Jailbreak 2023 started with amazing atmosfear

The Danish festival Jailbreak emerges as a captivating and rebellious celebration of music and artistic freedom, captivating the hearts of attendees year after year. Nestled amidst the picturesque landscapes of Denmark, Jailbreak transcends conventional festival experiences, fusing the raw energy of live performances with a distinctive atmosphere of unbridled creativity. Beyond the mesmerizing melodies, the festival’s immersive ambience engulfs visitors in a world where boundaries are shattered and self-expression reigns supreme. Whether it’s the spellbinding stages nestled within lush forests or the interactive art installations that beckon the imagination, Jailbreak is a testament to the power of music as a catalyst for personal liberation. As day turns into night and the music reverberates through the souls of attendees, Jailbreak stands as a testament to the indomitable spirit of the Danish music scene and its unwavering commitment to pushing artistic boundaries. Last weekend the latest edition was held, Maxazine was there.

Mike Tramp – songs of White Lion: 

Mike Tramp, who’s been a well-known character in the music scene since the heyday of glam metal, once again reimagined the old hits of his former band White Lion. Although none of the original members of the band are with him, the band delivered a very well-performed set, and you felt like you’re transported back to the 80s for a brief moment. The crowd interaction was also noticeable, with a good amount of humour, and it’s abundantly clear that Mike has a career in radio as well.

While pleasant enough to listen to, it’s not exactly the music you moshpit to, and the crowd consisted mostly of the older generation as well. And while the crowd was fairly big, people who were lucky enough to get seats, sure aren’t going to leave them for this.  If I have one criticism, it’s that the other musicians in the band don’t get nearly enough recognition. The focus is almost entirely on Mike Tramp, which is obviously the way he likes it best. His ego pokes its head out several times throughout the show, and it’s a bit off-putting.  All in all, a fairly fine show if you’re interested in the genre. 

Timechild:

The Danish progressive metal band, made a pretty good entrance, with the drummer working the crowd up, before the rest of the band joined him on stage, and the guitar seamlessly chimed in on the drum solo.  And while Timechild for the most part doesn’t played moshpit-music the chemistry in the band was palpable. That energy affected the crowd in a way, and everyone in the rather packed area was in on every antic they come up with.

Musically there’s no doubt that Timechild gave it all on stage. There were some amazing riffs from the twin guitars and some very noticeable drum sequences. Anders Brink has a voice made for this kind of music.  So if you haven’t yet had the chance, we very much recommend giving Timechild a listen.

Wolfmother:

Wolfmother can sure get a crowd worked up! Compared to the previous bands, these three Australians with their uptempo oldschool heavy and hard rock got a lot more devilhorns, noise and cheering from the crowd. Even though their stageshow was severely lacking, with no props or even a backdrop, making the band seem a little small on the big stage, they more than made up for it with their performance. Especially the lead singer, Andrew Stockdale, was on point, but the two others definitely also gave it 110%.

It can be hard to pinpoint the exact genre with Wolfmother, there are elements of old school rock, some that are a bit folksy, and even a little something punk-ish snuck its way in there. The crowd was ready even before the band showed up, showing that a lot of people wanted to be up front for this, and even more came along as they started playing. People actually got up from their seats to go watch this, which at this festival is a real testament to their draw. 

The Quireboys:

The Quireboys from London are veterans on the stage for sure. They semed very practised on stage, and even when they had technical issues with the keyboard, they never stopped playing while it was being fixed. They played a sort of bar-rock, with a very prominent piano sound. On the one hand it’s nice to see a band highlighting other instruments than the guitar, on the other hand it’s not that different from a lot of other bands from that era.

The crowd was pretty small and mostly consisted of older people who probably knew of the band already. The songs were hit-and-miss, some being very catchy, while others were more the kind that you hear in the background at a dive bar. Although they kind of grew throughout the set, it is a doubt that they gained a lot of new fans today. 

Alestorm:

Alestorm was by far the highlight for many. People came in droves to watch them play, and many in pirate costumes, wielding Jolly Roger flags and other props. There was even an inflatable rubber duck floaty and an alligator that was bounced around until the band requested that they were brought on stage, next to their own giant rubber duck.

They started out strong with fan favourite “Keelhauled”, and the crowd was roaring. For the first time, there were moshpits, crowd surfing, and half the audience in front of the stage even sat down to row together at one point. The stage show lacked nothing, they even had a rapping shark, and it’s obvious that the band loved being on stage as much as the crowd love having them there. 

D.A.D – Disneyland after Dark

D.A.D. – arguably one of the best-known bands from the Danish rock scene, pulled out all the stops show-wise tonight.  The music was, as always, well-played and professional. There really is nothing negative you can say about it, these guys are experienced pros in their genre. What set this show apart from the rest was the fact that they pulled not one, but two whole stage productions.

The stage first started out as a giant version of everyone’s grandparents’ living room, complete with a giant couch, and boring wallpaper that was probably very chic at one time, and it ended with a whole carousel theme. It was an experience for sure, and people seemed very impressed. Definitely one of the better shows we’ve seen of them! 

Bersærk:

Following, probably the biggest name of the day, is no easy task. But Bersærk managed it incredibly well. The crowd, mostly consisting of younger people, were still full of energy, and Bersærk quickly got them riled up for the show. And that was stable of the band, they always have great energy, and while they were perhaps the most ‘metal’, band of the day, with their easy-to-digest sound, they were a great closer, and they ended the night on a very high note. 

If you ever have the chance and haven’t yet, we will recommend seeing Bersærk live, as that’s where they really shine. Hopefully one day they’ll have a more prominent stage show, other than a simple backdrop, but even if they never do, they’ll always be worth a watch.

Photos (c) Morten Holmsgaard Kristensen