Werfpop Leiden & Westerpop Delft - Saturday 8 July 2023

The Hague is the centre of my world. Some 15 km to the northeast you enter Leiden. Some 12 km to the south east you enter Delft. Both University cities are holding their annual pop festival in a park on the same day this year. Apparently not bothered to attract people from outside city borders the overlap was scheduled. Now I have friends and family livig in greater Delft, so I new I would not be alone there. Still over the two festivals combined there was only one great band scheduled for me and that was Crown Compass playing Werfpop. So when I saw the timeschedules and an early slot for Crown Compass was reserved the plan rose to attend both festivals in a day. Unfortunately my good bicycle for this trip  is still in Portugal so I trained back and forth. In advance I was expecting to attend two very similar festivals. Well, I could not be more wrong. Everything was different apart from some minor overlaps.

Werfpop

The festival I visited for the music. A fifteen minute walk from the station you arrive at Leidse Hout a nice florest next to a nice neighbourhood. Entering was smooth and the entrance was in the middle with towards both ends a main stage. The area was so large that two bands were scheduled palying at the same time. The first two points standing out were on my left hand a silent disco, which is always a weird sight. The crowd looked young and lots of students walking around. On the right hand a wrestling ring was placed, with some prowrestling bouts going on. It was the hottest day of the year so far, thus this looked sweaty indeed. Before being able to enter you had to pay a ticket though. Still the 7,50 Euros would not stop anyone. It included also a coin for a hard plastic cup and toilets were free as was drinking water from taps. During the time I was there I also saw a lot of events for children, which was good for the young families walking around. Still most people stayed at the two sides, looking for shade, did I mention it was hot?

My reason to attend were Crown Compass, a band of Dutch progmetal royalty who for to me unknown reasons are not yet huge in Holland. Their debut CD was released last year and titled The Drought whch was fitting the day. I did not own it yet, but more on that later. Crown Compass would play stage 2, which meant they were facing the sun and I needed to turn my cap backwards for neck protection. I saw them earlier this year at Complexity and then they opened calm like the CD with Send Your Words. This time they kicked off heavy and let loose their metal from the first second. The sound suffered from some festival issues, but I got confirmed they are one of the very best bands around in Holland nowadays. Strange enough that is not generally known yet, as even most faces I know from Leiden's Nobel or Lazarus metal events were not walking around. Well I loved their set and the water pistol was welcome. Towards the end Daniel told us they would be at the merch stand for merch, a talk and a beer. At Complexity I missed them at the merch stand and this time it was even worse. Werfpop had a sign mentioning Merchandise, but that area was closed. Asking some volunteers of student age where to buy CD's of bands was met with a blank stare. Old fashioned me looking for CD's to buy. There was no music on sale at all at the festival area, which struck me weird at a music festival anyway. So before writing this I ordered The Drought on bandcamp as I can not wait forever at a live opportunity. Maybe the band walked around the festiival area later on, but I had a double bill, so after almost two hours in hot and steamy Leiden I headed back for a train to Delft. 

Westerpop

Upon entering the festival area in Delft after another 15 minute walk from the station everything was different. It was clouded and pleasant. Buy coins to order food and drinks and old-fashioned plastic cups. Really? Not all that woke myself, I though that this really was a thing from the past. Well it gave children something to do, as there were not many activities for them apart from collecting empty cups. Further Toilets were charging,  The average age at Westerpop compared with Werfpop must have been some twenty years higher. This was a crowd of older music lovers, with not many students in sight.  Amazing that given the high percentage of metal shirts, no metal band was booked. Well I just read that a Norwegian stoner band played after I had left already. Musically I think Ramkot from Belgium were OK and British blues guitarist Danny (Dijkie) Bryant and band were very good, even if not overly sober. Against that we were tortured by a French rap trio (France and rap, double wrong) and a British combo with a vocalist whose unhealthy looks mixed Johnny Rotten and Frankie Goes to Hollywood They were succesful, but for me not a band. I mean when no instruments are being played, you are watching what? the drummer, was no real drummer either. I stood firm as the company was good and laughs plus beers were had, but when alternative dance act My Baby started I finally broke. Computers for the music haters, so I felt like leaving being even more pleased that at least Crown Compass gave me one gig to love throughout the day. Again no music on sale, so that seems to be a thing from the past. Music is never a competition, unless you are a shit TV show, but for me today Leiden beat Delft.