I have a love/hate relationship with Eurosonic/Noorderslag. The first 25 years of my life i lived in and near Groningen, so i know how the city behaves without music industry people. This year is my 9th time to visit the festival, the first time as a delegate. In the past i saw some amazing shows at Eurosonic by bands like Serena Maneesh (Incubate 2010), Dungen, Wardruna (Incubate 2009), Hello Saferide, Joensuu 1685, Finn. (Incubate 2009), Zu, Islaja, etcetera. So yes, i love festival for the fact that they always have some great new bands. Groningen is a great town. Vera is great.

I’ve got reasons to hate the festival as well. Eurosonic/Noorderslag’s goal seems not to be creating meaning for artists and audience, it seems to be there to facilitate economic transactions between people working in the music industry. Its conference is for the middlemen, not for artists. Artists are hardly to be found at the conference and for delegates the bar seems more important than the stage. The main goal for a big part of the 3000 delegates is to drink as much beer as possible and stay as long as possible in a bar called Knarie (which is very uncool according to our cool/uncool list).

As a delegate I have two goals for the 4 days of the festival. I try to have my meetings in the daytime and see bands in the evening. First day of Eurosonic/Noorderslag is just a starter. First thing to do is pick up the badge and anonimise the RIFD chip that goes with every wristband. There’s no opt-in here, only opt-out. That’s a shame. People don’t have to know where I am or where I was. If I want to tell people, it’s my own choice and I will choose my own medium for it. I don’t want e-mails from booking agents later telling me I was at a show of their band and need to book them. There’s many other reasons why I don’t want to be followed if I don’t know who gets the information afterwards.

Ok, first meeting is with Jason Edwards, booking agent at UK agency 13 Artists. Two of his artists (Gallops in 2011 and Hyetal in 2010) played at Incubate before. We discuss possibilities to have Grimes and Factory Floor at Incubate in september. He’s a very nice guy, I hope it will work out with the bands. In the mean time the festival opening starts, including free drinks, so everyone is close to the bar and the networking starts. Thanks to Jason I meet Emma Hogan, agent of Let’s Wrestle (Incubate 2011) and Pulled Apart By Horses (Incubate 2009), and Ben Coleman (programmer at Green Man festival). Via Bernadette of Austrian Music Ambassador Network I meet Reini Seyfriedsberger of Ink Music (Suuns, a.o.) and Waves Vienna festival.

After sharing dinner with the Alles Los crew (dutch bookers for The Ex, Loops Haunt, Soap&Skin, Ford&Lopatin, Bert On Beats, Daniel Haaksman, etc.) I head to De Spieghel for Norwegian all-girl band Razika. Catchy songs, but a very static performance. Not so good. French Films are from Finland and is the band everybody was talking about when I was at Finland’s Lost In Music festival in october. Pop tunes for people that like The Vaccines or The Drums, but I like French Films much better. Lisa Hannigan has about 83 musicians on stage, but basically all she needs is herself to be pretty boring. Definitely not my cup of tea. Best band of the night is 120 Days from Norway. I’ve seen them at Eurosonic a few years ago and since then I heard nothing of the guys. Now 5 years later nothing much has changed except that they’re not 17 anymore and their sound is more polished and bigger. Good professional show, that almost makes me dance (i’m not a dancer). Recommended if you like Factory Floor, Gatekeeper and K-X-P.

Since it’s sometimes hard to understand what we’re doing for people who haven’t visited Incubate yet, I try to meet some booking agents we work with, so I can explain them a bit and give them our festival guide to get an impression. On thursday i’m meeting Clemence and Ditte of Elastic Artists, one of the bigger UK agencies. Clemence is representing bands like Of Montreal, Nguzunguzu, Small Black and Blouse, while Ditte has Jacuzzi Boys (playing in Eindhoven soon!) and Paws on her roster. All these bands would be very cool for Incubate, so it’s good that they’re responding very positive to everything I tell them about the festival. The same goes for Nathalie of Primary (WU LYF, Creep, Ariel Pink and TEARIST), Isla of  Nomanis (Papercuts, Cass McCombs, Peaking Lights, Thulebasen) and Ron of Mojo. All very nice people! Ron suggests an amazing project for Incubate 2012. Hopefully more about that soon!

Something that can help with booking a band is talking to other festivals that might be interested in the same bands and see if the combination of two or more shows is interesting for a band or booker. Last year Waves Vienna had a great line-up, two weeks after Incubate. That’s why I meet up with Johanna and Reini who work at the festival. In 2012 their dates are three weeks after Incubate, so the chances that we’re really gonna work together are not big. It’s always good though to hear from each other how the other is organizing their festival. For the same reason Frank and I have a very positive talk with Lode of Leffingeleuren. Leffingeleuren 2012 will be in the weekend of 14-16 september, Incubate is 10-16 september, Lode has a great taste, so we’re excited to work together on some bands.

At thursday night there’s three bands worth mentioning: Thulebasen, Thread Pulls and Iceage.
Thulebasen recently got much more attention because of the success of their friends Iceage (who they replaced at Incubate 2010), but this band is totally different from Iceage. No punk, but psychedelic noise rock weirdness, recommended if you like Black Dice. First part of the show is still a bit boring, but the longer they play the better they get (and how more empty the room gets).
Thread Pulls is another psychedelic noise rock band, a duo from Ireland with drums, guitar, treated vocals and trumpet. Amazing live performance, best band of the day, will definitely try to book them for Incubate this year.
Secret closing act at the Belmont showcase is Iceage. They play in Het Paleis, a venue not made for live music, especially not for a band like Iceage. The music industry audience and the bad sound don’t help either. A bit of a letdown, but every reason to come back on friday in Vera. Frank and I start a moshpit from the start and finally there’s a show at the festival with a non-lethargic audience. Even Vera’s promoter and living legend Peter Weening is jumping in the front. The only two other artists on the friday to make a very good impression are Mirel Wagner from Finland and the mind blowing Za! from Spain.

Saturday is Noorderslag: I don’t like crowds, so I leave early to see Crowds in Vera.

Unfortunately not new material from the Wardruna camp, but still this video of ‘Løyndomsriss’ from the 2009 album ‘Runaljod — gap var Ginnunga’ is worth the watch! We had Wardruna play Natuurtheater back in 2009 and have Glen Hansard and Battles play in the same setting for this year’s Incubate! You can view the new video below here.

Yes you got that right, one of the most scary persons in the world, being frontman from black metal band Gorgoroth for many many years as well as playing in folk act Wardruna (Incubate 2009) has turned his life upside down. Vice has posted an interview with last year’s “Gay Person of the year” in Bergen, Norway about fashion, relationships (with his 19 year old ex-boyfriend, see picture), women and wine. Read the whole interview here. And yes, what the fuck! indeed.

What’s the vision behind Wynjo, the fashion label you started with your ex-boyfriend, Dan DeVero?
Really, I’m not a designer. It was Dan’s idea, Dan’s vision. I’ve pitched in, given a friend a hand, but only financially. I function more as a channel for others. Dan and I haven’t spoken about this for some time. It’s not the planet I’ve been on lately. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a fashion show.

“What’s your relationship to women?
I am very fond of proud women. But I don’t like girls. They’re disgusting. It’s a form of submissiveness that I strongly dislike. I could never be physical with a female being. I dislike their curves, and I never understood breasts. I think it has something to do with their excessively lowered center of gravity. I like masculine lines much more.”

AC Berkheimer (ZXZW 2007)
15 january O Ceallaigh, Groningen

Awkward I (ZXZW 2007)
08 january Gallerie Revolution, Middelburg
13 january Unconvention, Groningen
16 january Coffee Company, Groningen
16 january Noorderslag, Groningen
17 january De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam
23 january Pakhuis Wilhelmina, Amsterdam
09 february Cultuur op de Campus, Nijmegen
11 february Luxor, Arnhem
05 march Paard van Troje, Den Haag
07 march FabrIQ, Den Bosch
19 march Groene Engel, Oss
02 april Victorie, Alkmaar

The Black Atlantic (ZXZW 2007)
03 january Club 3voor12, Utrecht
13 january Unconvention, Groningen
14 january O’Ceallaigh, Groningen
15 january Plato, Groningen
15 january Eurosonic, Groningen
16 january Vera, Groningen

Bonaparte (Incubate 2009)
01 april Bibelot, Dordrecht

Cam Deas (Incubate 2009)
22 january The SCSI Cell, Den Haag
23 janaury Tilburg

Crocus (Incubate 2009)
15 january De Onderbroek, Nijmegen

Daily Bread (Incubate 2009)
14 january Eurosonic, Groningen
16 january Noorderslag, Groningen
23 january De Kelder, Amersfoort
30 january Melkweg, Amsterdam
05 february 013, Tilburg
06 february Hedon, Zwolle
13 february Cayen, Enkhuizen
05 march Patronaat, Haarlem
06 march Brennels Binnen, Kraggenburg
10 april De Pit, Terneuzen

De Anale Fase (Incubate 2009)
15 january Eurosonic, Groningen
16 january Live In Your Livingroom, Groningen

Go Back To The Zoo (ZXZW 2008)
16 january Noorderslag, Groningen
03 february Stukafest, Nijmegen
24 february Stukafest, Amsterdam
13 march Cayen, Enkhuizen

Harry Merry (ZXZW 2006)
15 january Exit, Rotterdam
17 april dB’s, Utrecht

The Hickey Underworld (ZXZW 2007)
15 january Eurosonic, Groningen

Hooghwater (ZXZW 2008)
15 january Crowbar, Groningen
23 january Hedon, Zwolle
29 january Winston, Amsterdam

James Blackshaw (Incubate 2009)
22 january Theater Kikker, Utrecht

Joker (Incubate 2009)
04 march 5 Days Off, Amsterdam
07 may Trouw, Amsterdam

Jozef van Wissem (ZXZW 2007, Incubate 2009)
22 january Theater Kikker, Utrecht
17 february Le Club Suburbia, Amsterdam
04 march Cross Linx, Utrecht
05 march Cross Linx, Eindhoven

Katadreuffe (Incubate 2009)
12 january Sub 071, Leiden
11 march OCCII, Amsterdam

K-Branding (Incubate 2009)
22 january Worm, Rotterdam

Kim Janssen (Incubate 2009)
08 january Winston, Amsterdam
06 february Grand Theatre, Groningen
11 march Paard van Troje, Den Haag
14 march Patronaat, Haarlem
20 may Ekko, Utrecht
22 may Hedon, Zwolle
23 may W2, Den Bosch

Knalpot (Incubate 2009)
09 january Grand Theatre, Groningen
16 january Noorderslag, Groningen
29 january Paradiso, Amsterdam
30 january IFFR, Rotterdam
10 march Paradox, Tilburg
27 march Merleyn, Nijmegen
09 april Festival, Den Bosch

Long Distance Calling (ZXZW 2007)
14 january Eurosonic, Groningen
16 april Roadburn, Tilburg

The Madd (ZXZW 2006)
16 january Noorderslag, Groningen
11 february Stukafest, Rotterdam
24 february Stukafest, Tilburg
06 march Plein 79, Den Bosch
12 march Speakers, Delft
13 march Nirwana, Lierop
20 march Staddijk, Nijmegen
26 march Waerdse Tempel, Heerhugowaard

Monolithic (ZXZW 2008)
14 january Eurosonic, Groningen

Nancy Elizabeth (Incubate 2009)
18 february Theater Kikker, Utrecht

Otis (ZXZW 2006)
20 february Vera, Groningen
26 february Little Devil, Tilburg
27 march Gaellus, Tienray
03 april Area 51, Eindhoven
29 april Publieke Werken, Breda

Pantha Du Prince (ZXZW 2007)
07 march 5 Days Off, Amsterdam

Pintandwefall (Incubate 2009)
14 january Eurosonic, Groningen
14 january Live In Your Livingroom, Groningen
15 january Atak, Enschede

Puma (ZXZW 2008)
10 march Paradox, Tilburg

Rue Royale (Incubate 2009)
13 january Unconvention, Groningen
14 january O’Ceallaigh, Groningen
15 january Plato, Groningen
16 january Vera, Groningen
03 february Stukafest, Nijmegen
10 february Paardrop, Zwolle
24 february Stukafest, Tilburg

Schlachthofbronx (Incubate 2009)
15 january Eurosonic, Groningen
15 january Merleyn, Nijmegen

Shining (ZXZW 2008)
14 january Eurosonic, Groningen
15 april Roadburn, Tilburg
17 april Roadburn, Tilburg
18 april Vera, Groningen

Stöma (ZXZW 2005)
15 january Exit, Rotterdam

Throats (ZXZW 2008)
15 january De Onderbroek, Nijmegen

Tune-Yards (Incubate 2009)
23 february Paradiso, Amsterdam
26 february Worm, Rotterdam
27 february Vera, Groningen

The Reactionaries (Incubate 2009)
29 january Winston, Amsterdam

Reso (Incubate 2009)
09 april Paradiso, Amsterdam

Vox Von Braun (ZXZW 2008)
15 january O Ceallaigh, Groningen

Wardruna (Incubate 2009)
14 january Eurosonic, Groningen

Wardruna did an awesome performance at Incubate 2009. Here’s an eight minute video of ‘Hagal’. Awesome!

If you missed Wardruna, check them out at Eurosonic/Noorderslag in January in Groningen, NL!

By now the artist stream flooding into Tilburg is getting enormous! What do you need to see? Everything! That’s right: it’s all worth it.

Just surprise yourself, don’t see only the things you already know.

Jandek, Misery Signals, Kayo Dot, Mad Professor, Tryee Cooper, Altaar, Jessica Bailiff, Shackleton, AU, Schlachthofbronx, Kraaklink, New Jacks, are of course a couple of the more familiar names today.

Two words will be uttered a lot today: Wardruna and Aktion.

Wardruna is a special folk project Einar ‘Kvitrafn’ Selvik (Jotunspor and ex-Gorgoroth). Wardruna creates ritualistic folk music with traditional instruments such as antlers and wooden logs, inspired by old runes. Fire, water, stones, and branches are use as well. The musical atmosphere that reminds one of an old pagan ritual site complete with trees, fires and druids, will become reality during Incubate as they will perform in an Amphitheater. With the mighty Gaahl of God Seed (also ex-Gorgoroth) on vocals.

Bus schedule:
Busstop will be the parkinglot alongside the Spoorlaan, facing the ABN Amro building. That is just 200 meters from the Info and Ticket Centre.

Bus ride 1 from Tilburg to Natuurtheater: 21.00
Lecture Kennet Granholm: 21.45 – 22.30

Bus ride 2 from Tilburg to Natuurtheater: 22.00
Show Wardruna: 23.00 – 00.00

Bus ride 3 from Natuurtheater back to Tilburg: 00.15
Bus ride 4 from Natuurtheater back to Tilburg: 01.00

Tickets for the bus rides (3 Euros for a return ticket) can be bought at the Info and Ticket centre at the Spoorlaan.

Click on the Wardruna @ Natuurtheater link for more info!

Hermann Nitsch part 6 of 6 from Incubate Tilburg on Vimeo.

Hermann Nitsch‘s Action is the most talked about Incubate happening this year.

Blood. Horror. Filth. Beauty? Rationality? Education? These are some of the ingredients the Austrian artist Hermann Nitsch uses and some of the questions his work raises. Highly controversial for some, highly regarded by others; Nitsch is someone you need to have an opinion on. Not to have one is not possible once you’ve seen the work by one of the instigators of performance art.

Location: 16:00-19:00 Zwijsenpand, Gasthuisring 58, Tilburg (the Netherlands).

click the image for a bigger picture/ klik op het plaatje voor een vergroting.

The whole shabang:

And yes: here’s another one: A Festival guide,. This time by the know-it-alls of KindaMuzik.

They tip Troum, Der Blutharsch, Jandek, Pneu, Masshysteri and a couple of others. Read all about their tips here (in Dutch).

See our last.fm page

or one of the last.fm events of Paradox, Cul de sac, V39, the special Wardruna performance, Der Blutharsch and others on Sunday, Nitsch’s Organ concert, The misery signals/your demise/The Number 12 package, Generation Bass day 1, day 2, day 3, The Damned and others.

Kwadratuur.be Made a dossier about Incubate. So all the news concerning Incubate artists on their site will be highlighted there. Check it out here.

Including an streaming audiotrack by Blues Control and one of Amolvacy (when you’re there, click ‘play’ on the right)

Also they asked some prominent people in the Belgian art world to comment on which artists they recommended for Incubate 2009. A bit like our Incubate Gospel series. So why not incorporate them in our series, as they have some fantastic tips for you guys.

If you can read Dutch MUST check out the full article here!

Here a small summary:

Serge De Pauw – staff of Trix, working for Gonzo Circus
Troum, Gregg Kowalsky, Der Blutharsch, Shackleton, Wardruna.

Peter Deschamps – Also of Gonzo Circus
Mark Ernestus & Tikiman, Joker: “The future of dance music on Incubate”, The Caretaker, Jandek, Hermann Nitsch: “There are no reasons to miss this”

Steve Marreyt, Tommy Denys, Dave Driesmans – from Kraak
Hermann Nitsch: (Organ concerto), Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou, Aluk Todolo, Blues Control, Jandek, Cheveu.

Tom Vangheluwe – Music booker @ De Kreun
Soap & Skin, Jandek, Kayo Dot, Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou, Uri Caine, Drums Are For Parades, I Love Sarah, Subtitle, Pneu.

Patrick Smagghe – Music booker @ 4AD
Finn., Kim Janssen, Jessica Bailiff and Annelies Monseré, Future of the Left, Drums Are For Parades, Tv Buddhas, Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou, Pierced Arrows.

read the full article here

Who are you?
Maarten Koehorst of Sounds Record Store Tilburg

What will you be doing during Incubate 2009 (Sept. 13-20)?
Visiting of course and hosting a small part of the Incubate program

Which three artists do you recommend to see at Incubate 2009?
1. Wardruna

2. Mark Ernestus (Rhythm&Sound) + Tikimannnnnnnnnn

3. Hermann Nitsch

and the acts in my own store…  (Anything Maria, I Love Sarah, Stian Westerhus, Lazy Magnet, Rock Banned)

Which artist would you like to see on Incubate 2010?
If you want an honest answer:….Varg Vikernes as the artist in residence…ha!

Wardruna — the folk project featuring former Gorgoroth drummer Einar “Kvitrafn” Selvik (who has also played with Jotunspor and other bands) and ex-God Seed/Gorgoroth frontman Gaahl — will perform Sep. 19 on the Incubate Festival in Tilburg. Here they will do a special performance in an amphitheater (watch photos of that amazing location here).

Commented the band: “A new member has also been recruited for the live lineup. Erlend Gjerde, who is known for his excellent drum work in Stonegard, will be leading Wardruna’s main battery in the time to come. The full live lineup is thus: Kvitrafn, Gaahl, Lindy-Fay, Erlend Gjerde, Arne Sandvoll and Egil Furenes.”

Via Blabbermouth

Check out more rehearsal photos at this location.

Exclusive performance of Anaal Nathrakh on Incubate

After Wardruna, Der Blutharsch and Hermann Nitsch the Incubate festival from Tilburg, the Netherlands has added another exclusive and much talked-about name to their line-up. Anaal Nathrakh from Birmingham, UK will shake the foundations of the V39 venue during their exclusive show in the Netherlands on 16 September with their ultra fast black metal filled with grindcore, industrial metal and death metal influences. Forget the theatrical corpsepaint, bad productionsound and simulated obscurity of other black metal bands: Anaal Nathrakh only care about violent music, nothing more, nothing less.

Get your tickets here.

Other  noticeable performances, if you like Anaal Nathrakh:

Marhaug: Special performance with Manheim (ex-Mayhem) and Jon Wesseltoft (Thorns) in honour of Hermann Nitsch.

Altar of Plagues: Bleak metal from Ireland, in the vein of Wolves in the Throne Room.

Nox: Dutch death metal squad

Syrach: Doom/death metal from Norway.

Wardruna: Very exclusive performance in an amphitheatre, out in the open. Includes Einar ‘Kvitrafn’ Selvik and Kristian ‘Gaahl’ Espedal (ex-Gorgoroth).

Wanna know what we added more the last week? Look here.

A complaint we don’t understand but get a lot is: “I don’t know any of your bands.” First of all: these are all great bands, so how come you don’t know them? Second: There are a lot of bands in which members play that you DO know, you just didn’t know they played (now) in this band. Some examples from Incubate 2009:

• Forget Them Crooked Vultures! Celan incorporates far more interesting names: Ari Benjamin Meyers (Einstürzende Neubauten, Redux Orchestra) and Chris Spencer (Unsane, Cutthroats 9) for instance. Together with Phil Roeder and Franz Xaver (both of ex-flu.ID) and Niko Wenner (Oxbow) they have what should be referred to as one hell of a super group. Shit, even Superman auditioned for this band but wasn’t super enough!

• Altaar Featuring members of Killl, JR Ewing, Motorpsycho and Sten Ove Toft. Or shorter: You will not skip this band during Incubate.

• The Color of the Sun front man Aron Ward creates original pop songs with strong surf influences. Definitely inspired by the Beach Boys, and not by his dad’s Black Sabbath!

• Wardruna is maybe the least unknown when it comes to famous band members. Black metal legends and both ex-members of the seminal black metal band Gorgoroth, Kvitrafn (Einar Selvik) and Gaahl (Kristian Espedal) are two of the driving forces behind this ritual folk group.

• Lazy Magnet has a dude from USA is a Monster.

• Amolvacy are Aaron Moore from Volcano the Bear, Dave Nuss from No-Neck Blues Band, and Sheila 16 of the Laboratory Theater Group, NYC.

• For Incubate 2009, Marhaug will collaborate with Manheim (Mayhem) and Jon Wesseltoft (Thorns), who will play a special composition influenced by the works of Hermann Nitsch.

• The Terrordactyls are the the band of Kimya Dawson, which you might know from a lot of soundtracks or The Moldy Peaches.

• With Pierced Arrows Fred and Toody Cole pick up where their Dead Moon left off after that was disbanded.

So now you know.

Get your Incubate tickets here.

God Seed — the Norwegian black metal band featuring former Gorgoroth members King (bass; real name: Tom Cato Visnes) and Gaahl (vocals; real name: Kristian Espedal, also in Wardruna) — has released the following statement to Blabbermouth:

“It has been rumored that Gaahl and King have disbanded GOD SEED. However, this is not the case. Gaahl has chosen to retire from metal music. It should not be assumed that this decision has anything to do with Gaahl and King’s working relationship. Gaahl has made this decision for his own personal artistic reasons.”

Commented King in a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET: “There is no drama and there is no bad blood between us; Gaahl just wants a break from metal. GOD SEED will be frozen and I’m prepared to pick it up again when the time is right. Meanwhile, I will focus on other musical projects.”

As Wardruna, :Of the Wand & the Moon:, Brethren of the Free Spirit, Jessica Bailiff and many more are coming to Incubate this year all with their very distinctive folk music, we want you to know that there is an nice festival in the Netherlands that is dedicated to European folk music all it’s forms: Folkwoods. Phiew…That was one long sentence.

Anyway, if you like traditional folk you should check out this great and ‘gezellig’ festival.

Playing are among many others:

Orfeo

Shiner Twins

Rapalje

Bob Wayne and the Outlaw Carnies

and Rik van Iersel will be there as well.

Ow yeah legendary Dutch band Bots will play songs of their upcoming album, which can be bought on Folkwoods before the release date.

Also there will be dance, markets, workshops and many more things.

So you want to come to Incubate 2009, but you’ve never been to Tilburg. So where to stay if you want to see Wardruna’s special performance, The Damned, Soap&Skin, Dananananaykroyd and maybe a peak at Der Blutharsch? Or what if you wanna be at all three Generation Bass nights? Or the whole week, so you won’t miss a thing from Hermann Nitsch?

On our website we made page that holds 10 ideas (and links) to spend the night in Tilburg during the festival.

Click here for that sweet sweet sleep info.

Of course you did notice that the proposed venue for the Wardruna concert was changed a couple of weeks ago. But we wanted to point out how beautiful this new surrounding is.

We can’t wait to get into those little blue chairs and see this already legendary performance unfold before our eyes at dusk.

See more pictures taken by Frank here. there you can also find this cool Wardruna flyer Erik made:

and just because you like moving pictures, here’s a classic documentary with Gaahl as the main focus again:

The series of Artist Exposed for the Incubate 2009 festival, highlights the artists you definitely do not want to miss! Click the tag Artist Exposed for more posts!

Wadruna will play Saturday 19 September at the Bockenreyder Inn exclusively.

Wardruna, a special folk project of Einar ‘Kvitrafn’ Selvik (Jotunspor and ex-Gorgoroth), creates ritualistic folk music with traditional instruments such as antlers and wooden logs, inspired by old runes. Fire, water, stones, and branches are also used.

The natural atmosphere that flows out of the speakers is thick, peaceful and transforms any room in no time into an old pagan ritual site complete with trees, fires and druids. With the mighty Gaahl of God Seed (also ex-Gorgoroth) on vocals.

Wardruna’s show will be set apart from the busy and rushing city. The setting in which they will perform is found around a rural inn called ‘In den Bockenreyder’.

‘In den Bockenreyder’ lends its name from a malicious horde called De Bokkenrijders (The Buckriders: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckriders ). They roamed the lands in the 18th century that are now the borders of the nation states Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Their raids were aimed at farmers and monasteries in the region. The story goes they made a pact with the devil and rode at night on bucks.
There is an eyewitness that claimed that the oaths were taken while denouncing of God and vowing obedience to the devil (symbolized by a cut-off hand holding a candle) with the middle finger and the index finger pointed upwards, as well as the thumb.

One of the places these Bokkenrijders repeatedly showed up was at Landgoed de Utrecht (Utrecht Estate), a little south of a little village called Esbeek. On these 2700 acres of land the inn ‘In den Bockenreyder’ is situated. The fascination of the Bokkenrijders horde for the occult, mysticism and magic is the reason Incubate will present Wardruna on that historic site. One of the aims of this concert is to get people in contact with the historic landscape through the sounds and performance of Wardruna.

The programme:
- The public will be taken to the special Wardruna performance by coaches from Tilburg.
- At the inn they can eat and drink in style.
- When the sun begins to set the visitors are led to an grandstand outside.
While darkness falls, torches light the site. Wardruna performs, the sun will set and the atmosphere will be filled with the visuals and sounds that Wardruna stands for.
-After the concert the visitors will be brought back to the city on the same way that they left it, by bus.

This very special performance of Wardruna will be open for everyone with a Incubate 2009 dayticket for Saturday and of course all Incubate 2009 passepartouts. The bus ride will cost a very small additional amount of money.

For our readers that speak Portuguese:

Posted by the Brazilian Helvete:

18/06 – WARDRUNA confirma apresentação em festival Holandês

WARDRUNA — o projeto de folk/ambient liderado por Einar “Kvitrafn” Selvik (GORGOROTH, SIGFADER, JOTUNSPOT, DEAD TO THIS WORLD, SAHG, BAK DE SYV FJELL e DET HEDENSKE FOLK), e que ainda conta com a participação de Gaahl (GORGOROTH, GOD SEED, TRELLDOM) – confirmou uma apresentação na edição deste ano do Incubate Festival, que acontecerá na semana entre 13-20 de Setembro, na cidade de Tilburg/Holanda. O WARDRUNA irá tocar no sábado, dia 19 de Setembro, em um lugar especial: fora da cidade, perto de uma pousada que tem o nome inspirado nos maliciosos  cavaleiros buckriders.

Além do WARDRUNA, o Incubate irá contar com performances de mais de 200 artistas de diversos gêneros musicais, incluindo ALTAR OF PLAGUES, ALTAAR e MANATEES.

Para maiors informações sobre o festival visite o site incubate.org.

O WARDRUNA se apresentou durante a edição deste ano do Inferno Music Conference. O show foi realizado em frente ao navio Oseberg, no Vikingskipshuset (Museu do Navio Viking). O show foi realizado no dia 09 de Abril, as 1:45pm, e conta com a participação do Gaahl. Confira um vídeo da apresentação abaixo.

Really cool interview with God Seed frontman, Wardruna vocalist and ex-Gorgoroth icon Gaahl. He talks very openly about fashion, homosexuality, music and wine.

Wardruna is performing at ZXZW 2009, which is going to be awesome!

Besides these fragments you can watch the whole interview here at Face Culture.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ46Qn0JYeg]

Here’s the full list of lately confirmed artists:

Wardruna

Andrew Keen

Bodi Bill

Altaar

I Love Sarah

Centbisous

Cathy van Eck

Aart Strootman

Esra Pehlivanli

Tetsuya Hori

Jan Willem Troost

Sax & Sticks

Stian Westerhus

We’re always looking for more artists. Please give us tips via getsatisfaction/zxzw or last.fm and we’ll check it out!

Wardruna is a cool folk initiative by Black metal dude Kvitrafn, in collaboration with the infamous Gaahl. Check out the video above for a good quality recording at a Norwegian talkshow.