Jacob Bellens melancholy, contemplative during the today's concert. Foto: Uggi Kaldan

I got you on tape opened the grand music hall with a full house, and are one of the bands returning to the festival, that have a special connection to Spot and the opportunities it creates for new music and bands

The day has started quit undramatically, now Friday arrived. People where still trickling into the foyer of the Aarhus music hall, receiving their armbands, and diving into the programs menu of varying music genres, that are to be served up during the day.

While the first bands where doing there audible sound checks, around the festival grounds, I grabbed the opportunity of an open door, and caught one of the first bands playing today during their sound check.

I Got You On Tape, is one of those bands, that have played the festival two times before, first in 2005 and then again in 2007.  Therefore it seems like a good choice for the day’s first concert in the grand music hall.

In 2005 the Danish producer Nikolaj Nørlund who owns the record label Auditorium, heard I Got You On Tape at the Spot Festival , and they practically signed their first record deal on the Spot, so to say. Besides Nørlund, the small Spanish record label Pupilo, also took interest in the band, and released their first album in Spain.

Backstage

I managed to have a quick talk with them backstage. Jacob Bellens the lead singer had escaped to another room, since he almost had an fit, because of the strobe light, which had been turned on during the sound check.

The rest of the band where simply chilling out, and looking forward to playing the festival. Jacob Funch the lead guitarist, and Jeppe Skovbakke bass player, Rune Kielsgaard, drums, all agreed that the Spot festival definitely had been a step up the ladder, too getting a record contract. And it is one of the festivals they really enjoy playing, because of the good atmosphere and exellent audience.

Jacob and Jeppe: We like playing the festival, because it also gives us the opportunity to try out our new songs. The whole set is mainly built up of new numbers, there’s only two old tunes on our set list, so it’s not going to be a greatest hits parade.

Jacob went on to comment: It’s a great festival and we really enjoy it, we have to leave today, but if we can, we would like to catch some of the other bands, maybe ‘The William Blake's or ‘Choir of young believers’. Choir of young believers also just happen to be on the same label as I Got You On Tape. So the musicians also come to hear each other’s music and relax.
 
At the moment the band is working mainly in the studio, preparing to release of their third album in September on Tigerspring records, that also have representatives at the festival, working hard on the networking aspects. 

The concert

There was a full house, when the band arrived on stage, and the doors where being closed, because there simply wasn’t enough space for everybody.

A guitars distorted strumming started of the concert, joined in by the monotone beat of the drums, as Jacob Bellens characteristic, mechanical almost droning voice floated over the beats.
Totally enveloped in darkness, hiding behind his Rhodes and Uno 60 Roland, it’s not the man itself that draws the attention, but the forming and meaning of his words.

When he sing the ironic sentence “knocking on a open door” or more fragile, tentative “My heart is standing still inside my chest”, you feel the music penetrate the skin and walk directly into your hearts chamber. This is not a feel good band, or a cheap copy act.

Bellens lyrics are crisp, honest and interesting, they break up the music’s monotonous beat and transform into pictures that play upon the listener’s retina.

I Got You On Tape is without doubt a band with much international potential, and we will look forward to se what rewards the festival will bring them this year.