When I do get out, I write about it.
Modern Cubism + Perverted by Language Soirées Cerise, Ixelles, 4th October 2009 Perverted by Language No, I’m not going to review myself. Make your own mind up. We bootlegged the gig and it’s available on Last.fm here: http://www.last.fm/music/PervertedByLanguage/Live+at+Soir%C3%A9es+Cerises...
A Factory Night (and then again) 12th December 2009 Plan K (aka. La Raffinerie), Brussels The much awaited follow up to the first edition of the Factory Night from 2007 is finally here. Organised by the team behind the Fantastique Nights, the idea being...
Sophya + The Eden House Le Fantastique, Botanique, Brussels 3rd October 2009 I’d been looking forward to this since Fred le Fantastique had posted a video on Facebook just after this year’s WGT festival in Leipzig and had second guessed that The Eden...
My Bloody Valentine Effenaar, Eindhoven, 25th May 2009 One of those things you just pick up on in passing on NME.com – My Bloody Valentine are doing loads of festivals in Europe this year, but they are doing 1 (one!) indoor gig as a test / warmup, and...
Fantastique Night XXVI – Brussels – 27th June 2009 No Tears, De Volanges, Neon First up are No Tears, a band I’ve wanted to see for some time. I’d bought their 2008 album, Obsessions based on what I’d heard on Myspace, and it’s proved to be something...
A Final Sound + Joy de Vivre Soirée Cerise – Ixelles – Sunday 29th March 2009 A Final Sound I wasn’t allowed out until I’d finished my homework, so I only caught the final 2 minutes of A Final Sound. I did get chance for a chat with a very jovial Jean-Marc...
Cinderella's Big Score Soirée Cerise, Théatre de la Flute Enchantée, Ixelles 25th January 2009 First gig in quite a while for Cinderella's Big Score. Jurgen (vocals, guitar), Valerie (drums, vocals), Bavo (bass) et Tom (lead guitar) have made the long...
Pixel Race & Alkalys Soirée Cerises – Ixelles – 8th March 2009 Can’t see the amps for the beards! Alkalys: Oops – Late as usual and Alkalys are already in full flow. They’re a 4-piece from Le Havre in France and are on a DIY 12-date tour of Northern France...
Ext'inT + IKKo + Antilux @ Soirées Cerises - 20/09/2009 Antilux 2 guys, a couple of Korg Electribes and a few gadgets. I just caught the very end of the set. Pleasant ambient electro, with a melodica processed through a Korg MS20, and some other unusual...
Geez – I haven’t written for ages... Quickie then. This is the middle night of the 2011 Brussels Jazz Marathon, and the city is teaming. So much so that I managed to avoid anything remotely jazzy and had a proper rockin’ neet oot instead. Sound XS Live...
Garner News Café, Ixelles 12th March 2009 Tonight’s trip into the vaults of the Brussels rock scene is courtesy of Garner. Or to give them their full name in glorious Technicolor, The Garner Bought Drums Project. The News Café is not exactly heaving....
Cecilia::eyes - Here dead we lie Last Post Rock 2007’s Mountain Tops are Sometimes Closer to the Moon was always going to be one hell of a tough record to follow. 3 years on, and Cecilia::Eyes have been on a trip through the battlefields and conflict...
Ian Curtis and Annik Honoré: The thunderous (hi)story of Joy Division Click here for the original article in French First, a note from Jez - Frequently unasked questions. A: I know what you google for - I see the stats. A: No, I did not write this. I...
Ancienne Belgique, 3rd December 2011 We're here at the Ancienne Belgique tonight for the final of the Kampioenschap Van Brussel. 8 diverse bands, mainly here to showcase their stuff and win new fans, and maybe win something towards recording more material....
I get loads of hits on the translation I did of Philippe Cornet's interview with Annik Honoré. I need to write something now she's passed from this world. Fortunately, others have had more eloquence. Richard 23, Front 242 Annik was one of the first person...
Fête de la Musique 21, 22, 23, 24 June 2012 The venue is provided by the TAG, just off Place Rogier. The music direction comes from Soirées Cerises, the Brussels organisation that has programmed in venues across the town over 600 gig in the past few years....
I irritatingly managed to catch about 2 minutes of Tervueren before having to go off to see Taxidermists, then run off to Another Belgian Band, to pass Peplum on the way to Rodolphe Coster. This was going to prove to be a real festival day, with clashes,...
Day 3. If you were playing and don't get a mention, it's for one of the following reasons. 1. I missed you cause I was watching something else 2. You were crap/defective/dickheads, and not worth seeing again 3. I couldn't be arsed In the case of the Punk...
Lots of stuff to write about... Boutik Rock at the Botanique on 10, 11, 12 & 13 February I was impressed by the psychedelic country folk rock from Too Much & the White Nots – excellent tunes and a very original orchestration. Full on in-yer-face metal...
70 bands over 3 days, almost all of them from Brussels. For links, etc., please see the official line-up and presentation here. Not time for a proper review, but there were some notable highlights. In priority order of who I'd go to see if they were all...
Jez just had to pop along to: Texas Trauma & Graceland – DNA – 11th September 2010 Graceland is the solo project of Brussels resident Raphael Haubourdin. With nothing more than a laptop, a couple of controllers, it’s an insane cacophony of screaming synthesis...
For Against, Red Zebra, Perverted by Language Fantastique Nights, Botanique Witloof Bar, 27 October 2008 To cut a long story short, For Against released Sunny Side Shade Side at the beginning of 2008. It proved to be an absolute cracker, got some rave...
