92-02-09 No Security – Hiatus – 6 Feet Over – Neuthrone

First time I saw ‘Hiatus’ (what a blast!). Swedish ‘No Security’ (like that style of ‘Scandi-trash’!!!) and of course ‘Neuthrone’ (who played some sort of doomy ‘slow-core’)…

Henk Loobuyck

‘No Security’, a raw/fast crust/trash band from Eskilstuna, Sweden, were (at that time; I think) Jari ‘Jallo’ Lehto (drums; also in ‘Disfear’, ‘Totalitär’, etc.), Mattias ‘Kenko’ Kennhed (guitar), Harri Mänty (vocals) and Robert ‘Robban’ Eriksson (bass). They existed for some years already but had gotten even more popular because of the split with ‘Doom’ on Peaceville recs and the D-beat wave…

After a few ‘surprise-appearances’ and a gig on New Year’s Eve (91-12-31; with mostly local bands and a not so overwhelming attendance), ‘Neuthrone’ got to ‘support’ a touring band. Steve Wackenier (guitar & vocals) and David Stubbe (drums) had just asked Tim ‘Nutje’ Denutte to play bass (because of Fabrice’s departure); so that was probably their first gig in this line-up. The Half a Skull’s Size’ 7″ was due on Genet recs…

This was ‘Hiatus’ 3^rd gig here (after 90-09-15 & 91-04-21), I think… They’d just came back from their tour in the U.S. & Canada. Willy played bass here, Ben Fery hit the drums and Azill Kamizol played guitar-hero… No clue where the other guitarist (Phil ‘Kill’) was. And Fed Alabas (Don’t think he had left the band already…)? Spatje & Vrokker (‘P.J.D.’) did some of the vocals.. The band toured Europe with ‘No Security’… No further introduction necessary, I guess…

‘6 Feet Over’ were from the Duncerque region, pretty close to Ieper, so they were invited to play at the V.V. quite often. Here, they made their 2^nd appearance at the V.V. (after 91-06-08) and had recorded their demo-tape a few months before. The 7” on Panx recs would follow later that year. The band consisted of Stephane Cormary (vocals), Fred (bass), Pierre Anne (drums) and Karl Penando (guitar). Energetic old school HC. I reviewed them in Tilt! #7: “Reminds me of ‘Stikky’ or ‘Stark Raving Mad’. Short but raging. Political lyrics.”.

Brob

This was the first European tour for ‘Hiatus’ and the last one for ‘No Security’. Ieper and Liège were good; the rest a bit chaotic. What an idea to tour Sweden in February and the Spain in August!? I was the one organising these tours… I was young… It was the first time I met ‘6 Feet Over’ (later we toured Spain together – with uncle Sned on drums) and ‘Neuthrone’. Hi David & Steve!

Willy ‘Hiatus’

I remember this one for sure! This really left an impression… Vrokker was singing for ‘Hiatus’ those days and they had to play with ‘No Securityi in Liège. I had come along that day to ‘sing’ a ‘Doom’ cover with ‘Hiatus’ and do it over the next day in Ieper. Together we travelled in ‘No Security’s van to Ieper, learned a bit of Swedish on the way and once in Ieper there was an atmosphere of true fraternity. The place was too small, ‘No Security’ was super!!! An energy-attack, full throttle and no looking back!!! I also remember that Vrokker and myself almost demolished the joint… What Vrokker did on stage with them…was most probably a ‘Mob 47’ cover but I could be mistaken… It was one of my better performances at the Vort’n Vis…by far!

Jurgen ‘Spatje’ Fiems

That was the night before my birthday and I was very excited to play with ‘No Security’. I believe we didn’t have amp-problems this time, so a reasonably successful gig. ‘No Security’ were fantastic and super tight. After the concert, Jan Claus and myself slept on the V.V.’s stage because there were a lot of burglaries in the Vort’n at that moment (local heroine-junks) but there were no thieves that night.

Steve W., ‘Neuthrone’

I wasn’t the only guitar-hero that night, you can see Phil just behind Spatje on the picture! That was ‘Hiatus’ second line-up: Phil (guitar+vocals), Willy (bass), Ben (drums) and me (guitar+vocals). That was the Way Of Doom line-up. Later on when we discovered (by accident!) that Willy was a good frontman, he left the bass for the microphone and then we recruited a bass-player (Fred) to become a 5-piece. We recorded the first album From Resignation… with that 3^rd line-up.

I enjoyed touring with ‘No Security’, that was our first European tour. The dudes and their driver were very cool. Their music was fast, energic and the singer looked like he became mentally disturbed during their performance! We learned some cool Swedish words and we improved it later while touring with ‘Svart Snö’! ’6 Feet Over’ were nice people too (not from Nice but from Dunkerque ah!). Fast hardcore with amazing drumming, even when Sned (‘Health Hazard’) replaced Pierre behind the drums. At that same time, Chris (‘Health Hazard’) replaced Fred in ‘Hiatus’: we toured in Spain together – British reinforcements!

What else? I can see my t-shirt wasn’t grey yet… I don’t remember how many times we played at the Vort’n Vis but this must be one of the first. Vrokker and Spatje helped us because me and Phil didn’t feel comfortable singing and playing guitar at the same time. Leffe (‘Chronic Disease’) also helped us in that way a bit later. Thank you guys!

Azill, guitar zero.

great photo-shoot by Eric ‘React’ (thanks a lot!!!):

‘Hiatus’ with Spatje & Vrokker on vocals

‘6 Feet Over’

‘No Security’

Vrokker stealing the show… ;-)

excerpts from the V.V. guestbook:

‘No Security’ expressing their appreciation for the hospitality…

Sonia Lord & Jules Lowery (Missing The Point, London) visiting…

additions wellcome!…

89-07-09 Pietje Roze Konin… – Dreft – Silly Old Fart

As far as I know, this was the very first gig at the Vort’n Vis…

‘Pietje Roze Konin’ en de Zeven Gèssprietjes’ (Pete the Pink Rabbit & the Seven Grass-blades), from Menen (between Kortrijk en Ieper) were A bunch of lads who just picked up some instruments to make “a mess”: Vincent Windels (drums), Rudy Denis & later Karel Lauwers (guitar), Kurt Deprez (bass), Jeroen Lauwers (screams; later replaced by Wim Vandekerckhove & Sacha Baelen). Some of them would later end up in ‘Shortsight’ and ‘Blindfold’. I found an interview with them in Jimyh Anti’s zine (see below)…

‘Dreft’, from the Izegem-Kortrijk area, started out as a grindcore band. They were: Dominik ‘Nolf’ Denolf (vocals), Pascal ‘Scalle’ Desplancke (vocals), Sammy (guitar), ‘Mosh’ (bass), ‘Narre’ (drums). Gradually they evolved towards a death-metal sound. Later Erwin took over the guitar, and in an even later stage ‘U.J.’ played bass and ‘Josh’ Joost Noyelle guitar. ‘Scalle’ was a mate of Hans Verbeke and ‘U.J.’. I got to know them when my band ‘Repulsives’ played in Harelbeke. They sold these Westland stickers – in analogy with Hageland Hardcore. But some people incorrectly linked the name with Westland New Post… But that’s another story… I think the singer of my second band (‘Yuppies’ Death’), Joost, also hung out with them in places like pubs Het Rond Vierkant and De Reflex in Kortrijk.

‘Silly Old Fart’ were a rather noisy gang from Ieper: David Stubbe (later ‘Neuthrone’, etc.) & Fabrice Baclet (‘Neuthrone’) on bass, along with Vinnie & Davy Letiere both on vocals. See also 89-09-16.

Brob

I was the drummer of ‘Silly Old Fart’ (and the band-logo designer) at the time. Vinnie was the singer, I’m not sure of the other name mentioned…

Jan Moerman

The line-up with ‘Nolf’ & ‘Scalle’ (Sammy, Kris M. & ‘Narre’) was from 85 to 88…With Erwin (without ‘Nolf’ & ‘Scalle’) was from 88 to 92. ‘Josh’ & ‘U.J.’ joined in 92.

Kris ‘Mosh’(terd)

‘Dreft’ promo-pic ’89: Erwin – Narre – Mosh – Sammy

Davy Letiere who used to sing for ‘S.O.F.’ now runs a pub opposite of the Vort’n Vis, called The Old Bill (aiming at catering English tourists).

Tim ‘Nutje’ Denutte, ‘Neuthrone’ bassplayer

‘Pietje Roze Konin’, ‘Dreft’ and ‘Silly Old Fart’ together on a bill: it is clear that finding a silly band-name was a must when you wanted to start a band by the end of the 80s. It was summer so the concert took place in the yard. I don’t think that a band such as ‘Pietje Roze Konin’ would be able to get a gig anywhere nowadays, not even at the Vort’n Vis. Let’s say that that was the charm of that period. It would take a few years until teenagers would lock themselves up in rehearsal-spaces to produce technically better music, but until then there was indeed space for messy bands such as ‘Pietje’. We also still had to wait a bit for the straight-edge and corresponding posterboy-bands.

What I recall of this day is e.g. that a few members of ‘Pietje Roze Konin’ (that would later play in ‘Blindfold’) had an airy discussion about vegetarianism, which they didn’t seem to like. A few years later they would however spread a totally different message with their new band.

‘Dreft’ was quite a sensation to us. Sometimes a lighter was pulled to set something on fire. But eventually the hooligan-rhetoric only brings oblivion; I can ‘t remember what kind of things they pulled of that afternoon in the Vort’n Vis yard. The hypnotising, affable smile of drummer ‘Narre’ still lingers after all these years. I was indeed a fan of ‘Silly Old Fart’ back then, saw a few good pub-shows by them. I don’t think that they lasted long after this: it was rather clear that the musical preferences within the band were rather divergent.

Karel Lauwers

I wasn’t there, no idea why actually… I co-founded ‘Pietje’, did a gig at Het Rond Vierkant in Kortrijk (August 1988); after that some time on guitar for a few weeks (one gig, Sep/Oct 1990).

Jeroen Lauwers

91-09-01 [N.O.F.] – Agathocles – Cry For Change – Spirit Of Youth – Scraps

This concert was meant to be the presentation of ‘N.O.F.’s lp but mid August Jaak had an accident with his car (crashed and went upside down) – (together with Jan ‘Blindfold’, U.J. and Hans – while returning from the studio in The Netherlands (where we’d done the final mix): I was suffering from a back-injury (couldn’t move for a few weeks) and Jaak was ‘out’ (in hospital) for a couple of months with some serious fractures and surgery. He didn’t start drumming again a few months later. The concert took place without ‘N.O.F.’ and the record only got released in March 1992. The album wasn’t ready anyway: the recordings had been in May and August; shortly after this gig Ed went to L.A. – beginning of September until end December – to work for his family, and got the record (re-)mixed (Onno [Hesselink]’s original mix was rather questionable) by someone who at that time also mixed ‘Bad Religion’.

Jeroen Lauwers, ‘N.O.F’ bassplayer

I believe all other bands were XXX and a big part of the audience as well, but I’m not really sure. If I remember correctly, everybody left when we got on stage with a tray full of beers and started our noise, haha. Those were the straight-edge heydays :-). Our line-up in ’91…that would probably have been Burt [Beyens, drums], myself [vocals at that time], Erwin [Vandenbergh, bass at that time] & Chris [guitar].

I really liked ‘Spirit Of Youth’ in their early days. Very young guys , full of commitment and energy. Coincidentally, a while ago, I ended up at a bar-counter with one of the members of ‘S.O.Y.’ when he was playing with his new band.

All in all, the end of the 80s/beginning of the 90s were great times at the V.V.

Jan Frederickx, ‘Agathocles’ bassplayer/vocalist/guitarist

I don’t recall ‘Behind The Smile’ playing that day. [Brob: ‘B.T.S.’ was considered to play there at some timepoint…] I think it was ‘Scraps’. [Brob: Could well be ‘cause David & Raph wrote something in the guestbook that day…]. ‘Spirit Of Youth’ was still Hans [Verbeke] drumming, Jan [Maelfait] singing, myself playing guitar and my brother Fré doing the bass.

Dominiek Denolf, ‘S.O.Y.’ guitarist

‘Cry For Change’ had played at the Vort’n Vis before and ‘Scraps’ were no new-comers either of course (with various crossings of the border into I-town; see e.g. 91-03-16).

‘Cry For Change’ (photo courtesy of Johan Maes)

‘Scraps’ vocalist David was technically ‘unemployed’ with ‘N.O.F’ being half handicapped anyway. They kinda replaced ‘N.O.F.’, even did some ‘N.O.F’ covers. Besides the 2 brothers Dutriaux, there was Tomoy on bass and Xavier on drums. I think their show was taped on video for the SCALP-benefit that Wim & Chat’n (‘Blindfold’) did… By then, ‘Scraps’ had their LP Wrapped Up In This Society out on Be Yourself recs (Carl Levecke & Ghilain Vermeersch)…

‘Scraps’ – Raph, Tomoy, Xavier – pics from Wim Vandekerckhoves’s zine Reminder #1

‘Spirit Of Youth’ had just appeared at the V.V. for the 1^st a few months before (91-06-08).

And does ‘Agathocles’ need an introduction…?

This was another organisation of the ‘Touch My Heart Crew’ (see 91-05-03). It would seem like Ed(ward) (‘N.O.F.’ guitarist, later Good Life recs) had adopted some sales-techniques during his stay in L.A.: he even had T-shirts printed of this bill (see picture)…

Brob

In the Vort’n Vis , everybody is taking care: we don’t need bouncers, we don’t need cops, we can decide for ourselves. Today was a good example: people can decide and act for themselves. This is what we’re into…

David Dutriaux, in Reminder zine 1991

pic kindly provided by Rudy ‘Rudee’ Penando

excerpts from the V.V. guestbook:

The ‘Scraps’ Dutriaux bros expressing their ‘warm’ feelings…

‘Crivits’ guitarist Jeff expressing his wish to play the V.V. That would happen a few months later (91-12-21)…

additions wellcome!…