Werfpop 2012. Eli ´Paperboy´ Reed and Le Peuple de l´Herbe

Eli ´Paperboy´ Reed. Foto Wo.

You can listen to Eli ´Paperboy´ Reed here and

to Le Peuple de l´Herbe here.

The festival's name, Werfpop, is derived from the previous location, the smaller Van der Werffpark in the city centre. Van der Werff was mayor of Leiden during the siege of the city by the Spaniards in 1574. Allegedly he offered his left arm to the population to eat as long as they decided not to surrender. They didn't and won out.

And so it turned into a better day any, after the floodgates had been opened up in the early afternoon. Eli ´Paperboy´ Reed is the sort of artist that was born circa thirty, forty years to late and with the wrong skin colour. I´ve listened to his first album a couple of times, but it just didn´t work for me. Why does someone want to be Otis Redding or Wilson Pickett or Sam Cooke? It's not that his album was made bad or the songs totally sucked. Half of it was that I can't listen to a whole album by the named and famed trio also. So the same goes for Reed. I was curious though what he would sound like live, as some of the songs do rock, sort of. I wasn't disappointed. Although Reed is something of a poser, he has the voice, a James Brown like wail and a good and tight band that accompanies him every move. (Why the background singer got to sing so little bemused through the whole set though.) Some of his songs are better than others, but when they rocked there was no holding back, even if they get to close to his heroes. Although I liked The Loved Ones a  lot better in the mid-nineties, Reed delivered at Werfpop without doubt.

Van der Werff(pop). Foto Wo.

Le Peuple de l'Herbe was in between the show on the main stage on the other side. OMG rappers, but it didn't take them too long to get my feet moving. The band, drums and bass, rocked very hard. A keyboardist, trumpeter and rapper all in one and a deejay/scratcher and two rappers/singers. To my big surprise I stayed for a second song, a third, etc., till it was time to stake a spot outside of the mud in front of the main stage for De Staat (read on here). Funny how music can surprise someone. This band rocked hard. I can only compare it to 'Fight for your right' as that is as far as my rap/rock knowledge goes and 'Walk this way' of course, but that already was an existing song rapped over. I did wonder why did these middle aged looking guys want to play in a rap band?, at the beginning of the set, but that became totally clear to me. To rock this hard and so prominently as a rhythm section is non-existent in a rock outfit. It's always the guitar, perhaps keyboard taking the lead. These guys got a lot of people moving with plain rock rap, jazzy instrumental with trumpet playing and more rap based songs. Things got swinging.

Le Peuple de l'Herbe. Foto Wo.

The Pennywise show was cancelled due to a back injury of the singer. I would really have liked to see them end the festival. It was not to be. As I am no metal fan I did not stay around for Sepultura. Hundreds of people were still walking towards the park to see the final act play. I stopped at the Hendo on the way home, had French fries with a deliciously sour mayonnaise. Quite the day out.

Wo.


You can order Roll with me by Eli Reed here


or here





You can order 'A matter of time' by Le Peuples here

Or here



or here