HEADLINES
Wednesday in De Spieghel
For those who can't wait till Thursday, there is a EuroSonic kickoff night at Café De Spieghel, Peperstraat 11, on Wednesday. With Eklin (nl), Pony the Pirate (no), Band of Skulls (no) and Jesse (fi) performing. Starts at 22.00, free entrance.
Eklin (nl)
Local band Eklin is a subtle layered trip, with echoes of Neu!, Cocteau Twins, Jah Wobble and Gang Gang Dance. Formed out of the remains of Adept, who made a deep impression with their uncompromising mix of beats, noise and a strong, almost sexual drive. In Eklin, the beats and noise have been replaced by drums, keys, bass, guitar and the beautiful, dreamy vocals of Leontien Herkelman, who makes a big difference on stage, compared to the introvert presentation of Eklin’s debut gig at Noorderslag at the beginning of 2009. The radical choices and dark sensuality have remained. Clear and fresh as spring water.
Pony the Pirate (no)
Forget about Somalia, forget about Jack Sparrow, here is Pony The Pirate. From Norway, surely a country rich with pirate history. Like fearless Vikings, the gang of eight scours the seven seas of the indie spectre, led by balding buccaneer Joakim Johannesen, who will not rest until the whole world population is at his feet. Fighting against the languid little ships of pop and armed to the teeth with melodramatic masterpieces straight out of the Canadian school of Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene, the men and women of Pony The Pirate quite rightly go for gold.
Band of Skulls (no)
Another band whose name could severely put you on the wrong track. Interested metalheads and other fans of heavy artillery can safely skip this British band, because chances that Russell Marsden (guitar/vocals), Emma Richardson (bass/vocals) and Matt Hayward (drums) can turn their heads, seem non-existent. Band Of Skulls in fact go for poppy alternative rock, with their feet deep in the blues and their heads in the garage. After their contribution to the soundtrack of the second 'Twilight' movie, their star is on the rise and deservedly so, as you can now see with your own bloodshot eyes, at the start of a European tour. Put your fangs in the air!
Jesse (fi)
It’s all tomfoolery, what Kalifornia-Keke and Stiletto-Ana do, but brilliant tomfoolery. Inspired by Megadeth, Kraftwerk and Mega-Anal (don’t ask), these Finnish ex-cons totally blaze away on their synthesizers, in order to become at least as good as Toto. The cheesier and kinkier their music, the better. Live they take some other trailer trash characters along, including a virtuoso guitarist who would embarrass the hell out of Jimi Hendrix. Whether he’s the famous fusion musician who Keke and Ana learned the trade from and after whom they named their band, is unclear. It could be just like that, as with Jesse everything is possible.
