Leave Me Dry

10 BEST GIGS OF 2024 According To The Ears/Eyes Of TURN UP THE VOLUME

Posted on by JL

31 December 2024

Band: FAT WHITE FAMILY
Who: British misfits team led by maestro Lias Saoudi.
One of the best live bands of the past 15 years. Hands
down.

They released their 5th and unquestionbly their best
longplayer this year with Forgiveness Is Yours.

Trix Club, Antwerp – 1 June

No rest for the wicked.

Instagram – Spotify
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Band: Lambrini Girls
Who: Hefty post-punk
turbo from Brighton, UK.

The grrllzz have their debut LP Who Let The Dogs Out
out on January 10th. They will be all over the place.

L’Aeronef, Lille, France – 17 February

Earthquake experience.

Instagram – Spotify
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Band: ILA
Who: Belgian top rock/pop outfit
fronted by charismatic songwriter
Ilayda Cicek.

They scored one of the best debut
albums of the year with Anya.

Charlatan, Ghent – 14 November

Magnetism in motion.

Instagram
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Artist: LIAM GALLAGHER
Who: Our kid.

O2 Arena in London, 6 June.

We all felt supersonic.

Instagram – Spotify
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Band: DITZ
Who: Overwhelming post-punk
bulldozer from Brighton, UK.

On 24th January Ditz will launch
their second album, titled Never Exhale

Sonic City Fest, Kortrijk Belgium, 10 November

Illegal amount of decibels.
Helter skelter.

Instagram – Spotify
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Band: FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES
Who: British tattoo artist and his gang.

Authors of one of the best longplayers
of 2024 with Dark Rainbow.

Ancienne Belgique, Brussels – 26 February

Passion, passion, passion.

Instagram – Spotify
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Band: THE NEW EVES
Who: Otherwordly all-female
indie act from Brighton, UK.

Botanique, Brussels – 24 May

Bizzare and different.
BRILLIANT!

Instagram – Spotify
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Band: YARD ACT
Who: Rap-pop-rock indie
celebs from Leeds, UK.

With Where’s My Utopia they
delivered their 2nd triumphant LP.

Botanique Nights Fest, Brussels – 28 April

Party from start to finish.

Linktree – Spotify
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Band: WARMDUSCHER
Who: Disco punk cowboys from the UK.

This hit team nailed it with this year’s
album Too Cold Too Hold (their 4th).

Botanique, Brussels – 24 May

Imagine James Brown being a punk.

Instagram – Spotify
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Artist: RICARD ASHCROFT
Who: British power pop expert

Lokerse Feesten, Belgium – 6 August

Bittersweet symphonies.

Instagram – Spotify

All photos by Turn Up The Volume

ILA – Belgian Songstress Impresses With Her Stunning Debut LP And Electrifying Concerts

Posted on by JL

Spotlight on stand-out indie artists

16 November 2024

Band: ILA
Who: Vigorous Belgian rock quartet led by formidable singer-songwriter/guitarist,
with Turkish roots, Ilayda Cicek who’s blessed with a unique voice and shares
unadulterated emotions, sonically and lyrically.

I remember seeing Ilayda Cicek for the first time as a solo artist, about seven years ago.
She looked shy and vulnerable but her set of intimate musings in a small club was one not to forget. She impressed my ears with her soul-stirring voice and subtle acoustic guitar play. Her vocal tone, timbre, and range caused goosebumps.

A couple of years later, she started to turn up the decibels with the help of a full rock band and drew the attention of new fans and also the press. Her debut 7-track debut EP Felt showed us her high-quality songwriting skills.

‘You Leave Me Dry’.
In a normal world (does that exist?) this
striking stroke should be a global hit.

I suppose Ilayda will be tired by now of being compared with PJ Harvey all the time,
but that is how imposing, how compelling, and how special she is. Her vocal fervency, profound passion, and emotive energy cause a sort of trance-like experience.

Last Thursday she played in the city of Ghent, billed as the official release show
of her first longplayer, titled ANYA. Without a shadow of a doubt, the best debut
of 2024 on my list. No fillers, all killers. Heartfelt ardency in motion.

One of the LP’s highlights.

Again (I saw her about 20 times) she confirmed the top level she has reached by
now, on record and on stage. Her rousing voice filled the cozy venue, her presence
was magnetic and her band has become a top turbo. It was another 5-star performance. Hail hail!


Album artwork

ILA is for real, ILA is authentic,
ILA is here to entertain us for
a very long time (I hope).

– ANYA –

ILA: Facebook – Spotify

(Live photos by Turn Up The Volume)