OBSCENE EXTREME AMERICA 2013

I started my trip on the 25th March. With the train I got from Zürich (Switzerland) to Frankfurt. Some horrible hours later in cheap flight airplanes and changing the airplane in Santo Domingo and Panama City I finally arrived in Mexiko City. Although I can't really speak Spanish and the guys at the bus terminal weren't able to speak English I could get a bus ticket to Toluca where I checked in at my hotel.

Because I didn't want to spend more money for a taxi I missed the pre-party on the 28th March (I know, I should be ashamed). The next day I could only find the location with the help of my taxidriver, my card and some helpful guys who were working or visiting this valley. I didn't want to miss a band in the morning so I was there at exactly 10 o'clock. After going through the security check and buying a ticket it could finally start.

The location was great! It was in the valley of the nuns (I forgot the Spanish name) which was a part of "La Marquesa" which itself was again a part of a huge national park with a lot of natives, touristic stuff and just beautiful countryside. Therefore the festival area was surrounded by valleys, mountains, trees, really small cottages and places where you could rent a quad or a horse or do other funny stuff. The festival area was actually huge. It wasn't really flat but it wasn't a hill either. So there was the beer tent at one side of the area and the stage at the opposite end. Therefore if you've been at the beer tent you could perfectly see the show above all the other heads standing in front of the stage. But you didn't have to climb neither. So quite perfect! There were also some trees giving a shadow place during the quite hot day (in the morning and the afternoon it was between 24 and 27 degrees but the sun was burning quite strong). The climate there is kind of a "desert climate". Therefore the ground was really dry. If there was a dancing and grinding crowd in front of the stage you could just see a cloud of sand. Funny, but not when you were a part of this crowd. Then it actually was hard to breath. The first day was quite cool but it was sad that Napalm Death took a 45 minutes soundcheck instead of their actual 15 minutes soundcheck. The people replied that with some Spanish (swear?) words which they shouted in the direction of the band. Sadly I just had a thin jacket with me and I was freezing as hell ("it's Mexico, it'll be hot"! not when the sun is gone!). So I had to leave after Napalm Death.

The next day I came again at 10 o'clock. Of course with a sunburned head from the day before. The procedure was actually the same: drinking some beer - called "Indio", really good - during the shows, watch almost every band, sometimes in the crowd, sometimes not and meet a lot of other people. Some from Europe and some from Mexico. Quite cool!

All together I really liked at the OEF America: the ambiance, the beer, Amputated Genitals, Disgorge, Urtikaria Anal, Mister Chile, Gore and Carnage, Malignancy, the vegan sandwiches, the grind market and the people dancing on the stage! I was disappointed of: Macabre (the singer was bitching about his amp all the time, not my music, one hour show,...), Napalm Death's soundcheck, the climate (not disappointed but unhappy and it's acutally my fault), Dying Fetus (I've seen better shows), too less people.

Last but not least: never drink mezcal after you've already had a lot of beers ;)

The next few days I spent in Toluca.

OBSCENE EXTREME ASIA 2013

On the 2nd of April I left the town and on the 5th of April I arrived at my hotel in Jakarta. Thanks to one night at the airport because of a flight at 6am, the cheap flights and the changing/waiting at Los Angeles, Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur. Horrible. But comparitively cheap. I got to my hotel at 1pm and went to sleep at 2pm. Suddenly it was Saturday and I had to leave to find the festival! Therefore: no time to relax! Gladfully it was only a 15 minutes walk by food and easy to find. The area was in a "normal park" for pedestrians in this huge city. There was a lot of space as well and of course the beer tent couldn't be missed. The difference to Mexico was that it was 1. a flat festival area, 2. the food and the softdrinks were organized by Indonesian guys outside of the area, 3. the climate was completely different. Instead of hot dry air there it was just ultra hot and the humidity felt like one million per cent. Actually I think it was about 80% or something like this. I come from Switzerland and I've never been in a tropical country or even out of Europe before. So it was a real shock. During the night, the temperatures didn't really fall below 25 degrees. Amazing. Also the culture was completely different (although I have long hairs, I wasn't allowed to sit in the women's part of the bus). I wasn't able to speak Bahasi at all so it was kinda hard to find vegetarian food.

With hands and feet I got a bowl of glas noodels, "normal" noodles, soya sprosses and some herbes. It was really good with a homemade chilli sauce (at least an Indonesian guy told me that it is homemade)! So I ate about 9 portions during the festival. One portion costed about one dollar...

The shows were really good and I met again a lot of people. A German guy who was travelling through Asia just with his hammock, some other Europeans, some Australians and of course a lot of Indonesians. They were really interested in me just because I'm white (actually rascist) and wanted to take a picture and talk to me all the time, although they weren't really good in English. There I was kind of famous, I almost felt like a celebrity ;).

Also I met Curby the first time in Indonesia. I didn't know him. For me he just was this ominous guy who has been organizing the OEF in the Czech Republic for a long time and now in three other countries aswell. I always heard Curby, Curby, Curby, but didn't know how he looked. So he was just sitting at a table with a young women (his daughter, how I'll learn) and I asked with my bowl in my hand, if it was allowed to have a seat. After some conversation about my food I asked him if he would play in a band at this festival. Then I got to know the secret about this person. It was Curby. I actually felt a little bit stupid.

On the first day in the evening it started to rain. And in Asia it doesn't rain just a bit. The scared Europeans and Australians were drinking some beer under the more or less dry tent. During this time the ground more and more wasn't able to save all this water and after some time there was a little pond in front of the stage. A lot of people didn't really care. It was still about 30 degrees, so no problem! I went to eat something (again) and when I finished it, it also stopped raining, I went back to the crowd and after about five minutes I was full of mud. Some guys were even dancing half naked in this little pond. It was the show of Unholy Grave. Just amazing these guys!

On the next day, the ground was still wet and the mud was kind of this mud I really hate. In the state of drying, so when you step into it, you almost lose your shoes. But the crew of the OEF solved it. They had some big pieces of carpet which they laid in front of the stage. So you were still able to dance and do party where the ground has been a little pond.

What I really liked at the OEF Asia: Unholy Grave, Birdflesh, Wormrot, the food, people.

Of what I was a bit disappointed: Beer (stout), the punk band who played just about two songs and just talked about political stuff, the crowd was less crazy then in mexico except during wormrot.

What I had to get used to: the culture; breaks during the fetival, praying at 4am next to my hotel, the climate, the red mud which is still on my shoes.

OBSCENE EXTREME AUSTRALIA 2013

The cheapest way to Melbourne was to fly via Gangzhou (China). The flight was again in the morning, so I had to spend the night before at the Airport (at least it was airconditioned). After waiting five hours at the gate in Gangzhou the flight to Melbourne was easy. It was great that I could get a bed at the Bendigo itself. The OEF Australia was a multi-venue show. Indoor but in two different locations. Some bands played at the Bendigo Hotel and some at the Tote Hotel.

Both locations were really great. Of course I was more into the Bendigo because I lived there, I just had to go downstairs to see the shows and I already knew all the people living and working there. The shows were pretty good visited. Because it was an indoor show, the space was limited, of course. During the shows from 10pm on it was pretty full inside the locations. To change the location you only had to walk along one street for about one or two minutes and cross two streets. Therefore, if you didn't really like the band playing you could just change the location to hear another band. You just had a problem if there were playing two great bands at the same time.

Both locations had a great beergarden to catch some fresh air and talk to some people. Both nights were really cool and on the second one I got a flyer of an aftershow at another location on sunday. Me and a Canadian friend I met there decided to go there aswell of course. The aftershow party (or -concert) was at the Gasometer Hotel only 10 minutes by foot from the Bendigo. There was one stage on the floor level and one stage on the first floor. Of course, there was a pub and a lot of tables and benches to hang out, aswell! There were playing some bands who already played the nights before and some "new" ones. Therefore a really great additional evening. And that for a really fair price of about 10$.

My favorites during the OEF Australia: Sete Star Sept, Birdflesh, Fuck I'm Dead, Captain Kleanoff, the two grinders at the aftershow party (forgot their name, but it was a really cool show!), good Australian beer.

Of what I was a bit disappointed: sometimes there was a little too less space, but thats kinda normal for good indoor concerts. Else; Nothing! Just a blast!

OBSCENE EXTREME EUROPE 2013

After 1 1/2 week in Australia I went home and after again three weeks I started my Europe-trip. From city to city and festival to festival. But for one festival I've been more looking forward to than for any else: the OEF Europe in Trutnov, Czech Republic! As all the OEF-followers might know; the festival already exists since 1999. Although I went to all the OEF of the world tour I've never made it to the "original" festival in Trutnov. Therefore it was my first time and I was really excited to go to the roots of the OEF. And I totally didn't get disappointed!

I got a hotelroom in the center of Trutnov. Just a 10-15 minutes walk to the festival area. Finally, on wednesday, it began. I was quite impressed of the size of the festival area. A lot of different booths where you could get a amazing variety of food and different beers, aswell as cocktails, liquor, of course. Not to forget the big beer tent with a lot of benches and tables and aswell the awesome stage area. The whole festival is located in an old battlefield area. Therefore the stage area was part of a amphitheater. In front of the huge stage has been some free space to dance, crowdsurf, etc. A little further away from the stage there has been some benches, built up in a half circle, up a hill. As I said, like in an amphitheater. Up the hill there has been some more bars. Behind these bars, into the forest, you could find a lot of different merch sellers. Hundreds of CDs, Tshirts, Vinyl and whatever you need for your grind-heart has been sold there.

On wednesday, in the afternoon, there were some different games which were played by the bravest of the bravest visitors, as drinking some liquids or the "chef and the shrimp". Nice to watch, but I wasn't masochistic enough to attend in any of the games! In the evening was the doom fest with about three bands.

From Thursday on there have been so many bands, I actually can't count them or even tell you the names of half of the bands, without looking it up. It was an incredible fest, on Friday and Saturday even from 10am to 3am! Although I've been on the festival area for a long time I couldn't eat all the different meals, I actually wanted to. Just too much choice! And everything vegetarian/vegan! Not to forget the good beer for only 30 CZK/1.20€ per 0.5l!

The aftershowparty on sunday - it took place at the beertent, with less people, but not less entertainment - was a good opportunity to spend all my crowns I had leftover. Again the chinese goregrinders of Cave Have Rod, Holocausto Canibal, Exhumed, Haemorrhage and Captain Cleanoff gave everything on the stage. The show of Sete Star Sept - who also played on the main stage during the festival - was quite disappointing. The bass/bassamp didn't really want to work, so they had kind of to give up during there show. But I quickly found replacement in buying a beer ;)

What I really liked about the OEF Europe: food, cheap beer, crowd (hell of a crowd! not comparetively to all the other OEFs), BIRDFLESH, Haemorrhage, etc.

Of what I was a little bit disappointed: nothing! Just the best festival on the whole tour!

I spent over one month on this trip, spent thousands of dollars, but I was happy as hell! Just awesome!!!

So for everyone: if you just have the chance to go to one of the OEF in this world; DO IT! It's a f*cking blast! Always great bands, always great ambience, fair prices, a lot of crazy and friendly people! What else do you want more on a festival?!

See you at one of the OEFs!