Haldern Pop
Encyclopedia
Haldern Pop is an annual German open air music festival. In 2008 it will be held for the 25th time. It takes place in Rees
-Haldern (North Rhine-Westphalia
).
and pop
bands. While recruiting the artists, the organizers set more value on (their) musical taste than on "mass-compatibility" or broad effect. Even though well-known artists such as Bob Geldof
(1991), Heather Nova
(1998) and Patti Smith
(2003) have already performed at Haldern Pop, the main focus lies on indie music bands like e.g. The Kooks
or Shout Out Louds
.
Many bands are so impressed by the familiar atmosphere, that they gladly come back. You can often find band members relaxing at the little lake right behind the backstage area, or playing soccer with local kids.
In 1987, first profit could be realized. That year Extrabreit
, The Affair
, The Trash and Midnite Fun played. Due to the great success, the bands Element Of Crime
and Plan B could be engaged in 1988. Those were still relatively unknown at that time, so they were satisfied with out-of-pocket expenses. More than 2000 visitors were counted. Since then, a party with recorded music is held every eve of the festival.
A milestone in the festival's history is the year 1991, when Bob Geldof
performed in Haldern. The organizers themselves called this event "the most successful night in the festival's history". Besides Geldof, The Jeremy Days, The Blue Aeroplanes
, Plan B and Tuff Babies played in front of 5000 guests. Another peak was hit in the following year (1992) with the Spanish band Heroes del Silencio
.
Some other highlights of Haldern Pop were so far: Belle & Sebastian
, dEUS, Phoenix
, Guano Apes
, Tocotronic
, Blumfeld
, Muse
, Sportfreunde Stiller
, Reamonn
, Starsailor
, Travis
, Franz Ferdinand
, Mando Diao
, The Cardigans
, Mogwai
, Kante, Kaiser Chiefs
, Kaizers Orchestra
, Adam Green
, Kelis
, Paolo Nutini
and The Kooks
.
Even though the festival gains much attention from national media (1LIVE
, WDR/Rockpalast
etc.) and is mentioned in a row with big events such as Bizarre Festival or Roskilde Festival
, the organizers want to remain true to their concept of "the small, cozy festival in the Lower Rhine
area". The venue (an old horse range) should be kept, which limits the number of visitors to about 5000 people.
"Haldern Pop Recordings", which as yet released works of e.g. Das Pop
and Zita Swoon
.
Rees, Germany
Rees is a town in the district of Cleves in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Rhine, approx. 20 km east of Cleves...
-Haldern (North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
).
Focus
The festival mainly features rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
bands. While recruiting the artists, the organizers set more value on (their) musical taste than on "mass-compatibility" or broad effect. Even though well-known artists such as Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
(1991), Heather Nova
Heather Nova
Heather Nova, is a Bermudian singer-songwriter and poet. She has released eight full-length albums and has found lasting success in Germany where two of her albums South and Storm have made their way into the Top-5 of German official album chart.-Biography:Heather Nova was born in Bermuda...
(1998) and Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
(2003) have already performed at Haldern Pop, the main focus lies on indie music bands like e.g. The Kooks
The Kooks
The Kooks are an English indie rock band formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2001. Formed by Luke Pritchard , Hugh Harris , Paul Garred , and Max Rafferty , the lineup of the band remained constant until 2008 and the departure of Rafferty...
or Shout Out Louds
Shout Out Louds
Shout Out Louds are an indie rock band from Stockholm, Sweden.The group has toured with bands such as The Strokes, Kings of Leon, The Magic Numbers, The Rosebuds, The Essex Green, and Johnossi...
.
Many bands are so impressed by the familiar atmosphere, that they gladly come back. You can often find band members relaxing at the little lake right behind the backstage area, or playing soccer with local kids.
History
The festival has its roots in an annual party, which was organized by some local altar servers. In 1982/83, this party already attracted more than 1500 guests. During the first years, music was played from records only, and because of the high visitor counts it came to the decision to feature live bands. In order to fund this, "share holders" should support the festival with 500 Deutsche Mark each and their willingness to contribute in organizing. At large, 54 "share holders" from now on set up this festival with a lot of dedication and improvisation talent. So the festival could take place on June 23, 1984 for the first time. The "share holders" tried to keep the costs as low as possible, and with active work and donations the financial loss added up to only 130 Deutsche Mark per person. The first stage was self-made from the roof truss of a knocked down house, also other material was supplied for free or very little money.In 1987, first profit could be realized. That year Extrabreit
Extrabreit
Extrabreit is a German band established in Hagen, Germany in 1978. The band was one of the most successful exponents of the Neue Deutsche Welle movement of the 1980s.-History:...
, The Affair
The Affair
The Affair may refer to:* The Dreyfus affair* extramarital affair* The Affair, a novel by C. P. Snow in the Strangers and Brothers series, published in 1959**The Affair by a 1962 Broadway play by Ronald Millar based on Snow's novel...
, The Trash and Midnite Fun played. Due to the great success, the bands Element Of Crime
Element of Crime
Element of Crime is a German rock band that plays melancholic chanson-, pop- and rockmusic with guitar, bass, drums and voice/trumpet.- Band-History :...
and Plan B could be engaged in 1988. Those were still relatively unknown at that time, so they were satisfied with out-of-pocket expenses. More than 2000 visitors were counted. Since then, a party with recorded music is held every eve of the festival.
A milestone in the festival's history is the year 1991, when Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
performed in Haldern. The organizers themselves called this event "the most successful night in the festival's history". Besides Geldof, The Jeremy Days, The Blue Aeroplanes
The Blue Aeroplanes
The Blue Aeroplanes are an English rock band from Bristol, the mainstays of which: Gerard Langley, brother John Langley and dancer Wojtek Dmochowski originate from the earlier New Wave “Art band” Art Objects .-History:...
, Plan B and Tuff Babies played in front of 5000 guests. Another peak was hit in the following year (1992) with the Spanish band Heroes del Silencio
Héroes del Silencio
Héroes del Silencio was a Spanish rock band from Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain, formed by Juan Valdivia and Enrique Bunbury. During the 1990s they experienced success around Spain and the Americas, and in various European countries including Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Serbia and Portugal...
.
Some other highlights of Haldern Pop were so far: Belle & Sebastian
Belle & Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian are an indie pop band formed in Glasgow in January 1996. Belle and Sebastian are often compared with influential indie bands such as The Smiths, as well as classic acts such as Love, Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. The name Belle & Sebastian comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1965...
, dEUS, Phoenix
Phoenix (band)
Phoenix is a Grammy Award winning French indie rock band from Versailles, founded by Thomas Mars, Deck d'Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz.-Formation and early years:...
, Guano Apes
Guano Apes
Guano Apes are an alternative rock band formed in 1994 in Göttingen, Germany. The group members are Sandra Nasić , Henning Rümenapp , Stefan Ude and Dennis Poschwatta ....
, Tocotronic
Tocotronic
Tocotronic is a German rock band founded in 1993 . Similar to Blumfeld or Die Sterne they are considered a part of the Hamburger Schule movement...
, Blumfeld
Blumfeld
Blumfeld was an indie-pop band from Hamburg, Germany, formed by singer and songwriter Jochen Distelmeyer. The name of the band was coined by the main character of the short story "Blumfeld, ein älterer Junggeselle" by Franz Kafka...
, Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
, Sportfreunde Stiller
Sportfreunde Stiller
Sportfreunde Stiller is a German antifascist rock band from Germering, near Munich, in Bavaria.The band was founded in 1996 by Peter "Balboa" Brugger , Florian "Rakete" Weber , and Rüdiger "Rüde" Linhof . They took their original name, Stiller, from their former football manager, Hans Stiller, at...
, Reamonn
Reamonn
Reamonn is a German rock and pop band. They have recorded six albums.-History:In 1997, Rea Garvey left his band The Reckless Pedestrians and home town of Tralee, Ireland to go to Germany with not a lot of money and a demo CD in his pocket...
, Starsailor
Starsailor (band)
Starsailor is an English post-britpop band, formed in Leigh, Warrington and Greater Manchester. By 2009, they had four charting albums and ten Top 40 singles in the UK since 2001.-Early history:...
, Travis
Travis (band)
Travis are a post-Britpop band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Fran Healy , Dougie Payne , Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose...
, Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
, Mando Diao
Mando Diao
Mando Diao is an alternative rock band from Borlänge, Sweden. The band got their breakthrough with the release of the album Hurricane Bar. Their main fan base is in Sweden, Germany, and Japan although their influence has recently spread to Western Europe, most notably the UK.-Origin:The roots of...
, The Cardigans
The Cardigans
The Cardigans are a Swedish rock band formed in the town of Jönköping in October 1992.Their debut album Emmerdale gave them a solid base in their home country and enjoyed some success abroad, especially in Japan. It was not until their second album Life that an international reputation was secured...
, Mogwai
Mogwai
The word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 meaning "monster", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".-Mogwai/Mogui in Chinese culture:...
, Kante, Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1996. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs....
, Kaizers Orchestra
Kaizers Orchestra
Kaizers Orchestra is a Norwegian alternative rock group formed on January 1, 2000. The two leading members, vocalist Janove Ottesen and guitarist Geir Zahl, had known each other for years, and first played together in a band called Blod, Snått & Juling in 1989.Kaizers Orchestra are notable for...
, Adam Green
Adam Green (musician)
Adam Green is an American singer-songwriter.Green's off-kilter style has achieved a moderate college radio following in the United States, and enjoys increasing popularity in a number of European countries, particularly Germany.-Career:Green attended Emerson College for one semester in 1998 before...
, Kelis
Kelis
Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers (born August 21, 1971 is an American musical artist. She is a BRIT Award, Q Award and NME Award winner and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She has had nine top 10 singles on the UK Singles Chart...
, Paolo Nutini
Paolo Nutini
Paolo Giovanni Nutini is a Scottish singer, songwriter and musician from Paisley. His father is of Italian descent, from Barga, Tuscany, although both his parents are Scottish, his family having been in Scotland for three generations....
and The Kooks
The Kooks
The Kooks are an English indie rock band formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2001. Formed by Luke Pritchard , Hugh Harris , Paul Garred , and Max Rafferty , the lineup of the band remained constant until 2008 and the departure of Rafferty...
.
Even though the festival gains much attention from national media (1LIVE
1LIVE
1LIVE is a radio network by the Westdeutscher Rundfunk public broadcasting corporation in Germany. It specialises in popular music aimed at the 14-39 age bracket. The average age of listeners is 34.- History :...
, WDR/Rockpalast
Rockpalast
Rockpalast is a German music television show that broadcasts live on German television station Westdeutscher Rundfunk . Rockpalast started in 1974 and continues to this day. Hundreds of rock and jazz bands have performed on Rockpalast...
etc.) and is mentioned in a row with big events such as Bizarre Festival or Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival is a festival held south of Roskilde in Denmark and is one of the six biggest annual music festivals in Europe . It was created in 1971 by two high school students, Mogens Sandfær and Jesper Switzer Møller, and promoter Carl Fischer...
, the organizers want to remain true to their concept of "the small, cozy festival in the Lower Rhine
Lower Rhine
The Lower Rhine flows from Bonn, Germany, to the North Sea at Hoek van Holland, Netherlands.Almost immediately after entering the Netherlands, the Rhine splits into many branches. The main branch is called the Waal which flows from Nijmegen to meet the river Meuse; after which it is called Merwede...
area". The venue (an old horse range) should be kept, which limits the number of visitors to about 5000 people.
Record label
In 1999, the idea came up to release a sampler with music by the bands of the year. This led to the founding of the record labelRecord label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
"Haldern Pop Recordings", which as yet released works of e.g. Das Pop
Das Pop
Das Pop is a Belgian band founded in Ghent by schoolfriends Reinhard Vanbergen, Niek Meul, Lieven Moors and Bent Van Looy.-Biography:Das Pop was initially called Things to Come, but the band changed its name to Das Pop when Tom Kestens joined the band...
and Zita Swoon
Zita Swoon
Zita Swoon is a Belgian indie rock group. They entered the music scene of Antwerp in 1993, still under the name A Beatband with the EP "Jintro Travels The Word In A Skirt". The group is typical of the music scene in Antwerp, with members playing in numerous other groups. Best known member is singer...
.