On Stage: The Sore Loses @ Bitterzoet

In their home country Belgium, The Sore Losers are bringing down big houses by now, but over here they are still playing smaller venues like Bitterzoet. With a great new album Skydogs out, that is getting good reviews maybe that can change. Until then I can still get the see them in an intimate club.

The Sore Losers at Bitterzoet Amsterdam, April 20 2016

Anyone that has seen this band before, knows they give it all on stage and know how to put up a great rock show. It doesn't matter how big or small the stage, they will work it like there's no tomorrow. And with the new album they have added plenty of songs that should be able to win over any crowd. Raw and groovy rock songs influenced by Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and The Rolling Stones are played with great confidence. A catchy song like 'Cherry Cherry' should get anyone jumping, but the crowd is a bit mellow tonight. That's not the band's fault who are working up a sweat like always.

The band looks great on stage with active front man Jan Straetemans and guitar player Cedric Maes as the ones who run the show. Maes has great skills and is knocking out wonderful riffs and solos seemingly effortlessly. Their first album was a real blues rock album but by now they are so much more. It's still clear though where their heart is when you hear songs like 'Nightcrawler' and 'Got It Bad'. Together with older favourites like 'Girl's Gonna Break It' this band can play any crowd by now and does win everyone over by the end of the night. These guys should be on any festival this year where they will blow everyone away.



All Pictures

Official Website | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube

Read more!

Rock Werchter 2014 Day 2: Cool Ending Of A Hot Day

Our tent turned into an oven when we wake and we're slowly being cooked. So after a bit of breakfast we are on our way to the festival site again to see the first band.

Rock Werchter 2014 Friday, July 4 2014

Yesterday we heard that Coely wasn't going to perform due to illness. Fortunately they found a good replacement in The Sore Losers.



The Sore Losers
The Belgian rock band look very pleased that they are allowed to fill in for Coely. They pick up this chance with both hands and play a energetic and rocking set. The new album sounds a bit more light compared to the raw blues and rock songs of their debut, but all songs go down very well with the crowd. The band are obviously having a lot of fun on stage and make it a great start of the day.

Official Website | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube



The Strypes
Four teenage boys that already performed at Glastonbury a year ago, playing old style rhythm and blues songs. The Strypes are an Irish band that are doing exactly that. As if they only listened to the record collection of their grandpa. Singer Ross Farrelly, with his sunglasses on, looks like a young Liam Gallagher, expressing the same kind of arrogance. But he knows just how to keep it from going over the top. The Irish young men have quite a few nice songs, enough to make the crowd move a little. But the music and the performance stay somewhat on the safe side and it never gets really wild.



Official Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube



Rodrigo y Gabriela
Puggy have cancelled their performance, so we wander around a bit and chill out until Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero are starting their show. Armed with only an acoustic guitar, the two play a wonderful show. Coming from a rock and metal background they know how to blend different styles together. Next to their own compositions they also play a cover by Metallica. It never gets boring contrary what you may expect, since they know how to use their instrument in a versatile way, adding percussion elements by hitting or slapping the guitar. At the end the duo plays Radiohead's 'Creep' so everyone can sing along with Rodrigo, who proves that choosing guitar as his instrument was the right choice.



Official Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube



The Naked And Famous
We're able to catch the last bit of The Naked And Famous who are playing in one of the tents where it's really hot. Their electro pop songs are catchy but sometimes also dreamy. It's a nice mix that definitely catches on with the crowd. Especially when they play their big hit 'Young Blood' the crowd is going nuts.



Official Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube



Foster The People
The same goes for Californian band Foster The People, who have plenty of danceable indie songs to offer. Singer Mark Foster has no trouble playing the crowd who are eager to party. Of course everyone is jumping to 'Pumped Up Kicks' while the temperature is rising to boiling point.



Official Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube



Paolo Nutini
Scotsman Paolo Nutini surprised everyone with his soulful new album 'Caustic Love' and even more with his passionate performances. Today is no different and many people are out to see him. His voice misses a bit of depth and stays too high to my liking, but his songs are definitely of high quality. He has certainly grown and his move from pop to soul and R&B is a good one. It sounds like his "new shoes" days are over.



Official Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify



Arctic Monkeys
After their slightly disappointing performance a short while ago at the Pinkpop Festival I was hoping to see a strong Arctic Monkeys show today. And I am not disappointed at all this time. Although the setlist is similar, the flow of the show is much better. This way the songs sound a lot more powerful and more spot on. The slower songs of AM may not have the same danceability as a 'Brainstorm' but they are played so perfectly groovy and lazy. This whole band is all coolness today. They look exactly how they sound: pure rock 'n roll and sex with lots of swagger. While playing their last song 'R U Mine?' you can read the answer to that question in every girl's eyes.



Official Website | MySpace | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube

It's a fine ending to a pleasant day that wasn't as impressive as yesterday. But that's fine and we celebrate with another beer or two and a warm cervela.

More Pictures

Rock Werchter 2014 Day 1
Rock Werchter 2014 Day 3
Rock Werchter 2014 Day 4

Read more!

The Sore Losers Have A Winner

The Sore Losers - The Sore Losers (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)

The Sore Losers are a Belgian band that were in this year's finals of Humo's Rock Rally. They didn't win it but left a good impression as the runner up and were signed by the Excelsior record label. Now they already have released their self-titled debut album. Their classic mix of blues and garage rock is nothing new but sounds refreshing nevertheless. You can hear they enjoyed recording and playing their songs. Although it took me a few listens to fully appreciate it Excelsior seems to have another winner. With all the great new Belgian bands lately it looks like Belgium is starting a new golden generation of bands.

Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify Read more!