Thursday 31 December 2020



2020, a year I mostly would like to forget about. But I won't forget its music. So here's a top 10.

1. Fontaines DC - A Hero's Death play in spotify
2. Working Men's Club - Working Men's Club play in spotify
3. Apneu - Silvester play in spotify
4. Deftones - Ohms play in spotify
5. The Homesick - The Big Excercise play in spotify
6. Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela - Rejoice play in spotify
7. Lewsberg - In This House play in spotify
8. JARV IS - Beyond The Pale play in spotify
9. Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today play in spotify
10.Canshaker Pi - Okay Decay play in spotify


This has been the last post on this blog in English. I started this blog many years ago and wanted to reach out to as many as possible. However now I feel it restricts me from really writing the way I want to. Also I often write about local music and bands that won't mean anything to people outside The Netherlands. Sometimes it feels really weird writing about them in English. So for everyone that has been following my blog and can't read Dutch: thank you for reading and maybe Google translate can help you out in the future.
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Sunday 14 June 2020

On Stage: Tim Knol @ De Nieuwe KHL




Three months without live music is very rare to me. I'd have to go way back to find a period with such a long drought. Fortunately now things are slowly opening up again, although I'm afraid it will still be a long time before theatres and venues are back to normal and we can watch artists on stage the way we used to. Dutch singer Tim Knol is one of those artists that always went his own way and who has always been in control of his own career. He's one of the first artists to start performing again and who is trying to make the best out of it.

Tim Knol at De Nieuwe KHL Amsterdam, June 10 2020



Of course it isn't a concert the way we are used to. It's a small place with an even smaller audience. In total 30 people are seated mostly as pairs at tables and Knol is by himself on the small stage. It creates a nice atmosphere though and it feels like an intimate performance. It is a good setting for Knol who is used to playing solo and knows how to entertain a crowd like this.



He has built a versatile catalogue with his solo albums, but also with his garage rock project The Miseries and more recently the blue grass album with Blue Grass Boogiemen. He was supposed to go on tour with that last band. Knol uses this versatility with great effect and mixes in some cover songs as well. After being in a bad place for a while, he decided it was time for a change and worked hard for this, lost a lot of weight and is now in great shape. It suits him and his voice is more clear and powerful than ever. His guitar skills are getting more impressive every time I see him, which he proves by playing a lightning fast blue grass song.

Many of his own songs are somewhat melancholic or sad and he jokes that he will start playing more uplifting songs later on, which he does. He's great with these little chats in between songs that usually have a funny twist and bring a relaxed vibe. It also closes the distance between the audience and him, which is wonderful nowadays when keeping distance is so important now. It's exactly what makes live music so good. That interaction between an artist and the audience and the way they can connect.



I can't be more happy and thrilled that I'm able to experience live music again, even thought it is a only a tiny step. I certainly hope more steps can follow soon and these artists who need this so bad can start performing again to make a decent living. I'm really glad Tim Knol was the one who played for us at this first concert, since he's exactly one of those artists who need these kind of performances so bad. Go support these artists and venues, especially now they are going through such a hard time. Go see them when they are performing, buy a couple of drinks, buy their music and merchandise. Hopefully most of them will be able to survive this crisis. I certainly will be attending concerts whenever I can. I can't wait for the next one!

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Tuesday 7 April 2020

Corona Lockdown Festival featured live sessions: Dansende Beren



Belgium website Dansende Beren is streaming live sessions daily starting at 20.30 CEST. Previous live streams are available in their archive. Check it out!

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Thursday 2 April 2020

Corona Lockdown Festival featured artist: Ryley Walker



The very fine musician Ryley Walker played an acoustic concert at his home. So sit back and enjoy this amazing artist.

Ryley Walker - Home Concert



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Monday 30 March 2020

Corona Lockdown Festival featured festival: Montreux Jazz Festival



The legendary Montreux Jazz Festival has opened its archives and made available 50 concerts to stream. Go over here to open the archive and enjoy.

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Saturday 28 March 2020

Corona Lockdown Festival featured artist: Radiohead



In 2017 Radiohead closed the Best Kept Secret festival with an amazing show that will go down in history as one of the best moments of the festival. I was there and it was simply magical. Now you can relive that full show over here: Radiohead - Live at Best Kept Secret Festival 2017 Read more!

Thursday 26 March 2020

Corona Lockdown Festival featured artist: James Blake



The one and only James Blake played a solo piano concert at his house which is still available to watch. So go ahead an enjoy his private concert:



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Wednesday 25 March 2020

Corona Lockdown Festival featured venue: Bimhuis



Not an artist, but a venue today. Famous Amsterdam jazz venue Bimhuis hosts all the jazz greats out there and more. They are sometimes broadcasting live streams on their website and some of these are still available to watch. So if you're into jazz and are desperate to get your groove on, check it out at Bimhuis.tv. Read more!

Corona Lockdown Festival featured artist: 2 Many Djs



The DeWaele brothers have always pleased me with their great music, first with Soulwax, later with 2 Many DJs. Now they have blessed us with a crazy intro mix, a full hour long. Don't miss out on the amazing visuals starring album covers and more. Enjoy!

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Monday 23 March 2020

Corona Lockdown Festival featured artist: Father John Misty



This time it is not a video but a Bandcamp link to a Father John Misty live album Off-Key In Hamburg. That in itself is already enough reason to go check it out, but he's donating all proceeds from Off-Key In Hamburg to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. So go grab it and donate! Read more!

Friday 20 March 2020

Corona Lockdown Festival featured artist: TORRES



Today's featured artist TORRES was touring Europe when many European countries were going in lockdown and restricted air travel. She had to cancel her tour and had a lot of trouble getting herself and her band and crew home. I hope she's safe and sound at home at the moment. Go check out her music. Here's a live performance I found on YouTube. Enjoy!

TORRES at New Sounds In-Studio, January 29 2020

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Thursday 19 March 2020

Corona Lockdown Festival featured artists: DeWolff and The Grand East



The first featured artists of the Corona Lockdown Festival are Dutch rock band DeWolff and The Grand East. Both bands played at an empty Muziekgieterij Maastricht and live streamed the event. They were one of the first bands to do so. Check out both shows below and donate if you can!

M-PX presents: DeWolff & The Grand East at Muziekgieterij, Maastricht

Donate HERE (donation page owned by the bands and not affiliated to this site in any way).

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Corona Lockdown Festival 2020



So we all have to stay at home, concert venues had to close their doors and festivals are getting cancelled. For artists this means they are missing out on a lot of income, not to mention contact with their fans. For avid concert visitors like me it means missing out on all those wonderful shows. Let's try to get these together in this Corona Lockdown Festival. I will list concert videos down here so you can get your daily doses of live music. Especially recordings or live streams from artists playing concerts from home. Help the artists by donating money to them and buying their music and merchandise, especially the bands and artists that are struggling now. If there are ways of donating I will links to those pages here as well. Let me know if you have any concerts to list here.

Hook me up on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or by leaving a comment below. Let's beat this damned virus and keep the music alive! See below for the line-up and concerts so far.



Corona Lockdown Festival line-up:

Dansende Beren - Daily Sessions (Featured live sessions Tuesday April 7)



Belgium website Dansende Beren is streaming live sessions daily starting at 20.30 CEST.

Ryley Walker - Home concert (Featured artist Wednesday April 1st)



Montreux Jazz Festival - Stream 50 concerts (Featured festival Monday March 30



Stream 50 Montreux Jazz festival concerts for free.

Radiohead - Live at Best Kept Secret Festival 2017 (Featured artist Friday March 27)



Stream their full festival show.

James Blake (Featured artist Thursday March 26)



Bimhuis - Bimhuis TV (Featured venue Wednesday March 25)



Amsterdam jazz venue is live streaming previous concert broadcasts at Bimhuis TV.

Brendan Benson - Boy In A Bubble (Daily live songs)



Brendan Benson will be performing old and new songs daily on his Instagram.

Christine and the Queens - Daily performance



Christine and the Queens will be performing daily on her Instagram with special guests and more.

2 Many DJs - RSWX Presents Introversy (Featured artist Tuesday March 24)



The DeWaele brothers have posted a full hour 2 Many DJs set on their facebook page, enjoy!

Father John Misty - Off-Key In Hamburg (Featured artist Monday March 23)



Go over to the Bandcamp page to download the album. All proceeds from Off-Key In Hamburg will be donated to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Frank Turner: Show 2000: Live at Nottingham Rock City



Oh Sees - Rehearsal for next album



TORRES (Featured artist Friday March 20 2020)



Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie) streaming live every day at LiveFromHome

Drop Kick Murphys



Third Man Records daily shows

M-PX presents: DeWolff & The Grand East at Muziekgieterij, Maastricht (Featured artists Thursday March 19 2020)

Donate HERE (donation page owned by the bands and not affiliated to this site in any way).

Chris Martin


John Legend


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Sunday 8 March 2020

On Stage: The Homesick @ Paradiso



A few years back we got to know post punk trio The Homesick who released a stunning debut album Youth Hunt. It didn't take long for them to get noticed across the borders and even got signed by the illustrious Sub Pop label. In January they dropped their first Sub Pop release The Big Exercise which showed a very different sound. Stripped off the rough post punk elements this album leaves a friendly fuzzy pop sound full of harmonies and psychedelica. It is beautiful, but how would this go down live on stage?

The Homesick at Paradiso Amsterdam, March 5 2020



As if it wasn't clear enough from their new record that things have become less wild, both bass player Jaap van der Velde and guitarist Elias Elgersma are seated at the front with their drummer Erik Woudwijk at the back. They will not get up for the whole set, even though some people are asking them to stand. It has a nice touch though, seeing them sitting like this, emphasising this new more mellow direction. The stage at the small hall in Paradiso is quite low though, so it is hard to see them when you're not standing at the front.



The three young men have their new sound completely figured out and it sounds amazing live as well. They have some electronica to help them out in the parts where things like keys are added. This is a band who are able to harmonise the vocals together with their instruments. No longer will you hear wild eruptions but soft ringing guitars and gentle drum rolls. They manage to mould it all together into a lovely fuzzy sound. Repeating elements are emphasised with staccato drum grooves where the harmonising vocals from both van de Velde and Elgersma are swimming in lots of reverb.



The trio can steer their music into any direction, keeping it small and quiet, then slowly letting it swell into something bigger without ever really letting it roar or explode. This unique band proves they understand the elements of music that allow you to make things interesting. It makes their songs exciting and little works of art. The lighter pop sound suits them well and we should treasure a group as talented as The Homesick.

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Wednesday 26 February 2020

On Stage: Mikal Cronin @ Bitterzoet



It only makes sense that rocker Ty Segall chooses to have musicians like Mikal Cronin in his band. The versatile multi instrumentalist has many talents and makes great music as a solo artist as well. He recently released his fourth solo album Seeker and is now touring in support of it.

Mikal Cronin at Bitterzoet Amsterdam, February 21 2020



Shannon Lay is tonight’s support act who I recently saw play with Cronin in Ty Segall’s band and earlier with punk rockers FEELS. Solo she’s taking it a lot more slow, with quiet ballads. She has a lovely voice and together with a clear fingerpicking guitar sound the room goes quiet. Something that will change when Mikal Cronin takes the stage.



Cronin's new songs are nicely varying and some of them have a wonderful Tom Petty feel. I love this sound and on stage Cronin adds some lively energy. He may not be the greatest singer, but he makes up for that with great guitar skills and song writing. Different from his work with Segall, Cronin’s songs are lighter and have more of a pop feel. This is what makes his music so attractive.



Most of the songs are quite compact and together with the rhythm section, the only other two members, go through them very smoothly. These two add a lot of groove to the fuzzy rock music that make them perfect to rock out to. The crowd is a bit hesitant tonight though and doesn't exactly go wild. To be fair there isn't a lot of time to get warmed up though since after just over half an hour the three leave the stage and return very quickly for one more song. With hardly forty-five minutes of stage time, the set is really short, but totally worth it nevertheless.

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Tuesday 18 February 2020

On Stage: Brothers Of A Feather @ THT



The American rock band The Black Crowes always knew turbulent times. It went through numerous line-up changes and had several break ups. The core of the band are the Robinson brothers, whose relationship is not easy. Whenever the two don't get along, the band goes through a rough period. In 2015 the group disbanded due to an argument between the brothers. Last year the duo suddenly announced their reconciliation and a 2020 The Black Crowes tour with a whole new backing band to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their successful debut album Shake Your Moneymaker. Now the two brothers are sharing the stage for an acoustic tour as "Brothers of a Feather".

Brothers Of A Feather at Paradiso Noord Tolhuistuin Amsterdam, February 15 2020



Singer Chris Robinson states that not many people expected the brothers to appear on stage together so soon. Indeed I wasn't expecting it either, especially a show with just the two of them. I'm happy though to see the brothers are getting along again and are playing together, since they make great music and are always getting the best out of each other. Chris is the outgoing front man and singer, chatting to the crowd, while Rich is the more quiet one.



You can tell they have been making music together all of their lives and complete each other. Rich's groovy rhythm guitar is the base for every song and he sometimes adds harmonies to Chris' vocals. The two cut through The Black Crowes' catalogue with lovely versions of big hits like 'Jealous Again', 'Twice As Hard' and 'Remedy'. Also some deeper cuts like 'Nonfiction' and 'Good Friday' are on the setlist. Every song sounds amazing like this, stripped down to their bare core. Chris' powerful voice sounds wonderful with only a single acoustic guitar backing him.



Unfortunately there is quite a lot of chatting going on and Chris asks everyone to shut up. It's very sad that one of the musicians on stage has to ask people to be quiet. Fortunately it does have effect and the chatting dies out. Towards the end the back to back tracks 'Soul Singing' and 'She Talks To Angels' are absolutely gorgeous. The duo returns for an encore playing the only song that is not a The Black Crowes song, Ry Cooder's 'Boomer Song'. This was an incredible night, with the two brothers truly having fun at playing together again. I'm looking forward to this fall a lot when The Black Crowes return to Amsterdam.

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Setlist:
01. Jealous Again
02. Twice as Hard
03. Wiser Time
04. Thorn in My Pride
05. Good Friday
06. Cursed Diamond
07. Hotel Illness
08. Whoa Mule
09. Nonfiction
10. Soul Singing
11. She Talks to Angels
12. Remedy
Encore
13. Boomer's Story (Ry Cooder cover)


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Friday 14 February 2020

On Stage: Ryley Walker @ THT



No too long ago Ryley Walker visited Amsterdam with his band to promote his latest record Deafman Glance. Not long after that he posted on social media he wasn't doing so well and needed professional help. He went away for a while but fortunately was able to overcome his demons and is now doing an acoustic tour all by himself.

Ryley Walker at Paradiso Tolhuistuin Amsterdam, February 12 2020



The musician certainly looks in better shape tonight than the last time. He has lost weight and seems to be in a much better place. He is cheerful on stage, chatting with the crowd, smiling and laughing a lot. Walker is a great entertainer and has no trouble pleasing the crowd tonight. In between songs he has short funny anecdotes and is cracking lots of jokes. It results in a relaxed atmosphere where Walker is the radiant centre piece.



He is an amazing song writer that is able to compose gorgeous tracks both musically and lyrically. In this acoustic setting this is even more clear and his music is perfect for it. Many songs have lovely guitar intros, intermezzos and solos where Walker is showing his impressive guitar skills. I love the way he builds up his songs around breezy finger picking parts, giving his music a light touch. With his pleasant voice tracks like 'Pimrose Green' and 'The Roundabout' wrap themselves around you. It truly is music to lose yourself and wallow in.



There are also a couple of covers tonight, John Martyn's 'Over The Hill' and Tim Hardin's 'If I Were A Carpenter'. You can leave it to Walker to do them truly justice and make them fit into his own catalogue perfectly. He is a gifted musician and I love his music. It's good to see he's doing well and hopefully he will be back soon to treat us to his lovely songs and maybe some new music too.

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