This is an inside report written by Bernard Van Isacker, press-man from Eurorock and chief editor from Side Line.

Below you'll see the link that will be changed every time new information is added.

It was (not so) surprising that the mainstream media, which never wanted to report on the Eurorock festival before, let alone announce it, suddenly found the time to act as real vultures and shred the festival completely to pieces (including spreading completely bollocks news) after it faced problems on Saturday morning. Only TV Limburg has been correct from day 1 plus the people from één who just mailed me to thank me for the collaboration. Since a lot of the info spread on Facebook and on blogs is completely false, I wanted to give you some real inside info, in exclusivity, since I have been on the terrain for the complete 3 days acting as a hired spokesman for Eurorock (although it’s far from sure I’ll be paid too). I must say that this was one hell of a job to do, since it had all the ingredients to make it a real interesting one especially drama.

I was informed early Saturday morning – while Lovelorn Dolls were playing – that money had been stolen. That money had not been there overnight like all media seem to suggest, it had just arrived and had immediately been put in a sealed of metal hub. There were 20 minutes between putting the money there and it being stolen. When speaking to Rudi Donckers, the organiser of the festival, I noticed he became paler and paler as time progressed after the discovery of the 45.000 Euro being stolen until I told him to go to the first aid post to be taken care of. He was immediately rushed to hospital as the signs he showed were very alarming.

Rumours that Rudi faked his illness are utterly false. He is right now in hospital and his condition is pretty serious and will be undergoing heart surgery probably later today. Sure thing is that he won’t be home anytime soon and I wish him all the best.

Although the theft had only been told to some people – it had only happened few minutes before – I suddenly got a phone call from a newspaper which had been tipped of (probably by someone in Rudi’s organisation). They were asking what happened. From then on the news started circulating pretty fast and my phone was ringing like mad. I did a couple of very short interviews with some newspapers and told them that we were looking for a solution.

Never trust the press of course, because soon some newspaper started spreading that Killing Joke, a headliner, had canceled. Complete nonsense of course, but this had an immediate impact on the ticket sales as I saw people leaving that were there to buy a ticket.

With Rudi rushed off to hospital, the organisation was beheaded as he was the key person in the festival so I noticed pretty soon. In order to avoid a complete chaos, it was decided together with the police to go for a fade-out scenario where volunteers and contracted people at the festival such as me and several other people working backstage would step in as new organisers together with the stage managers. The idea was to see how many bands would still be playing live and which wouldn’t and try and make the festival running for a limited time. The security people and the police had a talk and it was arranged they would stay until the festival was over so that the safety of the people on the ground would be guaranteed.

My first work there now was to inform the public that we had practical issues that would force us to halt the festival for an hour, time we needed to get a new line-up sorted out.

However, after having talked to several bands (I think I have never seen such a fast negotiation round happening on a festival), it became clear that many were willing to play after all, because they either had been fully paid, or because they had already received a partial payment or because they just wanted to play for free (such as Legend). In the end only one band decided just to cash in (they still had to receive a very very small part of their fee, we’re speaking about a few 100 euro or so) and leave the scene: The Fields Of The Nephilim. And good to know, Der Klinke, and many other bands that hadn’t been booked for the festival even stepped in to play for free while Lovelorn Dolls – who hadn’t been paid either – even offered to play again in case that would be needed.

The only thing left to do was to get the bands lined up in a way that they would make it back on time to catch their plane etc.. It took some hard persuasion to get some bands to agree, but in the end we succeeded in getting a line-up ready that would last until 2:00 AM at least. In between this negotiating I announced the bands that would play for sure at the festival.

While I can’t speak out on why The Neon Judgement didn’t play, I haven’t got enough information on that, I know that Front 242 had already invested a lot of money to get their crew and back line together and would have lost another few thousands just to make it happen. I can completely understand they said no and also find it very unfair that they are now publicly scapegoated by the press as being a Belgian band unwilling to play while foreign bands played.

The truth is that only a few acts like Legend (although they didn’t play due to the very late hour), Lovelorn Dolls, The Dallas Project, The Juggernauts, Asrai, Lescure 23, Whispers In The Shadow and even Tanzwut played completely for free. The rest like Peter Hook, Anathema, Therion, Killing Joke or ABC had been partially/completely paid. Some were a bit more willing than others though. For instance both Anathema and Killing Joke immediately suggested they would prolong their set and bring either more songs (Anathema) or extended versions (Killing Joke) without nagging too much about the rest of the money. Also, Peter Hook’s backline was used so that Anathema and Therion could play. Note that Praga Khan turned up and wanted to play too, but by then the final line-up was already too far extended.

At the moment of posting this I have over voice 100 messages on my phone from the press, a few more interviews lined up and so on. Before the festival only a few journalists bothered to contact me. Drama sells, unfortunately. But one thing is sure, when the shit hits the fan, you quickly see who really is loyal and who wants to run away avoiding all responsibility. From my perspective, that of being a contracted spokesman, this was a unique experience.

Extended thanks goes to the other people who saved it for the festival public: Jelle, Maarten, Riet, Philip Lievens, Bart, Danny, Serge, Johan, Mark, Lisa, Sabine and all the others I don’t know the name of.

Cheers,

Bernard Van Isacker

www.side-line.com/eurorock-2015-the-industrial-woodstock-a-behind-the-scenes-report

Sometimes it's good to try something different, something new!Claus Larsen and John Mirland did this and founded a new Synthpop project called 'Am Tierpark'!A debut album is almost ready!Let's read what they say about their new challenge: Am Tierpark is a new two-piece Synth-Pop band. Vocals : Claus Larsen (Leaether Strip - Klutae - Sequential Access) Programming and Keys : John Mirland (Mirland - Holm/Mirland)The brainchild of John Mirland & Claus Larsen.We both share the love for pure melodic synth based music and the classic synths, and on a fine sunny spring day April 9th 2015, while walking and chatting about music and watching the animals in Berlin Tierpark we formed Am Tierpark. We had a gig the day after at Berlin's fine K-17 club as Leaether Strip and Holm/Mirland.We create and want to make music that is not over produced and drenched in effects. We want to present the sounds, melodies and lyrics crispy clear to the listener. This band is all about the love of a good melody, synths and lyrics that will move the listener. Our first album is just about finished and it's been an amazing ride so far, because we truly are musical soulmates. We are currently in talks about how it will be released.Our Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Am-Tierpark/1384686965193650?ref=hl

Boyle is a new band from Utrecht (The Netherlands) founded by Marten Timan, formerly active in the dutch postrockband We vs. Death. The band is named after a small town in Alberta, Canada where Marten lived for over a year as an exchange student many years ago. The memories and experiences from that time are translated into a personal album, which will be released later this year on vinyl. As a first introduction to the music and the album Boyle just released a first single called Former Glory. Some more tracks will be released soon.

In commemoration of the 99th anniversary of the film's original release, Flicker Alley-along with the San Francisco Silent Film Festival and la Cinémathèque française-is proud to present the Blu-ray/DVD premiere of one of the holy grails of lost films: William Gillette's Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes

Deluxe Blu-ray/DVD Combo Edition

M.S.R.P. $39.95

Sherlock Holmes / 1916 / Directed by Arthur Berthelet / 116 minutes / USA / Produced by Essanay Film Manufacturing Company / Restored by the San Francisco Silent Film Festival and la Cinémathèque française

Long considered lost until a complete dupe negative was identified in the vaults of la Cinémathèque française last year, this William Gillette film is a vital missing link in the history of Sherlock Holmes on screen. By the time it was produced at Essanay Studios in 1916, Gillette had been established as the world's foremost interpreter of Holmes on stage-having played him approximately 1300 times since his 1899 debut. This newly-restored edition, thanks to the monumental efforts of both the San Francisco Silent Film Festival and la Cinémathèque française, represents the sole surviving appearance of Gillette's Holmes on film. Presented with optional French and English intertitles and an original score composed and performed by Neil Brand, Guenter Buchwald, and Frank Bockius, Flicker Alley is honored to bring Sherlock Holmes onto Blu-ray and DVD for the first time ever.

The film faithfully retains the play's famous set pieces-Holmes's encounter with Professor Moriarty, his daring escape from the Stepney Gas Chamber, and the tour-de-force deductions. It also illustrates how Gillette, who wrote the adaptation himself, wove bits from Conan Doyle's stories ranging from "A Scandal in Bohemia" to "The Final Problem," into an original, innovative mystery play. 

Film restorer Robert Byrne says, "It's an amazing privilege to work with these reels that have been lost for generations. William Gillette's Sherlock Holmes has ranked among the holy grails of lost film and my first glimpse of the footage confirms Gillette's magnetism. Audiences are going to be blown away when they see the original Sherlock Holmes on screen for the first time."

Bonus Materials Include:

Sherlock Holmes Baffled (1900): Courtesy of the Library of Congress and presented in HD, this is the earliest known film to feature the character of Sherlock Holmes.

A Canine Sherlock (1912): From the EYE Film Institute, the film stars Spot the Dog as the titular character.

Più forte che Sherlock Holmes (1913): Also from the EYE Film Institute, this entertaining Italian trick-film owes as much to Méliès as it does Doyle.

HD transfers from the Fox Movietone Collection: Interview with Arthur Conan Doyle and outtakes from a 1930 broadcast with William Gillette showing off his amateur railroad (University of South Carolina).

A PDF manuscript of the 1899 Sherlock Holmes play by William Gillette.

A PDF of the original contract between William Gillette and the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company.

A booklet featuring images from the film and information about the restoration project.

Arrow Video is thrilled to announce the world premiere Blu-ray release of cult director Nico Mastorakis’ shocking video nasty, Island of Death. Upon its initial release some 40 years ago, this catalogue of atrocities featured scenes too shocking for the British public and was subsequently banned. However, this newly restored director-approved edition will debut fully-uncut on Blu-ray in all its sleazy and lurid glory (or should that say gory!) from 25th May 2015.

Boasting a brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative, this new director-approved disc will come loaded with a jam-packed 7 hours of bonus content, including two new featurettes Exploring Island of Death, in which film historian Stephen Thrower discusses the making of the cult classic, and Return to Island of Death in which Mastorakis returns to the original Mykonos locations.

Alongside this, the new release will feature an archive interview with Mastorakis, alternative opening titles and five original tracks from the Island of Death soundtrack. The Films of Nico Mastorakis, a four-part documentary charting the director’s filmmaking career [Blu-ray only] and the Nico Mastorakis Trailer Reel [Blu-ray only] round out the feature-filled package.

In addition, the Blu-ray comes with a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys and a fully-illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by academic and film historian Johnny Walker.

Synopsis

Welcome to Mykonos, the holiday destination of choice for sun, sea and slaughter! From cult director Nico Mastorakis, Island of Death is a travelogue of atrocities with scenes so strong that the British Government was once compelled to ban it as a “video nasty”.

Arriving on the idyllic Greek island, Christopher and Celia appear to be every inch the perfect, handsome young couple. Little do the welcoming locals realise that they are in fact a pair of murderous degenerates, determined to spread their own particular brand of perversion across the island. DIY crucifixions, opportunistic bestiality, sexual peeing and murder by all conceivable forms ensue – including death by makeshift blowtorch, samurai sword, dump truck and more!

Shocking, brutal and totally politically incorrect in its outlook, Island of Death is a gruelling cinematic experience devised by director Mastorakis to out-do the excesses of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which he was hugely inspired by. Now fully uncut and newly-restored from the original negative, fans can enjoy Island of Death in all its sleazy, lurid glory.

Special Features

Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative, approved by writer-director-producer Nico Mastorakis

High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations

Original Mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)

Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

Exploring Island of Death – film historian Stephen Thrower on the making of a cult classic

Return to Island of Death – Mastorakis returns to the original Mykonos locations

Archive interview with Mastorakis

Alternative opening titles

Island Sounds – five original tracks from the Island of Death soundtrack

Original Theatrical Trailer

The Films of Nico Mastorakis – four-part documentary charting the director’s filmmaking career [Blu-ray only]

Nico Mastorakis Trailer Reel [Blu-ray only]

Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys

Fully-illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by academic and film historian Johnny Walker