Magnapop
Bevrijdingsdag, Rotterdam
05/05/03
Perhaps Rotterdam is one of the few locations in the world that could hold an outdoor music festival that is surrounded by a picturesque church, a canal and trees, whilst also being enclosed in a tight concrete prison of industry with office buildings merely metres from the stage. Not that this is a bad situation to be in; after all, who actually enjoys being stuck out in an open air park all day, drowning in mud as the rain electrocutes performers one by one?
Electrocution doesn't have to be a negative though, especially when the line-up includes Do, the Netherlands Best Newcomer winner at the TMF Awards last month. Currently just a two hit wonder, with the same Bryan Adams song covered twice. Happily, her show was gladly bypassed.
With the removal of the local hip hop and dance acts, this reduced the day down to one promising band. Coming on whilst being greeted by further storms was Magnapop. Does the name sound familiar? Maybe you saw their name in a magazine once? Maybe not. It has been quite some time since this band graced the media.
Hailing from the US in the early nineties with their upbeat grungy punk pop, Magnapop were initially famous for being produced by Michael Stipe and Bob Mould. And yet, here they are in the rain almost ten years later, randomly playing in the Netherlands on the last day of their tour.
The guitars are fuzzy, the tunes are, well, punky and poppy. Time to check the calendar and make sure you didn’t really slip back in time. This isn't intended as an insult though. Whilst the band has clearly aged, they have not left their sense of fun behind them. Vocalist Linda Hopper in particular showed enough enthusiasm to get the younger members of the audience on board as hardcore fans gathered at the barrier.
However, it really isn’t that surprising they are here in Holland. They actually became cult heroes here in the 1990’s and can afford to come back to a country that treats them well.
As well as a lot of older hits, the band tackled 'Thirteen' by Big Star with an attack of bass groove and also managed a thrashy Guided By Voices cover.
Of course this set list wasn’t designed to change the world or even your perspective on music. The one important ingredient they didn’t forget to bring on holiday with them was the fun. They came, they rocked out, and they brightened up the sodden concrete of Rotterdam at dinnertime on a Monday.
Steven McCarron
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