A Triology of Festivals, Part I
Friday, 20th June
What do you do when your favourite Swiss guys from Fire Rose, while on tour in January as support for Bonfire, tell you that they will be playing at a festival ‘just around the corner’ in the summer? Of course, you promise to come along. ‘Just around the corner’ turned out to be 120 km away, in Ulmbach between Frankfurt am Main and Fulda. Nevertheless, I set off on 20th and 21st June. The UOB Festival is to be the start of my two-week festival summer holiday, even if it means commuting back and forth.
Ulmbach and the festival grounds at the Schützenhaus are very idyllically located, in the middle of nowhere. The campsite is a beer’s walk away from the Schützenhaus, just enough to hear some music, but without seeing anything. Anyway, the festival takes place in a large tent, and there is plenty of food and drink available in the cosy forecourt. You can see impressions of this in the photos.
But now let’s move on to the bands, with the quasi-house band Dykes kicking things off in the early evening. They play an interesting mix of original compositions and cleverly arranged cover versions. Incidentally, they also wrote the festival anthem. Stylistically, they are more hard rock than really heavy metal.
.
The second band to perform is Junkyard Jesus from Fulda. Their base is solid rock, which occasionally slides into instrumentally very strong stoner/doom, only to go full throttle again in terms of heavy metal. It is a very successful, entertaining performance by a very likeable band.
.
In the meantime, the Swiss band Fire Rose has arrived to great fanfare. They will be celebrating singer Philipp Meier‘s birthday throughout the evening and night… They have rented a coach especially to bring their fans to the UOB. There are lots of familiar faces, like a big family, which is how metal should be.
But back to the bands in the tent, Moonday6 from Hanover are playing. Charismatic frontman Tobias Kiel stands out in particular and shines with his piano interludes, very much in the style of Freddie Mercury. Nevertheless, the band’s style is more indie/alternative rock than Queen‘s bombast.
.
The last band of the evening, while Fire Rose are celebrating in front of and inside the tent – nomen est omen – are Die Toten Ärzte, and believe it or not, they actually play mainly songs by Die Ärzte and Die Toten Hosen in a wild mix of both musical styles. Well, the two bands aren’t that far apart, even if some ultra-fans don’t want to admit it.
.
I now make my way back to the campsite and home, and I’ll be back the next day.
Saturday, 21st June
A little earlier than on Friday, the musical Saturday begins in the late afternoon with Third Wave from Frankfurt. They seem very familiar to me; I think I’ve seen them before as the opening act for Jinjer at KFZ/Marburg. It turns out that it wasn’t Marburg, but Aschaffenburg and the Colos-Saal. Their very progressive metalcore has developed even more since then.
.
Oversense, the second band of the day, appear in wild clothing and masquerade costumes that would look good in any apocalyptic film. This symbiosis is particularly striking in guitarist Annika Jaschke, whose ‘off-the-rack’ guitar harmonises perfectly with her stage outfit. They describe themselves as rebel metal, and I think that’s a fair assessment. It’s really fun to watch and listen to this band.
.
Then it’s finally time for the long-awaited performance of Fire Rose, the reason or better, initial spark why I come along. I don’t need to say much, the band shines with clever double lead guitar harmonies and flawless, crystal-clear vocals. Even though last night is said to have left its mark, there’s no sign of it – those who can, can. The finest and fastest heavy metal in the best tradition dominates the tent in a sweat-inducing manner. Of course, Fire Rose are frenetically celebrated by their fans who have travelled with them, and the rest of the audience joins in. The technical skills of the five musicians are too good to ignore and not join in the celebrations.
.
The bar is set high for Freedom Call with their power metal. But they know how to overcome this hurdle and seamlessly match the high standard set by the opening act. Well, good music is also made in Franconia, as we have known since before J.B.O. or Eraser.
.
The last band and headliner of the festival is a cover band, but not just any cover band. They have already performed three times in a row at Wacken and will not be missing this year either. We are, of course, talking about Ozzyfied. When singer Henning Wanner takes to the stage, it sends a shiver down your spine. He really does look very similar to Ozzy Osbourne in every way and also skilfully replicates his stage movements. Zack Wylde is also there – so to speak. Of course, they don’t just play Ozzy‘s songs, but also Black Sabbath hits such as “Paranoid “and many more. This brings the tent to a boil.
.
Not to be forgotten, of course, is solo artist Mike Gerhold, who entertains the audience with his acoustic performances on the small stage opposite during the breaks between sets.
Unfortunately, the festival ends a little earlier for me than for most visitors, as the next day I have to leave very early for 10 days at Oschersleben for the Rock & Metal Day’z. More on that in A Triology of Festivals, Part II.
The UOB Festival was a fine, successful event with an estimated total of 1,000 guests over both days. It’s important to visit these small festivals to support the local scene and keep it alive. At Rock am Stück near Fritzlar a few years ago, we saw how quickly it can all come to an end. I can only recommend this festival to everyone, and also to keep an eye out for interesting small concerts locally, whether in clubs or at festivals – it’s always worth it, and they’re more intimate than the big festivals anyway.
.
Online:
UOB – Ulmich Om Braand festival
Please buy merch and physical music or downloads from the bands official sources and don’t stream music for free because it steals your artists’ income
photos and text by Friend.X aka Mr. Deep