Rock Werchter 2009

[mark_87]

Was my festival of the summer last year, the dates for 2009 are 2-5 July.

Only confirmation thus far is Oasis, despite this I intend to go again and am optimistic for a similarly good lineup. Who else is thinking of going? Any rumours going around?

[Sparticus]

i really want to go to this next year, even if the economy is royally in shit lol. In case anyone's interested, someone posted this in one of the other forums on here with the current rock werchter 2009 rumours http://www.julboxworld.com/3.html

Oasis Bloc Party Keane Kaiser Chiefs Guns 'N Roses AC/DC Mötorhead The Verve

Das Pop Coldplay Zornik The Cure Metallica

Kings Of Leon Chemical Brothers Franz Ferdinand

Smashing pumpkins Nine inch nails Cypress Hill The Prodigy, NO DOUBT

some interesting names, will just be good to see oasis in a crowd not completely full of dickheads.

[Dave]

This years fest was amazing, first time there and definately worth the ticket price. Not going to go this year though, pound is shit against the euro and can't afford it I don't think

[LustForLeith]

has anyone got more info on the festival? Quite fancy doing something different this year and when I saw last years line up I was well impressed. Tried to register on the offical website for information but having problems doing this so wondered if anyone had any more information such as where exaclty it is, how easy is it to get to, is it a campsite or can you stay locally etc.

Thanks in advance!

[Lital]

has anyone got more info on the festival? Quite fancy doing something different this year and when I saw last years line up I was well impressed. Tried to register on the offical website for information but having problems doing this so wondered if anyone had any more information such as where exaclty it is, how easy is it to get to, is it a campsite or can you stay locally etc.

Thanks in advance!

[Mr.S]

has anyone got more info on the festival? Quite fancy doing something different this year and when I saw last years line up I was well impressed. Tried to register on the offical website for information but having problems doing this so wondered if anyone had any more information such as where exaclty it is, how easy is it to get to, is it a campsite or can you stay locally etc.

Thanks in advance!

[JB15]

i really want to go to this next year, even if the economy is royally in shit lol. In case anyone's interested, someone posted this in one of the other forums on here with the current rock werchter 2009 rumours http://www.julboxworld.com/3.html

Oasis Bloc Party Keane Kaiser Chiefs Guns 'N Roses AC/DC Mötorhead The Verve

Das Pop Coldplay Zornik The Cure Metallica

Kings Of Leon Chemical Brothers Franz Ferdinand

Smashing pumpkins Nine inch nails Cypress Hill The Prodigy, NO DOUBT

some interesting names, will just be good to see oasis in a crowd not completely full of dickheads.

[Semprini]

Festivalnoise.be have stuck their neck out and listed the following as their likely bands for 2009:

Headliners:

AC/DC

Metallica

Coldplay

Oasis

Main Stage:

Franz Ferdinand

The Killers

Kings Of Leon

The Last Shadow Puppets

Marquee:

Beirut

Novastar

I can't translate the website exactly but it basically says they have pooled all their info together to come up with these names but NONE have been officially confirmed yet. The only one I'm a bit dubious about is The Last Shadow Puppets as I'm pretty sure Arctic Monkeys will be out and about next summer (they're playing the Big Day Out in Australia in March) so I can't see Alex playing with 2 bands at the same time. I'll be happy if this is the line up (minus The Kings of Leon) as I'm hopefully off to Pukkelpop again next year and don't really want to see any of these bands There's already a lot of discontent from the locals on the official forum about the prospect of Oasis playing, and all the 'pissed up idiots' they'll attract from the UK, so tbh I don't really want Liam and Co anywhere near Hasselt next summer - RW you're welcome to them!!!!

[JB15]

Bar Oasis, that would all be quality!! Really hope that's true. Although agree about Last Shadows, would have thought Arctics would be more likely. Also, isn't there normally a big couple of dance acts? Any thoughts on who these might be?

[danbrown1983]

Bar Oasis, that would all be quality!! Really hope that's true. Although agree about Last Shadows, would have thought Arctics would be more likely. Also, isn't there normally a big couple of dance acts? Any thoughts on who these might be?

[ste4_20]

How reliable is the rumour source? Is it like when the likes of Q and NME predict who's playing? Based on the past, I'd be surprised if Metallica don't play and there isn't at very least 1 big dance act, probably 2. From the bigger list, any 3 from The Cure, 'tallica, Smashing Pumpkins, Daft Punk, AC/DC or NiN would see me back there.

Went in 07 and been looking for an excuse to go back, last year wasn't strong enough on the whole to justify it. I didn't think there was a lack of atmosphere for the music, it was quiet, but in my book that's not necessarily a bad thing.

[Mr.S]

How reliable is the rumour source? Is it like when the likes of Q and NME predict who's playing? Based on the past, I'd be surprised if Metallica don't play and there isn't at very least 1 big dance act, probably 2. From the bigger list, any 3 from The Cure, 'tallica, Smashing Pumpkins, Daft Punk, AC/DC or NiN would see me back there.

Went in 07 and been looking for an excuse to go back, last year wasn't strong enough on the whole to justify it. I didn't think there was a lack of atmosphere for the music, it was quiet, but in my book that's not necessarily a bad thing.

[ste4_20]

i can see NIN and possibly AC/DC playing. 'Tallica basically headlined in 2007 with a super long set, so id surprised if they came back to headline again.

Haven't Smashing Pumpkins called it quits again? I heard their not going to make new albums..

Dance act wise, i can see Daft Punk playing, and if they are, headlining one of the days.

[ralph250]

not sure about kings of leon. They've played it in all the years I've gone (05, 07, 08); not sure they'll do it 4 out of 5 years. saying that kaisers have played the last 3.

Think they'll be looking for more variation tho, to mix it up a bit, especially with the headliners so not sure it'll be metallica (03, 04, 07), faithless (02,05,07), rem(03,05,08), chem bros (05,07,08), muse (04,06,07) as they've done it a bit too much recently.

I think nine inch nails would be a good shout, played penultimate slot before rammstein in 05. Pumpkins would be if they're still touring, as would ratm next year.

ac/dc, coldplay, oasis good possibilities as not done it in a while. Killers possible as only done it 07; since I've been going anyways. Arctics did it 06 and 07, so not sure they'll do it again this year. last shadow puppets maybe.

Would say blur are a possibility, although not sure they'd want oasis and blur on the same lineup.

Werchter likes it's big dance acts for headliners, and chems, faithless, moby all done it recently on mainstage, underworld and justice on pyramid.....makes me think they'll try and go all out for daft punk. Would make the most sense anyway.

Outsider bet could go to springsteen aswell, if ac/dc don't play. They do occasionally book an oldie (ie. neil young 08; peter gabriel 07; bowie 04 before he fell ill and had to cancel). If he does do glasto, could be staying around for a week to do roskilde/werchter aswell. Just a possibility anyways.

[mudmonkey]

Ralph - looking at the repetition of headliners you mention I would say that RW have no problem getting the same bands back regularly. On that basis at least Faithless & Muse could be seen as possibilities as they didnt play last year. Maybe Prodigy as another big dance headliner?

Went to RW for the first time last year and if the line up comes anything close to that I'll be back, as the rest of the festival is brilliant!

[JB15]

Ralph - looking at the repetition of headliners you mention I would say that RW have no problem getting the same bands back regularly. On that basis at least Faithless & Muse could be seen as possibilities as they didnt play last year. Maybe Prodigy as another big dance headliner?

Went to RW for the first time last year and if the line up comes anything close to that I'll be back, as the rest of the festival is brilliant!

[fingers_mark]

won't be able to go this year, had a great time last year.

if prodigy, daft punk and coldplay do play through, i'll be disappointed to miss out!

[fingers_mark]

mudmonkey, as you've been to RW before, I was wondering if you could describe the fest? What are the prices of food and drink like? Is there much to do apart from music? Is there only the 2 stages? What are the rest of the crowd like? I've only ever been to V and Reading before, but am really thinking about RW as the lineup is consistently great!

[Dave]

With the Euro now being as shit as it is, a beer at RW last year in the arena was 2.50 euros, and that was half a pint, or even less with the head!! So a pint will now set you back a fiver!

Most food was all on token basis again, 1 euro for 1 token, with most meals around the 5-7 token mark.

Did come across any idiots at all, completely different crowds to that of V or Reading. Moshpits down the front didn't really kick off but if you want a jump around then you need to be at the very front. The Belgians like to stand and appreciate!

Great festival, shame I probably won't be back this year.

[ste4_20]

You only buy tokens when you're inside the arena, outside its cash. There's a supermarket just off the main camping site too (or there was in 07 anyway).

Its the same as most corporate festivals, inside the arena its expensive, outside its less so. But yeah, it is mostly Stella thats served but it was 1.50 for 250ml outside the arena I think. I didn't think the food was too bad for a big festival, far better than what I've had at major festivals here in terms of quality and price. Again though, I only ate outside the arena, not in it.

With the Euro/Pound though, its only going to get, and seem, more expensive.

Edited January 12, 2009 by ste4_20

[Sparticus]

i'll have to make a plan for booze, haven't touched stella since i was 17, turns me absolutely loopy and i have no idea how anything which makes people so aggressive is still legal just grin and bear with the currency exchange rate, i'd rather have a holiday in a fest than be heading back to leeds (far too crowded this year, the mud didn't help but it took like 45 mins to get out of the arena after the bands had finished, serious bottleneck scenario's).

[mudmonkey]

Its a great festival, amazing atmosphere. About 10% English, the rest Belgian, Dutch, German, Irish, Scandinavian. All happy to have a chat and a laugh.

The layout is similar to V - the 2 stages are in an arena. The main stage is huge, 2nd stage in a tent, similar size to indoor stages at UK fests. There was lots of segregation at the main stage, about 6 different sections to prevent crowd crushes, so its quite hard to get to mates at the front!

The organisation is also very good, no problems with mud despite a couple of wet days. And even the toilets are clean, relatively fragrant and with loo roll provided!

Prices were €2.25 for half a stella if you bought tokens in advance, €2.50 on site. It was watered down a bit though I think, the stuff we were drinking in Leuven and Brussels was definitely much stronger! It was a bit cheaper on the road outside where there were also many bars, but you can't bring drink into the arena. Similarly I bought all my food out on the road, lovely roast chicken for €7, plus baguettes, waffles, hot dogs, kebabs, anything you could want really!

If you don't like the Stella, try the cherry beer!!

[heed-the-ball]

best bit is the line of sandwich stalls and bars outside the gates, perfect for the walk back to the campsite.

[Toilet Duck]

...Have to say that I enjoy RW...pretty easy festival to go to. 2 stages means there are never really many clashes, and it's easy to find people if you do wander off to have a look at something else. Camping is very civilised, plenty of space and I like the wee bars they have at each campsite...handy in the morning and on the way home!...having said all that, I go purely for the lineup, which will probably be one of the strongest in europe again this year. If you want a festival in the truest sense of the word, then this isn't it. There's not a lot of variety...2 stages, plain food and only beer/cherry beer to drink (I never want to drink another cherry beer as long as I live!)...It's expensive to drink inside, but very easy to bring in spirits (if they are in juice cartons then they won't be taken off you....but it's easy enough ot get a plastic bottle in). The main thing that p***es me off about the whole festival is the fact that the food stalls can't sell drinks (either inside or outside!)...they get a permit for one or the other, so when you get your sausage or burger or whatever, you have to wander off to find somewhere to sell you a drink...barmy idea. Anyway, all in all it's a good wee festie, not glasto, but better than V!

[Mr.S]

...Have to say that I enjoy RW...pretty easy festival to go to. 2 stages means there are never really many clashes, and it's easy to find people if you do wander off to have a look at something else. Camping is very civilised, plenty of space and I like the wee bars they have at each campsite...handy in the morning and on the way home!...having said all that, I go purely for the lineup, which will probably be one of the strongest in europe again this year. If you want a festival in the truest sense of the word, then this isn't it. There's not a lot of variety...2 stages, plain food and only beer/cherry beer to drink (I never want to drink another cherry beer as long as I live!)...It's expensive to drink inside, but very easy to bring in spirits (if they are in juice cartons then they won't be taken off you....but it's easy enough ot get a plastic bottle in). The main thing that p***es me off about the whole festival is the fact that the food stalls can't sell drinks (either inside or outside!)...they get a permit for one or the other, so when you get your sausage or burger or whatever, you have to wander off to find somewhere to sell you a drink...barmy idea. Anyway, all in all it's a good wee festie, not glasto, but better than V!