‘Nations On Fire’ and the Dutch straight-edge band ‘Betray’ (with ex-‘Behind The Dikes’ [see: Roxy, Dendermonde, 3 may 86 (Laitz, B.T.D.,…)] Marc Hanou on bass & Casper Kraima singing, and Paul Van Der Vlist on guitar & Marco Somers drumming) intended this as a start to embark for a joint tour of the U.K. The poster states ‘A benefit show for the ‘Nations on Fire’ / ‘Betray’ U.K. tour 1991′. ‘N.O.F.’ were to play a show for Smurfpunx [Peanuts, Lede, 23 mar 91 (N.O.F.)] but this one was the first one (with David of ‘Scraps’ singing, Ed ‘Ward’ Verhaeghe / Françoise ‘Hazel’ Lepers on guitars, ex-‘C.P.D.’ Jaak drumming and Jeroen Lauwers on bass) and they immediately took of on a tour… Also playing were ‘Sloth’, a local grindcore band with Dieter ‘Lord Moloch’ Roelstraete doing vocals, David ‘Spans Hrac’ Stubbe (guitar; later drums for ‘Neuthrone’, etc.), Fabrice Baclet (bass) & Jeroen Vanhandsame (drums).
Brob
‘Sloth’ in (the hall of) the Vort’n Vis (courtesy of Dieter R)
According to me there was hardly anyone attending that night because everything was blocked due to heavy snow. ‘Betray’ were to play aswell but because the bad weather they drove directly from The Netherlands to the U.K. I know there’s a video-recording of the show but don’t know where to find it…
So the first show on this tour was in the VV and then we went over to the U.K. for some 5 (Manchester, Exeter, Middlesbrough, Huddersfield,…). I think we had 6 songs so we did very short concerts. Hazel (played guitar) was still in the band but shortly after she took off / was asked to leave (choose yourself). The tour was indeed together with ‘Betray’ (some members of ‘B.T.D.’, people might remember them from the ‘On Our Way To Fools Paradise’ compilation-lp). People that came a long were: Joris (Conspiracy recs), Stephane ‘Veggie’ Boens [R.I.P.] & Ghilain [Vermeersch], and Theun K. ‘Betray’ had just released a 7″ on Crucial Response recs, I think we just had a tape out. The tour was rather grey and snowed under, nobody gave a fuck, suffered from the cold, slept badly,… Actually, we shouldn’t have been there but it was a good learning-experience, got to know only to count on ourselves. The guy who set up the tour was a friendly bloke that lost so much money he never organised anything again.
Jeroen Lauwers, ‘N.O.F’ bassplayer
Here’s the explanation of why ‘Betray’ didn’t turn up (excerpt from Marc Hanou’s tour-report in the German fanzine Open Up #3):
excerpt from the V.V. guestbook:
additions wellcome!…
Vort'n Vis in the 90s 
Search in YouTube for “Nations On Fire live 1992” and you’re bound to find live recordings of our show in Nagold, Germany (X-mist town) during the tour with ‘Born Against’ [see: ‘Nations On Fire’ @ AJZ, Nagold 1992]
This must have been the last ever ‘Sloth’ gig and I must thank Brob for helping me remember the names of my esteemed band-mates. 1991… It took me another twelve years to pick up the noise again, until – in 2003 – ‘Spasm’ was founded. That outfit, too, has folded now. I now lead a gong-ensemble titled ‘The Tenth Assault on Kazan’. By the way – nice to read Jeroen Lauwers’ comments – he was one entertaining character to be around. His brother Karel, a very accomplished draughtsman, hung around the Ieper-Kortrijk HC-scene as well in the late 80, early 90s, playing in a band called ‘Pietje Roze Konin en de Zeven Gressprietjes’, I kid u not. Where did all the Gessprietjes go?
After ‘Rise Above’ called it quits, Ed started with ‘Nations On Fire’. Few people know that he was in a garage/punk band, called ‘The Midnight Men’ before (together with Françoise ‘Hazel’ Lepers, who was also in ‘Rise Above’). These did an LP called Mondo Teeno Experience on Punk Etc. in 1989, and a bunch of 7″s later on…
There should be a live-recording of ‘Sloth’ by a French bloke (?) which I would love to hear/have. Haven’t been on music-stage since but hungry & angry as ever – even slower, even fatter…
AmoR y RabiA.
‘Betray’ interview (Vengeance #2)