Botanique Brussels Archives - Page 2 of 2

Legend PETER PERRETT Enchants Brussels With Touching Love Songs And Electrifying Passion…

Posted on November 17, 2017 by JL

PETER PERRETT – Botanique, Brussels – 17 November 2017

Despite the fact that British legends THE ONLY ONES emerged in the explosive, but quite short era of punk and new wave their characteristic, amplified power guitar pop brilliance
hadn’t much to do with the revolutionary DIY scene at the time. The London band featured bloody good, experienced musicians and with Peter Perrett, their charismatic frontman and singer/songwriter they had a troubled genius who wrote black-pitch stories about death, drugs addiction, and tormented love that hit countless souls. His dark desire for
all sorts of tragic human themes was obviously inspired/caused by his heroin abuse.
His intriguing, melancholic voice matched their dazzling, electrical melodies hauntingly perfect. The band released three albums – Even Serpents Shine is my all time favorite – between 1976-1982 and scored a knockout classic single with ‘Another Girl, Another Planet’ back in 1978…

Enough about last century. Back to the present. Last June, the now 65-year-old Perrett released his first proper solo album ‘How The West Was Won’. Simply the most touching record I heard all year. A highly affecting work of moody passion with several emotional songs about his eternal love for his wife of many years, Zena, but also gripping musings about his turbulent past and striking reflections on his current state of mind. Overall this soul-stirring longplayer is about the one and only essential drug in life: LOVE.

Yesterday the man landed in Brussels. Assisted by a splendiferous 5-piece ‘children‘ band, featuring two of his sons and two cool ladies (electric violin/keys & tambourine/keys), Perrett moved us all intensely with a striking performance for heart and soul. Of course, they played that Only Ones masterstroke but this spellbinding concert was mostly about now, about how Perrett feels today, about ‘How The West Was Won’ and that is something quite special. From amplified lullabies to mind-blowing jams led by brilliant guitarist Jamie Perrett taking the jubilant audience to an ecstatic level. And yes, the veteran’s magnetic voice is still spot on and, most remarkably, he enjoyed every single second of the entire show and looks really like a genuinely happy survivor, still highly capable of enrapturing people, off and on stage. Unlike the late Johnny Thunders once sang ‘You Can’t Put Your
Arms Around a Memory’ I’ll embrace this memorable evening forever…

Here’s the magnificent HOW THE WEST WAS WON in full…

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PETER PERRETT: Website – Facebook

Guitar hero… Jamie Perrett

Belgian tambourine girl…

Mesmeric violin…

Father and son on bass..

Intimate encouter of the magical kind…

Setlist…

Thank you for signing my treasure, Mister Perrett…

(concert pics by JL/Turn Up The Volume!)

Red-Hot Rock And Roll Sauna With INHEAVEN in Brussels…

Posted on October 25, 2017 by JL

INHEAVEN – Botanique, Brussels – 24 October 2017

They’re young. They’re wild. They’re sexy. They rock like hell. They roll all over you. They have it all. They’re INHEAVEN. A blazing 4-piece turbo out of South-London. Their self-titled debut album is a tempestuous fireball, a blustery power plant, dealing with mixed emotions of being young today. Unquestionably, one of this year’s best long-players. All killers, no fillers. Yesterday the hefty gang invaded Brussels. Two songs in and everybody, just everybody, young and old(er) went bananas in the basement club of our capital’s historic building ‘Botanique’. Fueled by frontman James Taylor the whole place went
mental and the temperature rose drastically in less than no time. A string of massive rippers (like Baby’s Alright / Vultures / Regeneration ) alternated with some scream along mid-tempo power pop crackers (like Real Love / All There Is / Drift) turned the venue into
a steamy sauna. The unforgettable highlight of this glowing gig occurred when the band agreed to meet the fans’ begging chants and played stellar rocker ‘Treats’, with charismatic bassist Chloe Little on vocals, once again. WOW! What a tumultuous closer of this storming concert it was, as by that time I was up there on the small stage to take some pics (I know, I’m crazy) of the euphoric audience. But many followed my steps and a stage invasion was inevitable. Party time! ROCK AND ROLL! Awesome night! Unforgettable gig! Thank you, INHEAVEN…

Here’s an idea of the band’s dynamite energy on stage…

I just can’t get enough…

Their smashing debut album in full…

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More concert pictures…

Treat Chloe right…

Yoohoo!….

There goes James…

Hell yeah…

Triumph!..

Setlist…

INHEAVEN: Website – Facebook – Online Store

(all concert pics by Turn Up The Volume!)

FOXYGEN With Their 21st Century High-Energy Big Band Revue Back In Brussels…

Posted on February 26, 2017 by JL

FOXYGEN – Botanique, Brussels – Friday 24 February 2017

After touring their rock opera inspired double LP ‘…And Star Power’ back in 2014/2015, Sam France (frontman/singer) and Jonathan Rado (multi-instrumentalist), the eccentric key members of Californian’s collective FOYXGEN announced, unexpectedly, the end of the band. Weird and sad, on the other hand I felt lucky to have witnessed their spectacular live ecstasy in Brussels on that final tour. Oh yeah, on stage their exciting, eclectic cocktail of soul, pop, jazz and many other sonic vibrations from the early years of popular music leaves an impressive impact on your ears, eyes and limbs. This live performance on the American David Letterman Show at the end of 2015 will give you a perfect idea of the group’s adrenalin injected live power…

And the good news, of course, is that FOXYGEN came, suddenly out of the blue, back last October with new single America, followed, last January, by their fifth longplayer, titled HANG. A continuation of their bombastic and theatrical approach of several decades of several musical genres of the past, featuring a 40-piece orchestra. Here’s the LP in full…

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And… last Friday the Big Band Revue, with some help of a steamy horn section and an extra female singer/dancer, hit Brussels again with the charismatic Sam France leading the non-stop swinging spectacle as if it was his last concert ever. The highly energetic chameleon has multiple stage persona’s. From a sort of white James Brown madman on tons of speed to a hyperkinetic snake version of young Iggy Pop while he also demonstrated his Elvis moves in between. Explosive, flashing, 24 Karat entertainment! Here some of my pics…

‘Hello Brussels’…

‘We’re here to entertain you’…

Jonathan Rado going solo…

Showtime…

Elvis is in town…

Passionate harmonies…

Great to have you back…

FOXYGEN: Website – Facebook – Discography

THE LEMON TWIGS – Yesterday’s Magic Revisited For Today’s Pleasure…

Posted on November 27, 2016 by JL

THE LEMON TWIGS – Botanique, Brussels – 25 November 2016

Music junkies among us already know by now that THE LEMON TWIGS are the next big thing. And this time the hype is genuinely substantiated. This is a dazzlingly promising four-piece of teenagers from Long Island, New York led by brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario. Two extremely talented youngsters and, obviously, owners of an extensive record collection of all things great from the 60s to the 80s. From The Beatles to Queen, from Wings to Todd Rundgen, from Elton John’s balladry to Frank Zappa‘s jocose trickery
and all memorable pop and rock vibrations in between. Retro? Absolutely, but in a most genial way. At times you can hear snippets of all this magic in just one song. Sheer stellar creativity. They succeed where thousands failed before, because these yesterday’s sounds obsessed bros do not just copy/paste history. They compose rock opera like brilliance with the past’s very best era’s. They do not write songs, they build them brick by brick, they construct them step by step into something really special. If you didn’t hear it already check brand new album DO HOLLYWOOD here to find out what I try to stutter…

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To be honest I had some doubts about the band reproducing their richly arranged and orchestrated pearls live on stage without falling apart now and then. They proved me wrong, completely. Without the safety and help of tapes, special digital effects or other extra whatsoever assistance (pretty common now these days) they stunned the sold out 200 capacity club from start to finish. The songs sounded more basic and rougher than on record and it worked big time! The intensity of execution was just overwhelming. The first half of the set felt like a Broadway musical with songs bouncing from slow to fast, from up to down, from quiet to loud, from harmonies to screams. AWESOME! The second part of the concert, after the d’Addario’s swapped instruments (drums/guitar), was an adrenalin injected rock & roll blast with Micheal moving like a classic guitar hero while handling his instrument like Chuck Berry. First class, elevating entertainment. WOW! Double WOW!
And these fresh punks bring it all with a high dose of natural coolness and unshakable confidence as if they do this since the day they jumped out of their rocking cradle. The
Lemon Twigs are on their way to meganess. They gonna be huge, really huge. …

Melodic splendor…