The eccentric fairy-tale rockers THE FLAMING LIPS, led by their psychedelic
priest Wayne Coyne are around since 1983 (oh my, I had no clue it was that long).
They have fascinated their fans with 17 albums (so far).
As a longtime fan myself, I dare to say that their concerts are even better than their records, as I experienced once more last year in Antwerp, Belgium. A visual and sonic spectacle.
Since Doherty got clean (2019) and lives in France with his family (wife and two children) and his big dog, far away from the temptations of parties and drugs, he has become very busy.
He released albums with one-time outfit Puta Madres (2019), with French musician Frédéric Lo (2022), with his first-and-forever band The Libertines (2024), and a solo
one (2025).
And when he wasn’t in the studio, he went on tour with all
the above bands, that other group, Babyshambles, too, and
solo.
Who wants a fanzine?
Last Sunday, he was in Belgium again after two appearances last year (with The Libertines and solo), assisted by a full band including The Smiths‘ drummer Mike Joyce (now aged 62).
And like I witnessed last year, solo in Bruges, he was in an extremely happy mood, selling old Libertines fanzines (no joke) between the two support acts and playing a formidable show.
He was strolling around the stage, fooling around with band members and interacting with the audience in between songs. Talking about the songs. It was a sort of best of set, with songs from all his projects and, yes, two The Smiths covers (There Is A Light That Never Goes Out / How Soon Is Now?), and a Velvet Underground one, all delivered with a joyous flair and an effervescent spirit.
At the end of the night, three thoughts crossed my mind. He’s (as we know for a long time) a exquiste singer/songwriter who has musical components in his DNA. Secondly, he’s a most entertaining live perfomer and thirdly, he obviously embraces life again after too many turbulent years. Way to go.
.
Some of my favorites he played.
THE LIBERTINES
SOLO
BABYSHAMBLES
With Frédéric Lo
THE PUTA MADRES
SETLIST
Last Of The English Roses
Fantasy Live Of Poetry And Crime
I Don’t Love Anyone
Felt Better Alive
Ed Belly
Epidemiology
I Am The Rain
Pot Of Gold
The Day The Baron Died
Salome Uncle Brian’s Abattoir (Trampoline)
Calvados
Kolly Kibber
Ride Into The Sun (The Velvet Underground)
Stade Océan
How Soon Is Now? (The Smiths)/ Albion
Who’s Been Having You Over?
Time For Heroes (The Libertines)
Fuck Forever (Babyshambles)
Encore There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (The Smiths)
Band: WASTE Who: Rowdy Belgian indies
who find beauty in chaos.
With a hat-trick of 3 steaming singles: Dog House, Get Up and Discotheque,
these fast-up-and-coming Belgian turbo got my ears’ full attention.
Beware, these punked-up bloodhounds bite. They chase you with ruthless racket.
They bark like werewolves. They produce rabid stuff. They bloody rock! They’re no
waste of your time whatsoever.
Hells Bells!
Last Wednesday, they hit my hometown of Ghent (Belgium) for a blistering salvo of jagged juggernauts. Think Deftones‘ nu-metal gusto, Rage Against the Machine‘s fiery forcefulness, and the Stooges’ kickass attitude, all rolled into one. Fucktastic, right? You betcha.
Calm before the storm
Vocalist Jef Jenaer is the excorcistic vox in the middle, screaming his 4 lungs out, between balloons. He’s backed by a mean rock machine steamrollin’ like a hotrod speeding out of control. Together, they produce an amount of illegal decibels that made the audience go nuts. The small club turned into a sauna.
Charged electricity
Waste nailed it, there and then. A small club try-out for
bigger things to come. Their future has no limits. Don’t
miss them.
Affectionate Belgian singer-songwriter Nele Janssen was, so far, known by
her loyal fans as the excorsistic frontwoman of post-punk grunge turbo Peuk
who have released 2 longplayers to this day.
That all changes now with her impressive solo debut album, baptized STONY BEDS, released under the moniker of HEAD ON STONE last
November.
Only Nele Janssen and her piano. Intimate, passional and heartfelt. From Peuk screams to solo whispers. A stirring record that enthralls from start
to finish. Eleven bittersweet songs for the midnight hours.
Last Wednesday her album-promo tour brought her to my hometown
of Ghent (Belgium), for a spellbinding 50-minute set. You could hear a needle
fall to the ground. I can’t remember how long ago I experienced such an
attentive audience.
Some more TUTV impressions.
Janssen mesmerized us all
with a sound of sincere silence,
with heart & soul stirring musings.
Reflective and cathartic.
Stripped to the bone.
Classical pop piano play.
Dreamy and starry-eyed.
Magnetizing vocals, mixed
emotions reflections, personal
reveries and an overall
gripping performance.
Australian blitzkrieg punks AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS joined hard rock
oldtimers as support act on their shows down under. This footage comes
from the concert in Adelaide a couple of days ago.
The by now legendary Tiny Desk Concerts are organized by NPR Music,
the project of National Public Radio, an American privately and publicly funded
non-profit membership media organization, that launched in November 2007
to present public radio music programming and original editorial content for
music discovery, since 2008.
Small and big musical artists/bands have performed in the
room filled with books and a tiny little desk, ever since.
Last night, DAVID BYRNE was the (famous) guest. He brought a whole group of musicians, with a diverse set of instruments, backing vocalists, and dancers along for the occasion.
4 songs were played. Two tracks (Everybody’s Laughs / Don’t Be Like That) from Byrne’s new album Who Is The Sky? and 2 Talking Heads crackers, (Nothing) But Flowers from 1998 and Life During Wartime from 1979.
It’s mega-enjoyable to watch the fabulous 20-minute gig.
It feels and resonates like an early Xmas holidays party.
Everybody’s dancing, singing, laughing. Pretty contagious
and no psycho killers in sight.
