On Stage: Taxiwars @ Bitterzoet

A year ago Taxiwars introduced themselves to the world. The quartet with well-known dEUS frontman Tom Barman successfully released their self-titled debut record and played a string of exciting club shows. Now they are back with a new record, Fever, and more of that freaky jazz.

Taxiwars at Bitterzoet, October 30 2016

It's easy to think that Tom Barman is the name that draws most people to see this band, which is probably right, but at the same time is selling the others short. This band is so much more than the famous singer. When the audience is clapping enthusiastically after an instrumental piece, Barman returns to the stage and is joking "don't overdo it, this was without me". It actually proves how proud he is to work with these great musicians, which is obvious when he is watching them play solos from the side of the stage, now and then shouting with excitement. And who wouldn't if you get to see this band play every night? The freaky and groovy jazz pieces are full of twists and turns, partly improvised and the musicians are constantly challenging each other.

The new songs are in line of the older ones, which means they breath the same restlessness and are just as pungent. Saxophone player Robin Verheyen is using the whole spectrum of his saxophone in sometimes wild solos, not always trying to fire off as many notes as possible, but instead trying to grasp the essence and atmosphere of the compositions. The rhythm section, bass player Nicolas Thys and drum player Antoine Pierre, keeps the beat going, making sure the groove doesn't stop. They provide the basis for Barman's lyrics, that spice up the songs and give them even more edge. Sometimes his words are combining into something of a rap, blending in with the groove completely.

The band doesn't let any boundaries restrict them, but instead stretch them as far as possible. That's why it isn't only attracting your typical jazz audience, but also appeals to many others, including dEUS fans. Contrary to the last time at this same venue when people were pretty noisy, they are now completely into the performance and in the quiet parts everyone is listening closely, not a sound to be heard. After an hour the band shortly leaves the stage while the crowd keeps roaring until they come back for an encore. Then it's really over and 75 minutes feels a bit short to me. I guess this simply never can get too much.



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On Stage: Taxiwars at Bitterzoet Amsterdam

Of course Tom Barman is known for one of Belgium's finest bands dEUS, but he keeps himself busy with numerous other projects. We learned about his newest project Taxiwars at the Into The Great Wide Open Festival last September. Their performance there sure tasted like more so we headed to Bitterzoet to get more.

Taxiwars at Bitterzoet Amsterdam, November 13 2015



The cosy venue has filled up quite nicely and we're eager to see this band play. The combination of exciting jazz with Barman's lyrics and vocals are simply a great match. Indeed again the band is convincing and plays a fired up show with plenty to enjoy. Saxophone player Robin Verheyen is mostly playing his tenor sax. The one time he wants to play his soprano it doesn't cooperate and he decides to play part of the song on his tenor after all. It doesn't matter since Verheyen treats us to thrilling solo's that sometimes are crazy free jazz and other times are bop style pieces. But all of the time he knows how to keep it interesting.



Completing the combo are contra bass player Nicolas Thys and drum player Antoine Pierre, who play very catchy grooves, which make the songs hard to stand still to. It also enables Barman to embed his vocals into the groove, which works very well. It's wonderful to see how Barman is clearly enjoying making music in this band, judging from the big smile on his face and the freaky dance moves. When the band is playing solos, Barman moves to the stage to let them take the spotlights.



It's a delight to see top musicians like this make such exciting music together and have such a great time at it. Parts of the music is improvised on the spot which keeps them on their toes and gives them the opportunity to surprise each other. It's another example of how exciting and danceable jazz music can be.



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Magnus Shines As Five Piece

After seeing Tom Barman with Magnus on Vlieland in September I was wondering how the band would sound when they were complete. At the ITGWO festival the band was missing a few members because they had other obligations. Now on their short tour they are in their normal five piece line-up with a drummer and keyboard player added to it. So I headed to the new venue in northern Amsterdam to find out.

Magnus at Paradiso Tolhuistuin, October 30 2014



Soldier's Heart will be supporting tonight. This band doesn't ring a bell and a search on Google leads to some roots band from the US that doesn't really fit the program. When I arrive at the venue I discover it's actually a band from Belgium making danceable electro pop. It turns out their song 'African Fire' even sounds familiar and I'm pleasantly surprised with the young band.



Right from the start it is immediately clear that the full line up definitely makes a difference. The songs sound more organic and have more body. The drummer is sometimes playing the groove of the song, with a nice warm full bass sound, at other times he's filling in around the beat from CJ Bolland by adding subtle percussion, both electronic and acoustic. The keyboard parts are now more complex since Barman doesn't have to play them himself while singing, adding more depth to the songs.



Another advantage is that Barman can now move freely around the stage, so he and guitar player Tim van Hamel are competing each other who can come up with the most silly dance moves (won by van Hamel). It turns the show into a lively performance and the band is clearly having a good time. Needless to say that everyone else is as well and soon most people are dancing and temperatures are rising, turning the venue into a sultry place.



The old and new songs mix well together even though there is ten years between some of them. Van Hamel uses an eighties kind of guitar sound, that reminds of Duran Duran and early Simple Minds. Together with new wave elements it gives the songs an eighties kind of feel, without sounding outdated. Some songs get more punch than on the record and get even better. 'Puppy' is more powerful and although it's hard to replace Tom Smith's vocals on 'Singing Man', tonight's version sounds just as good. With this full line up the songs sound more like rock songs than just plain electronic dance songs and in 'Catlike' it's impossible not to hear a bit of dEUS. In the end this was a fun show for both band and audience. Let's hope we don't have to wait another ten years for new material.



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New Sounds: Magnus - Where Neon Goes To Die

When Belgian creative genius Tom Barman wants to take a break from dEUS he sometimes makes a movie. Or starts playing with his electronica project Magnus. They have a new album coming up with lots of guest musicians including Editors' Tom Smith. Where Neon Goes To Die will be released on September 1st and this is what it sounds like:





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