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Tips on attending a metal fest in Europe
It's always been a dream of mine to attend one of those big metal fests - simply don't have those in my country. I'll be traveling to Europe for the first time, and I really want to catch one while I'm there.
I'll be there from 13 July - 29 July this year, particularly on the west side of Europe. Planning to go the UK, Switzerland, Germany and maybe more. I found this fest that seems to fit my criteria, Baden in Blut.
I just wonder how comfortable I'll be, as someone who only speaks English and is going solo. Should I be worried about anything? Any advice? Thanks!
You probably already know this but I'll always scream this from the rooftops anyways incase someone needs the memo - HEARING PROTECTION. WEAR IT.
Holy fuck people don't realise how incredibly fragile their ears are. They don't give warning before they break. It can literally be one single loud event and you have lifelong damage. Doesn't even have to be particularly loud, I know people who've gotten permanent tinnitus after vacuuming their house for a bit too long. It just happens sometimes. It's not an age thing, I got mine when I was 20 and that was just from occasionally playing in symphony orchestras, I didn't attend anything louder than that. The best thing you can do is be proactive. Drop €40 on a pair of quality earplugs, Eargasm is a good brand, Loop are pretty popular these days too. I have a pair of custom molded earplugs from an audiologist because I play in a lot of bands and orchestras, they're worth getting if you'll use them a ton but if you don't have €200 to drop on them then the €40-50 ones are perfectly fine. Even the cheap foam earplugs are fine in a pinch (they protect your ears just as well but they muffle the sound quite a bit whereas the more expensive ones will just lower the volume).
The way I see it hearing protection isn't optional; it is as essential to a concertgoer as the ticket for entry is. Take a survey of every single person with hearing loss or tinnitus and I guarantee that they will all say that they wish they had worn hearing protection more. If you can afford to go to a concert you can afford hearing protection.
I'm writing this from the waiting room of my audiology department. This shit fucking sucks. Don't be the guy who thinks they'll be fine without HP for whatever reason, because you won't be.
Very good advice. Can confirm, I also have permanent tinnitus; 24/7 ringing in my ears. What I can say is only this: I wish I didn’t have it.
I'm fortunate in that mines is fairly minor, I only really notice it when lying in bed and my hearing is otherwise completely fine. But I haven't experienced true silence in years and I get the feeling I never will again. And that really gets to me sometimes. It's easy to identify in hindsight all the times when I was younger where I noticed that the environment I was in was far too loud and just... Didn't do anything about it, and now I get to kick myself about it all. I get the sense that's a common feeling amongst the 10% of the population with tinnitus.
It's insane how little it's talked about really; I went through 4 years of music school and I don't think they brought up hearing protection a single time outside of one random percussion seminar I happened to attend. They did provide free foam earplugs in the main concert hall for performers, which was nice, but that was it; nobody used them anyways. I think it should be one of the very first things they drill into anyone working in loud environments, whether it be musicians or people working with machinery or anything else. Like, everyone kinda knows that loud noise is bad for your ears, but we think of it in the same way that we think sugar is bad for us, which is "I know it's bad but I'm young and it'll be fine" and that's just not how it works.
Always wore my hearing protection and I've still got the rings, thanks 3M. Granted, there's only so much you can do against certain noises.
Adding to this. You need hearing protection to any kind of music festival, it can be useful even for jazz festivals.
I used to be a metal drummer and metal shows in clubs were some of the loudest, louder than raves for example. Outdoor festivals doing any kind of modern music tend to be about equally loud.
The cheapest earplug with usable sound that I know of is Alpine WorkSafe - it reduces about 20 dB (enough to be in the pit) and has okayish frequency response (better than some of the musicians plugs - their quality varies a lot and most manufacturers choose not to publish their frequency measurement data for that reason) despite being marketed for work, and a pair costs about 12€ I think. However no earplugs apart from 200€ custom molded ones get anywhere close to flat frequency response, so what helps is to wear the plugs all the time so your ears get used to the sound and your brain compensates.
Also clean your ears well before the festival so the plugs don't get plugged with earwax, which further reduces treble.
And if even those are not available, roll up a small bit of paper tissue and stick it in your ears. Seriously. When the sound is loud enough, even this increases comfort and reduces damage.
I have the Alpine Musicsafe Pros which are 19/22dB reduction depending which bit you attach. The frequency response is supposed to be marginally better than the WorkSafe but I haven't tried both. They were £20 or so I think.
They're good. I'll usually wear them for most of a gig and only take them out for my favourite tracks. It had not occurred to me that wearing them longer works better but that makes a lot of sense. If I was at a festival I'd probably keep them in anyway!
Just to be a bit contrary here: yes, hearing protection is important for people who go to metal concerts, or are around any sort of loud noises, but you also shouldn't be the guy, like me, who wears hearing protection and is generally uninterested in loud music or hobbies, and thinks that as a result you certainly won't get tinnitus (if quite mild in my case). It can also have a variety of other causes, even just earwax and stress.
Yes! Shout it from the rooftops for those of us who already can't hear!!
I'll always tell my friends this but some of them will still be so flippant. Absolute essential, and honestly can make the show sound better too, if anything sounds sibilant.
Yeah as someone who has tinnitus from poor decisions in my 20s, definitely wear earplugs. I can’t emphasize enough how much you don’t want tinnitus.
Doesn't look like a very big one to me, the ticket price is a dead giveaway hahah, but if it's your first festival, maybe it's better that it's a smaller one! I attended Copenhell between 2010-2017 but not since. I don't know the rules for Baden in Blut but I would assume it's the usual - can't bring food or drink into festival grounds. So be prepared for food to be overpriced.
If you're a man, you'll be completely fine and safe going solo. Metal festivals are usually way more peaceful than whatever other genre of festival you might go to. Copenhell had zero violent incidents for many years despite it becoming a 10000+ people festival. Police always just stood around with nothing to do.
If you're a woman, I'd think twice about going solo. Especially if you are going to stay the night at the campsite. There is this reputation that metalheads are super wholesome people, and I guess the majority of them are, but those that aren't can be really sexist, racist, homophobic, etc.... I personally do not feel safe going to concerts etc. alone. Some women feel the same way, and some say the opposite, so up to you.
Being solo, be prepared to also maybe get bored because there tends to be some downtime between bands - especially if you don't care to see certain bands, you'll need to find something else to do - or I guess just sit around if you want. Unless you're outgoing and can just chat to strangers of course. Usually there are many opportunities to do so, festivals are a very social thing after all. At least that's the case for Copenhell. A ton of areas where you can mingle, there's some activities, large tents to drink and eat, themed bars, etc.
As for only speaking English in Germany.. you might have a difficult time. Most Germans only speak broken English - younger millennials and down tend to be conversational though. I'm not German but I am their hat (Danish) so that's just my anecdotal/experience.
Oh trust me, it's bigger than anything I get over here hahah. Wacken would've been cool, but it's too late for me.
I don't mind talking to strangers, but yea language barrier is a concern.
Thanks for the input!
Regarding English specifically, I think you'll have more luck in the festival environment compared to generally out and about in Germany, just because so much music is in English that fans will end up learning it
I would not be so sure on that one.
I've been to plenty of festivals and concerts both English and non English (the bands and/or the audience).
The vast majority of fans will learn the lyrics off by heart and have no idea what they mean. Never mind understand the source language.
In my experience it's been more likely for fans of a band to learn English, just because they want to consume more content from that band, but it might be different now, when everything is dubbed and translated
Let's be honest, probably depends on the culture.
I've seen British fans of K-pop and J-pop that'll go to concerts in different countries not have a clue what they are singing.
Likewise I've been to concerts in Norway where a surprisingly large number of people don't know English well at all, but go see bands in English.
So yeah, I agree it's not a blanket statement either way, I'm sure there are plenty of groups that are interested and learn the language because of it!
Theres good advice here. If you are outgoing and enjoy getting rowdy with beers then you will have a great time in germany. That fest seems to be really small compared to the bigger ones so I imagine it has a strong following of regulars which can be cool as they have a community vibe.
Eat german bread. Its really good. Obviously if you drink then enjoy whatever local brew they have and pair that with some delicious bratwurst. Most germans have a decent level of english that you can get by so I wouldnt worry much about that. It does help to learn a few phrases to get by.
As for the fest. Go see Hellripper!! They are sick live! I dont always get in the pit but when its hellripper I will be down front putting in a shift for the crowd surfers and getting my steps in for the circle pit. Enjoy!
I'll keep an eye out for Hellripper. Thanks for the advice! Also looking forward to the legendary bread.
Your date fits right between Obscene Extreme (which may not be what you want, but it surely is what you need) and Brutal Assault, which is good because otherwise I think it would have been a shame not to extend your trip locations to Czechia. Baden in Blut looks good and I wouldn't worry about language too much. Can't exactly speak about german festivals, but here in Czechia festivals are always full of foreigners and everyone in the festival crew expects this. With the visitors it can be hit or miss, but with enough beer (which in Germany should be a given) you'll make friends regardless of language.
one day i want to make it to OEF. The line up is always great and it looks like a lot of fun!
Woah, Antichrist Siege Machine, Godflesh, Fulci, Undergang?? The lineup seems great. Sadly it's just out of my date range, would've been awesome.
I'm still looking for places to go so I'll do some research on Czechia, but I'm curious to hear from you, what are some must-sees/dos in Czechia?
Thanks for the reply!
As much as I dislike pragocentrism, if you only have a couple days, it's probably best to just go to Prague. It's a beautiful city with lots to see and do, whether that's architecture, galleries, clubs (visit Cross Club if you go, at least for a beer if you don't find music you like, it's touristy and the atmosphere is not as good as it used to be, but it's still a world unique) or just walking around and getting mildly drunk in beer gardens (prices of beer are still good outside of tourist traps). Jazz Dock is a great jazz club, if you're into that.
If you're from a region with a different climate or landscape and enjoy hiking, then Czechia has a lot to offer - a dense network of well marked tourist trails and some areas that are quite beautiful and relatively diverse considering how small the country is. I'm particularly a fan of Šumava (woody hills and mountains), Vysočina ("highlands", partially grassy and partially woody hills) and southern Moravia (lowlands with vineyards and some pictoresque villages). However there's imo no sense in going to those places for just a day unless you're already nearby.
A trip to Brno, located in southern Moravia, which also offers interesting architecture, including some related stuff like huge empty 100+ years old underground water reservoirs and a network of baroque cellars, plus it has some of the best bars in Czechia and is overall much more chill than Prague because there are very few tourists, followed by a day in the actual countryside with the vineyards etc. that is nearby, might be doable and interesting.
Wow, thanks for all the details! Definitely more on my list now.
Not who you'd asked, but Prague is a beautiful city to visit. Very cool, very much "quintessential European," one could say.
I'll be reading all replies to this thread, I plan to do the same next year and go to Wacken (And potentially a few others if I can).
I'm not sure if you read the banner on the bottom of the page, but there is no camping at the festival grounds at Baden in Blut.
As a former metal festival attendee, I have to say that this is a shame if you want to get the typical festival experience. At least for me and my circle of friends the pregaming and afterparties on the campground where the highlights of the festivals we visited and the source of many stories that we still tell today.
I would seriously reconsider and maybe find another festival that has camping. You will also probably find a group of people that will adopt you, just by camping near them and dropping in with some cans of beer and a smile. I know we adopted some strangers that way.
If you don't like the idea drinking from a funnel, then skip camping by all means though. :D it is wild.
I really do want to try it, but then again I have to bring along some gear. I'm not really sure I'm cut out to do it solo hahah. I'm somewhat worried about my belongings and the "logistics" of it all - I really have no clue. I'll try and do some research
Anyway, I totally am considering other fests. To be honest, the lineup doesn't completely align with my tastes. I've been able to find quite a few interesting ones to go to - one that seems absolutely insane is the Chaos Descends Festival in Germany, which does allow camping.
(By the way, if anyone else is interested (paging @gco), I've found that last.fm is absolutely essential to search for concerts - you can find a lot of stuff that's harder to find by other means. I've tried ChatGPT too, but it was pretty bad.)
Haha, belongings and logistics are the least of my worries. I've attended a few festivals on my own, though they've only been small and half a day at most (So no camping) but I'm sure it will be fine. I want to get the festival experience so while I may be wildly unprepared, I'm willing to roll with it.
For Wacken specifically, I'm not bringing my own gear, the plan is to book one of the easier options (Maybe glamping). And I hadn't even looked at the line up for this year but I know nothing about most of the bands going, but I mainly want to go because some of my favourite bands have put out live albums from their performances there so it's the one festival that has been on my mind the longest.
Thanks for the last.fm recommendation though! Will keep that in mind :)