vocalist with a sweet voice. The sound was suited to the trees we were seating beneath and it attracted a somewhat big crowd. It was a mellow sound with lots of folk details and some spacey sound effects. Like Luna Marada, the highlights were some covers from Os Mutantes, Nick Drake and Zeca Afonso’s “Que Amor Não Me Engana”.
The surprise of the day (and arguably the best gig of the day) started at 7:20 PM when Galgo took the stage by storm. This quartet from Oeiras brought their post-psych-prog rock with jazz touches with them and hightened the energies of everyone in the audience. Their riffs had immense power and the sound effects in the guitars were spot on in each of the tracks. Even though all the members were very competent, it was the drummer Joana Batista that caught the eye of everyone there. Her passion and technique captivated the audience and left everyone with a desire to jump and dance. The closing track in particular was diabolical, leaving the crowd asking for more. This was, without a shadow of a doubt, the concert of the day for many people.
Chicos de Nazca had a tough time ahead of them. Galgo had left everyone amped up and now the crowd wanted more, but unfortunately the Chileans played a more introspective sound of shoegaze and psychedelic nature that took some time to truly appreciate. Their sound was nice and the crowd slowly started to value their slow riffs and calmer nature. The only downside was that for the first time that day the volume was too loud, making it difficult to enjoy the vocalist’s performance; all in all, it was an average gig that left most fans pleased. Purple Heart Parade were up and their psychedelic rock filled with guitar and vocal distortions made for a very enjoyable gig. Their catchy riffs allowed for the audience to dance a little bit, and as the show went on the energy picked up and they ended on a high note with people feeling energized by their show. The Vickers describe their sound as “psychedelic pop rock trance”, and their sound does hold up to that description. There were plenty of guitars and vocals with lots of electronic echo effects, and the additional lively drummer and vocalist with a very good presence made it very interesting to whoever enjoys the genre. The only problem was that at times the volume was too loud, causing the bass to become very annoying.
Keep Razors Sharp was the returning band of the day. Last year they surprised everyone with the quality of their sound, this year most people were there already expecting a good time. Once again they gave a great rock and roll show in what was a special occasion for them (they had their first gig ever organized by Nick Allport in Cartaxo), so it was with no surprise that their distorted electric guitars and passionate attitude left the fans jumping during the entire show. The highlight of the concert happened when Keep Razors Sharp played the first chords of “I See Your Face”: a great part of the crowd went crazy and started singing along with the band. It was a great show by a band whose sound embodies the mission of Reverence with good psychedelic rock and roll.
Jeff The Brotherhood was the last band of the day and it was a full-on rock party. Playing what could be considered a muscled up blues rock and roll with a lot of traditional classic rock influences (Black Sabbath comes to mind), their show resembled a mild earthquake. People were jumping, singing, headbanging, dancing to their infectious groove-filled riffs and Sabbath solos. There were even moments where their rock sound reminded us of that melodic American hard rock from the ‘90s, and it was great. Noteworthy moments were “The Shredder”, with its fast tempo and incredible technical solo, and the completely surprising and passionately played “Totally Confused”. If the first day was supposed to end with a party, then Jeff The Brotherhood was the right choice. Afterwards the DJ’s from Kaleidoscope and Lisbon Psych Fest continued the festivities with psychedelic rock and roll for everyone who wanted to keep the night going. It was an amazing introduction to what would be a weekend to remember.
Day 2
The second day was hell on earth. The heat would have been insufferable if not for the shade in the Rio Stage and a few trees in the Praia Stage. First up was Bom Marido, a Portuguese band that displayed an interesting mixture of doom-like sounds along with some psychedelic rock and little details of post rock, and their gig was enjoyable despite the scorching heat that did not allow for a great audience. Brahma Loka brought with them their psychedelic shoegaze, and although the crowd was still afraid of the sun, the band was able to engage with the few people present. The highlight of the show was a huge electric contrabass that surprised the audience in the final track. Füzz was heavier than the previous bands, and their mastodon-like sound of psych influences was a breath of fresh air on what would otherwise be a somewhat repetitive day.
At this time both stages were starting to fill up a bit more. In comparison to last year the extended time slot for each band was a win for the organization, as it allowed for much more interesting concerts by each band.
The Dead Mantra describe their sound as “Gregorian shoegaze”, and even though that might attract some attention, the truth is that their show was kind of boring. A repetitive experience coupled with (again) the heat did not help their show, but still kudos to them for keeping it very professional. Novella was a pleasant surprise, since their somewhat garage rock sound was a welcome detour from all the drone-like resonance of the day. Furthermore, the vision of four girls rocking out with one very good drummer made for a very cool show. Stoned Jesus were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd that absolutely went crazy over their classic stoner/psychedelic rock. The sound was perfect and this was the first show of the day that had that big gig feeling. The trio gave a humongous show, filled with heavy powerful riffs, great guitar solos and even a surprise with a very enthusiastic cover of At The Drive In’s “One Armed Scissor”. Overall it was the best show of the day. It was time for one of the most awaited bands of the afternoon: Grave Pleasures gave one hell of a show with a very active front man taking their self-proclaimed “apocalyptical death rock” gig to very energetic heights. The highlight of the gig was a Beastmilk cover of the song “You Are Now Under Our Control” that brought the crowd off their feat and got them dancing. The last show of the afternoon in the Rio Stage was of the American band The Warlocks; their psychedelic rock with some very heavy drone influences left the crowd in a trance to the point where they were almost worshipping every bit of distorted sound coming from the three guitars. While there were some interesting details (the echo in the guitars, the string bass), it ultimately dragged on and was somewhat repetitive. Cheatahs closed the Praia stage with their simple but effective rock. The concert started with a smaller audience (it overlapped with the previous show of The Warlocks) but saw a steady increase of fans as it went on. Although the electronic samples and effects give it a little personality, their show only really came alive when they stuck to the simple garage rock formula that made fans jump all over the place. Overall it was a nice ending to the afternoon sessions of the 2nd day.
Last Year Process Of Guilt played the Praia Stage, but this year they had the responsibility of opening the Reverence Stage on Saturday. Although outside of metal they may not be very well known, those who follow the genre know that Process Of Guilt are famous for being one of the most professional bands in Portugal. With the sun coming down their doom metal of post-rock influences was the perfect mixture of heavy and slow. Their mammoth-like riffs, the deep growls and their aura of darkness really set the mood for bands like Bizarra Locomotiva, Ufomammut and Sleep.
Los Waves was one of the most pleasant surprises of the day. Their melodic and psychedelic sound worked perfectly with their electronic affected vocals, and the audience resting on the ground enjoying the sunset slowly got up to finish the show on a high note.
Bizarra Locomotiva was proof that a bit of variety was needed during this day as their industrial metal, filled with hateful lyrics and demonic sounds, echoed through the Reverence stage. Also, not only was the music amazing, their live performance reached new heights because of Rui Sidónio’s demeanour of a demented leader of masses (the times he stepped off the stage and joined the crowd were simply amazing). The audience went understandably wild during the tremendous tracks “Desgraçado de Bordo”, “Egodescentralizado” and the amazing closer “O Escaravelho”, proving that Reverence will need to add a couple more heavier bands in next year’s line-up in order to keep the mob happy. Black Rainbows brought some of the grooviest riffs with them, drawing inspiration from such acts as Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer and a bit of Monster Magnet arrogance. The Italians filled the air with dirty guitars, great guitar solos and a powerful rock lesson from Gabriele Fiori that left no one in the audience indifferent.
Alcest was the disappointment of the evening and I can’t really say it was their fault. Their sound goes from atmospheric black metal to emotional post rock, so it was difficult to convey every single detail in their sound in an open air setting. Having seen them twice in Portugal in small closed rooms, it is clear that their sound suffered from the acoustics of this festival, and even if the show was not really all that entertaining, one cannot really say that they did not perform professionally. Uffomammut gigs are always gigantic; the way their ground-shaking riffs and earth shattering drums bring everyone into a trance is unparalleled. Their Black Sabbath distorted guitars and the way they drag every note through mud was incredible and left the audience completely mesmerized. Although the sound would be enough to create a great show, the spectacle would not be complete without some very cool psychedelic projections in the background. They compete with Sleep for the heaviest concert of the entire festival.
In the Reverence stage a lord of blues rock was preparing to enter the stage. John Spencer Blues Explosion are pretty straightforward: they’re there to rock and nothing else, and even a tiny snafu with the guitars and amps didn’t stop this trio from providing some groove-filled tunes to everyone. The cult-like aura of Jon Spencer was to be expected, and during the entire show the audience was in complete awe of his on-stage antics. Luckily the sound was perfect for the rest of the show and the crowd could experience classics like “Bellbottoms”, “2 Kindsa Love” and “Sweat” in all their rock glory. Furthermore, this kind of sound was always welcomed by the crowd due to the lack of variety in the bands throughout the rest of the festival. DeWolff came to rock, as simple as it may be of a description, and their attitude is even simpler. Couple of old school sounds, an organ that sounded like a vintage Hammond, fuzzy guitars and an infectious passion got everyone in the audience excited, making this one of the most surprising shows of the evening.
After the rock injection that was DeWolff, the crowd started to make their way onto the Reverence Stage to greet the stoner/doom legends Sleep with Al Cisneros in the lead. The fans were treated to a concert of colossal proportions, and as the first sounds of “The Sciences” echoed through the venue. They were followed by the crowd devoting themselves to almost two hours of the heaviest, dirtiest riffs of the festival. The setlist for this gig could not have been more perfect, with the band playing in perfect succession their most famous tracks such as “Holy Mountain”, “Dopesmoker”, “From Beyond” and the amazing “Dragonaut”. This show was made even more pleasant because the trio really seemed to enjoy being there and didn’t just phone it in. The closing tracks brought the crowd into frenzy with “Cultivator” and the somewhat surprising “Improved Morris” that finished the most awaited show of the evening on a very high note.
Ancient River had a difficult task ahead of them; Sleep had been so powerful that it drained almost every ounce of energy the fans had, and so it was somewhat unfair to them (or to anyone) that they were the ones that had to follow the stoner/doom legends. Furthermore their sound was that kind of psych rock that is very slow and contemplative, with interesting effects mixed with the guitars and some vocal psychedelic distortion. It was a concert that could have been more interesting if there was a bit more crowd (most of them still at the Sleep gig) and if they weren’t so repetitive. Maybe it would have worked better in the afternoon given the nature of their sound, but it was somewhat lacking in energy at this particular hour.
Late was the hour when Electric Eye made their way onto the Rio Stage, and their show started with a very interesting pseudo-Pink Floyd intro that once again evolved into one more psychedelic rock band with too many loud screeching guitars. Though it was more of the same, the crowd was really into the show and they made sure the band knew it. The concert ended at about 2h40 AM and it had been an almost nonstop 12 hours of concerts. If we were to wake up the next day, sleep (not the band) had to be the next step.
Day 3
Celica XX started the third and last day of Reverence with their post-punk-psych rock, a sound that was somewhat lively (the members of the band however were very quiet) and that awoke the brave first fans that dared venture into the scorching sun. Next up were Jennifer, and their slow psychedelic rock would have been more enjoyable for the few people there if the weather had resembled hell a little less. As of this hour the sun was simply unbearable and the few people at the Rio Stage were gathered in the shade to calmly listen to Jennifer’s sound without passing out from the heat. Jaguwar were also suffering from the weather; it was noticeable the vocalist was uncomfortable from the heat and trying his very best to be professional. Their noise-pop sound pleased some people, and this is one of those gigs that probably would have been much more attended if it had happened at a later hour; still, kudos to Jaguwar for fighting the sun and actually winning the battle of heat Vs music – the few that watched left with a very good impression. The Altered Hours was one of the highlights of the afternoon with a very good concert of psychedelic sounds mixed with shoegaze and a hint or two of some very lively rock and roll. The two vocalists played beautifully off each other and were enjoyably different from the rest of the festival’s card, something that proved to be a smart bet by the organization.
Fast Eddie Nelson were living proof that a card with various genres would have been valuable to the festival, they played one hell of a gig, filled with rock and roll guitars, a raspy dirty voice and infectious riffs that caused the audience to get of their asses and face the sun. The drummer also deserves praise: his work on the drums was very good and it always shows when a guy is having fun playing. Spectres had the first big crowd of the day waiting for them and the boys from Bristol did not disappoint. Their shoegaze rock with garage influences got the crowd going with a very intense display of psychedelic distortions, and their guitars were cool enough to distance themselves from the generic psych rock that so many times curses these kinds of bands. Miranda Lee Richards was as surprising as it was pleasant. The American singer-songwriter was in Europe for the first time, and her mixture of Americana and psych folk was one of the sweetest moments of the entire festival. Her gentle voice and the calm with which her show developed were a breath of fresh air amidst the cacophony of psychedelic rock and stoner sounds of the entire weekend. After the calm of Miranda it was time to rock very, very hard with Samsara Blues Experiment. The psychedelic/stoner/heavy ensemble started the show with some impressive riffs that got the already packed Rio Stage jumping up and down. Every single guitar solo, every scream from the vocalist, all of it cried rock and roll to the maximum. The sound was perfect, and quite honestly this band would have killed it on the Reverence Stage. The Jack Shits were probably the most vigorous show in the entire festival, and it was quite a shame that they were stuck between Samsara Blues Experiment and 10 000 Russos (and when some people were having dinner), but that didn’t stop them; from the first moment The Jack Shits brought the party to us with the best display of garage rock of the entire festival. Not only was the sound aggressive, fast and all-around incredibly fun, but the vocalist was a madman. Preparing himself to leave the country, the frontman gave a show to remember: he rolled around on the floor, crowdsurfed with the few people there and during the last track actually climbed the stage structure. Hell, it was the most rock and roll performance of the day, and whoever wasn’t there missed something quite amazing.
After having played at ungodly late hours last year, 10 000 Russos opened the Reverence Stage on the last day and they proved to deserve that honour. Their freakish ritualistic psychedelic rock wall of sound took people by surprise, but their attitude of experimentation soon infected everyone in the audience. Whether it was by spitting some drawn out distorted riffs, or by cramming the microphone between the drums, their rock god auras were in full display. The Act-Ups were another band that was quite upbeat with their rock and roll of garage influences; the number of guitars gave the sound a great live punch, the vocalist has a bit of that blues rock feel and the drummer is awesome to watch live. The crowd was really into it and it turned the show into a full blown rock party. Joel Gion & Guests was unknown to many people (and the rest already knew his work as a percussionist in the psychedelic rock band Brian Jonestown Massacre), so it was with curiosity that most people went to the Reverence Stage to see what he had to offer. Between progressive sounds, psychedelic effects and a fuzzy rock in the style of Velvet Underground the audience got to experience one of the most complicated acts of the entire festival. The sheer volume of instruments and details made it a very interesting show for most of the crowd. The ones that got bored went on to the Praia Stage to see One Unique Signal, a post rock psychedelic band with a great thick and slow wall of sound, perfect for a contemplative show where one bows the head and slowly shifts from side to side while regaining energy for the rest of the evening.
On the main stage Sean Riley & The Slowriders kicked off the show with a translated reading of “October on the railroad earth” by Jack Kerouac, and from a band that takes so much of its mystique from the Americana imaginary this was a magnificent move. Their sound is pure Americana rock and roll; between the Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan influences they bring the crowd into a journey through the Arizona desert, through the streets of New York and all those small Midwest towns. This rock perfection was only disturbed with the song from the new record, which had a more heavy feeling to it. The sound itself was contagious and the soulful voice echoing through the air made this one of the best shows of the entire festival. The highlights were “Harry Rivers” and the cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “State Trooper”, two tracks that truly stood out from that concert.
Echo Lake were unfortunately unable to be there, so Chicos de Nazca took their place and played another gig for us and it was what one could expect: a more relaxed version of their previous concert.
Finally the time had arrived, as one of the most innovative bands of the progressive genre of the last 40 years, Amon Düül II, were easily the most awaited band of the entire festival. The setup took a little longer than usual, but that is to be expected when you have two drum kits, guitars, violins, bass, keyboards and a need for absolute perfection. The excitement in the air was obvious when the first sounds of “Apocalyptic Bore” echoed through the speakers, and although the setlist for the concert was not the parade of classics we would expect from a best of selection, we still had some interesting moments such as “Deutsch Nepal”, “Soap shop rock” and “Surrounded by the stars”. Throughout the concert we got to see why Amon Düül II influenced so many progressive metal bands: there were incredibly heavy riffs with the kind of distortion that could be traced forward to the sludge genre. The drumming was also extraordinary as both drummers (even if somewhat old) gave a thundering performance that no fan will ever forget. There was also a lot of curiosity by the audience in seeing the charismatic Renate Knaup, and although the sound from her microphone was not always excellent, her full of life performance left no one disappointed. Like Hawkwind last year, Amon Düül II was the band that gave the festival that cult status, and the Germans responded by giving a spectacular performance.
Calibro 35 like to describe themselves as “Cinematic Funk”, and to be honest the description fits perfectly. Their show was fun, energetic and filled with catching riffs that produced a very pleasing concert. Their somewhat progressive rock influences were the perfect after show for the Amon Düül II concert. The Horrors have an awesome sound for a live show: it’s danceable, the band has a very strong theatrical presence and all the electronic details, sound effects and keyboards really shine through, so it was without surprise that the public was excited for this. During the entire gig the crowd was completely hypnotized by the magnetic performance of Faris Badwan (his clean singing really stood out) and when “Still Life”, “Sea Within a Sea” and the closer “I See You” were played the crowd was in total awe of his performance.
Meanwhile at the Praia stage Lâmina were already playing to a surprisingly large crowd that preferred to see them over the more established The Horrors. Their psychedelic sludge/doom mix with heavy metal elements was somewhat slow for the hour, but the truth is that their intensity really resonated with the people there. Electric Moon was one of the most awaited bands of the evening; the Rio Stage was already packed when they entered the stage, and it took about 5 seconds for the crowd to go wild when they started playing their psychedelic rock with post-rock influences. Their guitars were somewhat repetitive and the sound effects applied to them were a bit too much (nothing we had not seen in previous bands), but they had a special aura to them. There were at times some very heavy moments of doom-like orientation that left many people slowly headbanging, but they were soon back to their psychedelic identity. The last band we were able to see was Magic Castles, a psychedelic dream rock fold ensemble (yes, all that) that was significantly less oppressive than Electric Moon. Their sound did not contain all the guitar distortion that characterized all the previous bands of the genre, and that fact alone was refreshing enough to please many fans in the audience. The show opened with the dreamy “Big Sur”, a track that completely captured the attention of the crowd, and it was with “See Her Eyes In The Sky” and the closer “Rebecca’s World” that the fans truly expressed their love for Magic Castles. After that we were unable to catch more bands due to fatigue.
Overall, Reverence hit all the nails on the head minus one: it needed to be more eclectic. Last year there were more progressive rock bands, more rock and roll, more fun and it was more daring. This year however, it was less risky; the bands were more connected to the whole psychedelic rock movement, and although that is not bad, it became somewhat repetitive for people that were expecting a little more variety.
The facilities were, as last year, good, but more bathroom stalls are needed, and better showers and more artificial light in the camping area would be great. The stages were perfect, the sound almost always good. The staff was friendly and helpful, the food areas very diverse (various meat, vegetarian and vegan options) and the merchandise area very interesting. The village of Valada is a special place, every corner a delightful view, every person a friendly face. This helps to turn Reverence Valada in a unique experience as it takes us away, far from the civilized world and delivers us into a three-day experience of music and communion unlike any festival in Portugal. We hope to be back next year to once again be a part of this.
Photos by:
Valentina Ernö
Jorge Pereira
João Ribeiro
Natacha Monteiro
