The music video was made in collaboration with animator Gwen Vanderstraeten (mellon), who had this great idea for a music video and who worked for two months on the animation…

Enjoy!

Twitter allows you to follow your friends and colleagues, but you can also follow what your favorite band or artist is up to. The Belgian rock scene has also discovered Twitter as a medium to connect with their fans and so we are proud to present to you: the one and only Belgian artists and bands on Twitter overview.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? (not really…) But anyway, here we go:

Besides a link to the Twitter account itself, you can also see one example tweet from the artist or band (so you can immediately get an idea what they are tweeting about). If you know any other twitterati from the Belgian rock scene, feel free to leave your comments and we’ll update this list. BTW, did I already mention you should follow @BigInBelgium on Twitter? BTW, you can follow our Belgian artists and bands on Twitter list here. We’ll try to keep it up-to-date.

A Brand

Playing a show in DILBEEK at 8:00 PM today at VIJVERFESTIVAL

Das Pop

Roasted chicken and some boiled eggs in our well stocked Paradiso dressing room. Somehow feels quite perverse to eat those together.

dEUS

Episode 23 ‘Demo Days #2′ of the dEUS Podcast is now online with an exclusive first glance at new dEUS material, see http://podcast.deus.be

Maurice Engelen (Praga Khan, Lords Of Acid)

Bart Becks and Maurice Engelen team up to found “Sonic Angel”. The music revolution has begun. http://tinyurl.com/lncgvf

Jasper Erkens

Net een interview gehad met het Boekenprogramma op Canvas. 5 november wordt het uitgezonden vòòr Phara!;)

The Hickey Underworld

@daspop c u 2morrow assholes

Milow

Here’s a video of DREAMERS AND RENEGADES unplugged, which is usely the last song of each concert. Featuring the… http://bit.ly/Rhk75

Novastar

“Le Tour Bangor” – the solo tour by Joost Zweegers in 2010 ! Premiere @ Bourla theatre Antwerp on November 18th!!!

Michael Schack

@ Sportpaleis Antwerp kicking the kick (drum)

The Sedan Vault

TSV plays a ‘2 METER SESSIE’ in Amstedam on the 17th of October http://bit.ly/IVRb4

Luc Van Acker (Front 242, Arbeid Adelt)

family day… teaching my daughter how to drive a car…

Click here to view the embedded video.

The video seems a bit inspired by Never Alone/Always Together by The Blackbox Revelation…

The second single from the new album, Envoi, is a real gem. And it even becomes better if you know it is based on a poem by one of Belgium’s finest writers ever Hugo Claus. Absynthe Minded did so after an invitation by Poetracks, a Dutch initiative for setting Dutch or Flemish poems by famous writers to music:

Click here to view the embedded video.

One image in the music video struck me as familiar. It seems to refer to a cover of a single by Ghent based companions Soulwax:

Absynthe Minded – Envoi lyrics:

My verses stand gawping a bit
I never get used to this
They lived here long enough
Enough!
I send them out of the house
I don’t wanna wait
Until their toes are cold
Enough!
I wanna hear the humming of the sun
Or that of my heart,
Hardening
Enough!
They don’t screw classically
They babble commonly
And bluster nobly
Enough! Enough!
In winter their lips leap
In spring they lie flat at the first warmth
They ruin my summer
And in autumn it’s girls and a broken heart
For another twelve lines on this sheet
I’ll hold my hand over their head
And then I’ll kick them out
Enough!
Go and pester elsewhere, one-cent rhymes
Find somebody who cares
Enough!
Go now on your high feet
This is where the graves laugh
When they see their guests
Enough!
One corpse on top of the other
Go now and stagger to her
Whom I do not know
Enough! Enough!
In winter their lips leap
In spring they lie flat at the first warmth
They ruin my summer
And in autumn it’s girls and a broken heart

And it was a hot edition this year. While temperatures reached tropical hights, one great band after the other performed on the famous Werchter stages. Of course there was also room for some of Belgium’s best bands: Arsenal, Triggerfinger, Jasper Erkens, 2ManyDJs, The Hickey Underworld, Lady Linn & Her Magnificent Seven, Ghinzu and (really? no really?) Milk Inc.

If you missed it, don’t panic, there’s always YouTube. Below a short overview of the best Belgian band movies we could find so far.

Arsenal (Lotuk):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Triggerfinger (performing live on guitar and bike!):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jasper Erkens (Everybody Is The Same):

Click here to view the embedded video.

2ManyDJs:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Hickey Underworld:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lady Linn & Her Magnificent Seven (I Don’t Wanna Dance):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ghinzu (Kill The Surfers):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Milk Inc. (a non-conventional choice, a big gamble, but apparently also a big success):

Click here to view the embedded video.

The big Werchter Whirlwind (strange image, a whirlwind over the festival terrain. A few people were wounded):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sarah and Geert Bettens, original founders of K’s Choice and brother and sister, have both been working on their own projects for the last six years. Sarah went solo (and moved to the U.S.) and Geert tried to conquer the world with his band Woodface. Rumours are they are also working on a new album that will be released in 2010. Watch them perform their biggest hit song so far, Not An Addict (live at Pinkpop 1996 with Skin from Skunk Anansie):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Franky DSVD and his Channel Zero metal compadres will play one concert in January after 12 years of inactivity. They were the one-and-only big Belgian metal band for several years, but after five succesful albums they decided to call it a day in 1997. Maybe Channel Zero didn’t get the public attention they deserved, but other metal bands enjoyed taking them on tour as support act. Among others Channel Zero toured with Biohazard, Bodycount, Napalm Death, Life Of Agony and Danzig. Hope they will be playing this song in Brussels, Black Fuel:

Click here to view the embedded video.

via

But who is Customs? They give you a quite accurate description on their MySpace profile (where you can also enjoy Rex):

If Duran Duran’s Girls on film were actually guys, they would be called Customs (°2008). If The House of Love would speed up a notch or two, they would call themselves Customs. Imagine The Human League with intrusive guitars instead of synths:  Customs. Customs guarantees pop songs bathing in melody, atmosphere and rhythmic edge, dressed in trench coats of mystery. Uninvited guests settling in a room that was not even vacant. Customs uses a voice, a pair of electric guitars, a bass guitar, a modest drum kit and an occasional keyboard.

Ace Mirko Zec, Jelle Florentinus Mark Janse, Kristof Marie August Albert Uittebroek and Joan Willy August Govaerts are now residing in the studio to record their debut album. Rex already got quite some airplay in Belgium on StuBru and Radio1 and Customs is working really hard to finish the music video. So no video yet? Not really, Customs put some video’s on YouTube about their studio adventures:

Customs in the Studio, part 1:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Customs in the Studio, part 2:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Customs in the Studio, part 3:

Click here to view the embedded video.

via

You already might have heard the first Manhay single Exes or might have seen Daan’s own Lumberjack clip for the song. I’m amazed by how many rhymes he managed to find for the word “exes”:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Manhay tracklisting:

1. Exes
2. Your eyes
3. Brand new truth
4. Icon
5. Friendly fire
6. Crawling from the wreck
7. Bad boy, bad girl
8. Radio silence
9. A great retriever
10. Decisions
11. Beauty calls collect
12. The stealing kind

Exes lyrics:

Exes I’ve got no acces to my exes
I’m sure by now they’ve moved to Texas
or took a one way trip to Naxos
Exes I’ve lost the battle of the sexes
Like making love inside of taxis
They liked the sting but not the cactus

I know that exes reflect my youth
I know that exes are my male proof
I know they’re guilty of being the past
But you’ve killed the cupid
You’re over them
Exes I’ve got no problem with my exes
They loved me driving in my Lexus
A road’s as good as all its exits
Exes so out of date like sending faxes
I was the tree they were the axes
They liked the pray but not the mantis

The cynical collector of birds not bees
The problem detector got high on heels
The beauty protector with no degree
for exes

Which is good which is constructive
Which is what a woman needs
Don’t go asking for forgiveness
Go plead guilty all degrees
You were raised on definitions
With your dears obscuring deeds
Your actions

Exes you like ‘m young but not the acne
You like the team but not the referee
I wonder how it feels to ex me
So go ahead and ex me
Try to forget just don’t annex me
I thought I threw away the frisbee
I’d say we try to stick to plan B

Like a missile that ain’t guided
I was following my seed
Like a horse that hasn’t travelled
I took hay for upper purple weed
I got excommunicated
Cause I couldn’t play the creep
for exes
Exes too young to check all their reflexes
No use explaining who T-Rex is
They are the source of all complexes
You know… exes

Listen to Daan on last.fm

Brian Ibbot, host of Coverville, put these songs on the playlist:

• Insensitive by Jasper Steverlinck (Orig.by Jann Arden)
• I Don’t Wanna Dance by Lady Linn and Her Magnificent Seven (Orig. by Eddy Grant)
• Crazy by Jasper Erkens (Orig. by Gnarls Barkley)
• All the Young Dudes by Arno (Orig. by Mott The Hoople)
• Ayo Technology by Milow (Orig. by 50 Cent/Justin Timberlake)
• I Alone (Acoustic) by Anouk & Sarah Bettens (Orig. by Live)
• Take On Me by Janez Detd. (Orig. by a-ha)
• Je Suis Venue Te Dire Que Je M’En Vais by Jo Lemaire & Flouze (Orig. by Serge Gainsbourg)

Really worth the download. Check here and here (direct link to podcast).

Subscribe to Coverville.

Some suggestions for episode II of the Coverville Covers from Belgium podcast: Rocking in the free World by The Scabs, Are Friends Electric by An Pierlé, Starfish & Coffee by Soulwax,  …
More ideas? Feel free to post them in the comments section.

And the nice thing about it is you can download it for free! Try here (direct) or here (Humo website).

Tastes like more, don’t you think? Makes me wonder when they are going to start working on their second album…

Enjoy The Black Box Revelation live at Werchter 2008 with Gravity Blues:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Nice to know: NME wrote a great article about The Black Box Revelation, read it here.

During the contest, reggae DJ’s fight a battle with rhymes and dub records. At the end of the clash, the public decides who has the best rhymes and records.

Below you can watch Civalizee Foundation in action at the Benelux clash:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Congratz budha and jess!

Belga-Vox is a non-profit organisation that aims to contribute to reinforcing solidarity, dialogue, respect, community and multi-cultural diversity in Belgium.  The organisation furthermore wants to help strengthen the Belgian identity.

Some of the best Belgian artists of the moment will appear on stage and so far, more than 40 names have been confirmed. Let’s hope the concert will not be ruined by typical Belgian weather…

The line up at this moment:

• Adamo
• Arno
• Baloji (ex-Starflam)
• Boogie Boy
• Koen Buyse (Zornik)
• Stef Kamil Carlens (Zita Swoon)
• Catatonics
• Daan
• Marie Daulne (ex-Zap Mama)
• Rocco Granata
• Jeronimo
• Joshua
• Steven & Stijn Kolacny
• Flip Kowlier
• Laura Lynn
• Machiavel
• Paul Michiels
• Jef Neve
• Patrick Ouchène
• Bart Peeters
• An Pierlé
• Tom Pintens (ex-Zita Swoon)
• Axelle Red
• Gabriel Rios
• Kate Ryan
• Saule
• The Scabs
• Selah Sue
• Sioen
• Ete 67
• Jasper Steverlinck
• Sttellla
• Toots Thielemans
• Triggerfinger
• Will Tura
• Johan Verminnen
• Yevgueni
• Joost Zweegers (Novastar)

Most of the artists will be accompanied by De Laatste Showband (band of a program on Flemish Public Television) with Patrick Riguelle.

Be there or be square…

Pictures from your childhood, pics that say nostalgia, photos with an eighties vibe. Blow the dust from your old family albums, put them in the scanner and send them to us.

The higher the resolution, the better. (And don’t forget to ask permission to all people featured on the photo).

Send your pics for the Born in the Eighties project to milow.borninthe80s@gmail.com

Milow says thank you!

P.S. Born in the Eighties will be featured as bonus track on Milow’s international debut album and it goes a little something like this (notice Tom Vanstiphout on the cool Mark Knopfler guitar):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Enjoy a live version (with just one of her magnificent seven) from the Canvas show Lux:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Who needs Amy Winehouse when we have our own Lady Linn in Belgium?

If your covers are covered, you must be on the right way…

Click here to view the embedded video.