Bear Stone Festival is an enchanting break from your everyday life. Lost in the middle of the Croatian mountains, no one will hear you scream. That’s a good thing, because we came here to get our ears smashed!
Prelude, day 1.
This Thursday, the festival looks like a private party with friends. The concept is to discover the sumptuous site on the banks of the Mrežnica River and warm up the new (covered) mini stage, the Mill stage. As tiny as it looks, you can enjoy a top view of the entire site from the terrace, while it also allows people outside to enjoy the sets. While the first swimmers inspect the river and campers settle, four bands are scheduled on the Mill stage and jammers Sviraj!jam play their first of many sets planned across the weekend.
Street doomers A Gram Trip have the tough responsibility of opening the festival. Mission accomplished with absolute ease for the Zagreb band, who hit hard all throughout their set. Halfway between filthy doom with cavernous shouted vocals and fiery hardcore sludge, this is a nice appetizer. It’s now Jantar‘s turn to ignite the audience. What sounds like soaring yet angry instrumental prog fuzz on record turns into a punchy and fire-driven live set in the vein of Baron Crâne — who will be on this same stage the next day. Entropist give top billing to instrumental, heavy and melodic doom: the band raises the decibels during the golden hour, and we will forgive them a few hiccups given how much drive and motivation they bring onto the stage.
Finally, Slowtorch comes up to punch us in the face. These guys deliver energetic stoner metal n’ roll that never forgets how to riff hard. It may not reinvent the wheel but with so many years of experience, it’s an understatement to say they slay. The guys are having a blast, big smiles stuck on their faces, playing with the audience, even the ones who can’t fit into the Mill Stage cabin by coming to harangue, like a newly elected pope, all the festival-goers on 2 km2 around.
Being the last band of this “hangout with friends” initial day, Slowtorch closed this prelude in style before the jam sessions continued on the dedicated stage until dawn.
First movement, day 2.
Today is the real deal, serious things start and so do sunburns. Many festival-goers are already badly damaged but there is no doubt that they will survive another 48 hours.
Thanks to a lost piece of luggage during my flight, the Frenchies in Baron Crane already started to play when I get on site. They instantly win over the Mill Stage’s audience with their frantic progressive fuzz, offering a superb atmosphere despite the small capacity. As always with Baron Crâne, it’s all about shredding and grooving heavily, and we can feel that the band has spent the last two years perfecting this set.
The main stage is finally accessible, and ### kick things off there. The instrumental noise rockers deliver a short set of rare intensity. If emotion and stress sometimes might have taken over the performance, I still consider them as THE discovery of the festival and certainly already a favorite of mine.
The first headliner gets ready while an army of pointy hats invades the site. Let’s not beat around the bush: Gnome simply won over everyone’s heart… except perhaps for Matt Pike who’s standing by the stage with his eyes wide open, not quite understanding what is happening. It’s a best-of setlist with the likes of “Wenceslas” or “Ambrosius”… plus three tracks from the upcoming new album within just an hour. The band fully confirms its fresh status of kings of stoner prog and Smurfs and Gargamels on LSD style.
Today is the day of unpronounceable band names, so here comes Muscle Tribe of Danger and Excellence. Contrasting a little with the rest of the lineup, the Croatian alternative metal act easily get the locals all hyped up with their energy, but they’re lacking a bit of fuzz for yours truly.
**Disclaimer: it is impossible for me to write the following lines with any form of objectivity**
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs came, they saw and they destroyed everything on their path. Faced with a distraught audience during the first few tracks, Newcastle’s musical elite quickly conquers most festival goers. It must be said that Matt and his theatrical stage performance rarely leave anyone indifferent and as always, the band delivers. Despite some technical struggles and a setlist that took a little time to take off, my little pigs delivered the best show of the festival. Who would have doubted it?
Before tackling the High On Fire set, I would like to make a small request to our technician friends out there. We know your job is tough and you have all my respect, but in 2024, we no longer want to see the next band’s roadie hanging out on stage while another band plays… only to put down bottles of water or setlists for the set to come. It’s a lack of respect for the band currently performing. My message has been sent, no doubt it will remain ineffective but I would find it a shame that the reputation of such a legendary band and of all its staff, who are charming and very professional, should be tarnished for something so trivial.
When High On Fire hits the main stage, the sun has just set and a bear of light is projected onto the dominating mountain… The atmosphere is incredible as the set begins under a sky of a thousand stars. The Americans are sending in the steamroller, with no downtime, no breathing, no survivors. Many festival-goers are having a hard time coping with the trio’s firepower and, with the cold creeping in, many go to bed at the end of the set. Fatigue wins out, I’m unable to attend the (apparently amazing) finale with Mother Vulture, nor Chui’s set.
Second movement, day 3.
The heatwave hits us. All the festival-goers are swimming, the inflatable unicorns, boratkinis (if you don’t know what it is, don’t hold me responsible for your curiosity) and straw hats are out.
I enter the festival just in time for AcidSitter‘s amazing set on the Mill Stage, as their 70’s psych and (quite logically) acid rock revival allows us to let off steam. Both guitarists display remarkably complementary styles, delighting us with their supercharged set. The Poles barely have time to grab their gear as Kayleth takes over the stage. I would describe their sound as Cosmic Stoner, and they might agree. Super well executed, vocals are top notch and that’s no mean feat in our scene! Plus, let’s be honest: there’s a theremin (okay I’m sold) when used so well, what more could I ask for?
Nemezcek opens the ball on the big stage. Sitting somewhere between Balkan folk, cold wave and post-metal, we witness the UFO of the festival. If their style is so particular, the performance remains outstanding regardless.
Blitzbop captures the Bear Stone spirit well by kicking off their set with the anthemic “MDMA”. With their blend of fuzzy blues flirting with fusion and alt-rock, they know how to catch our attention as the sun finally starts to set. The frontwoman’s enthusiasm is the heart of the project, yet the absolute madness of their bassist amazes me the most. Sporting all-white underwear, either down on the floor beating the rhythm or with his ears glued to the monitors, he’s an inexhaustible source of surprises and fun.
Them Moose Rush lives up to its name as we feel this sense of urgency in their fuzzed-out experimental rock characterized by constant rhythm shifts. Playing when many of us are looking for something to eat, the band still manages to captivate a large audience with their incontestable risk-taking.
Serious business begins with 1000Mods. In recent years, the band has reached new heights when it comes to their live shows, and even if this long tour is obviously starting to wear them off, the Greeks once again deliver. Swiftly overcoming some guitar issues, the foursome offers a solid setlist, although not vigorous enough for my own taste. A perfect introduction for what follows nonetheless.
Colour Haze invades the main stage and makes time stop for an hour and a quarter, with the whole festival escaping into a vivid dream. The sound is perfectly balanced, the setlist is well thought out with some heavier and louder moments: this is by far the best Colour Haze show I have ever witnessed. Let’s stay in Germany, as the bosses have arrived. 12:30 am. Kadavar hit the stage. As always, the foursome stands out as a sheer force to acknowledge. Power, control, style, attitude: everything is there and the audience, although gripped by the cold and humidity, responds remarkably.
Epilogue, day 4.
Can you picture the devastated Roman battlefields in an Asterix book after a magic potion misuse? This is roughly what the campsite and the festival look like with its few tents still standing, pale survivors and end-of-the-world atmosphere. The only difference with a battlefield? The smiles stuck on people’s faces. Only a few people will come to enjoy the last four concerts offered on the Mill Stage and that is a bit of a shame.
Vukojarac confronted us with their sludge in “no thrills, no chill, just riffs” mode in the vein of Crowbar but with doom death vocals. One of the nicest surprises of the festival. We stayed in the land of heavy with Misery Crown who treated us to their sludgy and super groovy stoner metal, leaning more towards Corrosion of Conformity.
Fuzz rock with a hint of prog seems to be popular in Croatia. After Jantar and Baron Crâne, Rens Argoa takes up the task. More subtle and less frenetic than the aforementioned bands, they offer more relaxed atmospheres with big chunks of rock n’ roll inside.
Zolle is love, glitter, madness and all the fun in the world. I don’t have a lot of chemistry with this type of rock that is a bit wild, disco-infused and grotesque, but that doesn’t stop me from understanding why it works so well to bring the festival to a close. Brains are no longer able to dissect or cope with an indecent level of fuzz after 4 days. We simply want to let go and lose the last few drops of water in our bodies. And at this game, Zolle are the best.
Postlude (yes, it’s a word).
What will I remember from this first weekend at Bear Stone Festival? First of all, it probably won’t be the last! The setting is fantastic, the lineup is eclectic, original and of the highest quality and the atmosphere is second to none. Of course, there is still room for improvement — mostly with the organization of the different stages as the jam stage tended to cover the Mill stage’s sound, or just to bring the site a little more in line with the maximum house. But the festival is still very young and at this rate, it will quickly become a summer place to be for those looking for authenticity, fuzz and sonic discoveries.
Find Bear Stone Festival on their website, Facebook and Instagram.
Last modified: 2 September 2024
