Fox Reviews Rock

Introduction

Readers of the site will know that I was going to Orange Blossom Special Festival (OBS) for quite some time. I have been providing pre-festival press in the form of interviews , 11 of which with bands and 1 with the festivals owner Rembert. The coverage at the event originally was meant to be all three days but in the end we only attended the Friday.

Review

Pre Festival

We woke up the morning of OBS at a local camp site and hostel. Having arrived much later than intended the night before we were surprisingly full of bounce and vigour. Likely because it was festival day, and maybe a little something to do with the cake we had for tea the night before!

We arrived at the festival grounds for around 10am and were given a tent to use. Not only this but a member of the festival crew helped us set it up in the crew field. This meant we would have excellent access for all of the festivals activities. As well as a clear path to follow should we need to rush anywhere at 2am.

Once settled in we immediately began to explore. Our first stop being the famous festival delicacy of deep fried Calzone. Absolutely delicious , full of flavour and a real body warmer.

This was a good opportunity before the crowds arrived to see where we would need to go later that day. OBS Being a small festival meant that it would honestly be no issue for anyone to find what they wanted.

As we did not have our wristbands at this point we went to the collection point. Due to them not being available till the festival properly opening we were instead invited inside to have a look around.

This was quite the surreal experience, and one we were grateful for as it gave us a chance to fully take things in and explore before the arena became crowded. While inside we witnessed the festival crew having their last minute meetings and it was obvious that the mood was high.

Merchandise , Beer & Food

Once it was time to enter the festival for real it was straight to the festival merchandise stand which was already busy by the time we got there! I personally picked up a hoodie , t-shirt and hat as I wanted to remind myself post event of the time I had. I found all the merchandise to be very reasonably priced as well as the merchandise staff very friendly.

Before the first band of the day we decided it was time to engage in some beer drinking, it is a festival in Germany after all it would have felt weird not to! We were pleasantly surprised at the price of the beers , although we do think perhaps they could have been a little bigger for the price.

We were really impressed with the branded plastic cups that you could take back to the bar to get a Euro off your next drink. The quality of the cup was excellent and we took one home each. The beer itself was a local variety and was really refreshing. I even ended up at one point having one mixed with cola due to the language mix up and while I would be unlikely to have it again any time soon , it was nicer than I was expecting.

Our experience with food while at the festival was also a great one too! With the before mentioned Calzone being excellent. This was only backed up by the delicious Currywurst that we enjoyed in the late afternoon. With so much choice I have no doubt that the many different food stalls would have something for everyone.

GARDENS

What a fantastic band to kick off the days entertainment. With the synths coming through even more clearly live than on record this really gave their performance a more in depth sound than I was expecting.

Their performance was also the first time that I had ever entered a photo pit, sure I’m not the best photographer… But this photo highlighted another element to their performance. How much fun the band were having.

The highlight of their set had to be Waves which is my favourite song by GARDENS. One thing is for certain, I like Dream Pop!

Personal Trainer

The best bands always have a singer that people remember long after the performance is over. Personal Trainer are one of those bands for sure! I’ve never seen someone captivate a crowd in the middle of an afternoon before by pulling their shirt half way over their head. That was only just one of the many different entertaining things he did.

Their set was somewhat impacted by technical difficulties, yet due to their playful attitude towards it this was never an issue. I enjoyed the band interaction with each other , which was much easier to see due to my stage side view. This might be one of my favourite things about the festival. At no time did I struggle to get close to the stage to take photos.

The Pighounds

This was the only show on the 2nd stage all day , which I did find a little bit strange. However what they did with it was BRILLIANT! Rather than limit The Pighounds to a 25 minute set , they instead cut their show into two halves.

This meant that they could have a bigger set than likely at other festivals. This is truly something around the world that other festivals could learn from OBS! The band were excellent to bringing that Grungy vibe to the day, in the best way possible. The location of the 2nd stage also meant that people did not need to move far between stages, another advantage to having a smaller festival.

I was very happy to have a brief opportunity to say thanks to the band between their sets for the interview we had done together!

Botticelli Baby

We made the most of the ample seating to share some food and drink during the Botticelli Baby set. This was made much easier due to the big screen towards the back of the arena which meant we did not feel like we was missing out. This was also a great experience due to spending time with a local father and son who attend yearly. Exchanging tales of the festival and music in general.

The Botticelli Baby set was really interesting with so many of them on stage but also the style of music being so different to the rest of the acts. You could really tell the crowd were digging it. They sounded really tight live , and it was obvious that they had real chemistry.

SHIRLEY HOLMES

What became our headline performance and also our own personal festival closer. SHIRLEY HOLMES , not only sounded absolutely fantastic… But it was really amazing to see the duel frontwomen in action! Their indie/punk style was like a magnet to my ears, and I was fully hooked!

We took the opportunity to grab another beer and watch the show from the other side of the stage. Regardless of what position we found ourselves in at OBS though we always found we had a cracking view to the stage (Unless the 6ft 6 Man got in way, as seen in the photo)

It was amazing to hear Angst & Hobbys live, with the crowd really enjoying it and joining in. However what surprised me the most was that I didn’t mind the mostly German lyrics at all. I thought I would notice much more than I did. At the end of the day music is universal.

Closing Thoughts

The festival itself was a really impressive sight to behold. With things running very smoothly thanks to the tight nit team behind the scenes. The varied line up was a refreshing change to what I am personally used to also. Food and drink are always important at a festival and in this case I cannot rate it any higher, seriously tasty and reasonably priced.

Would I go back to OBS? If given the chance , in a heartbeat. I would not be looking forward to the travelling to and from the event though. Also note to self, book a hotel.

All photos used in this review were taken by myself and I do not give anyone the right to use them. All rights to the songs used in this review are retained by the artists in questions. This site claims no rights over them.