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!…

91-03-16 Nations On Fire – Scraps – Cry For Change – Private Jesus Detector

“What we do ourselves, we do better”

First ‘N.O.F.’ gig with ‘classic’ line-up (Ed, Jaak, David & myself), without Hazel. [On 91-02-08 she was still in the band] The venue was packed and it was broiling. We played a heavy, macho set: all 4 with bare chest and everything played at double speed. ‘P.J.D. was a band from Brugge, crusty record-collectors (Spatje, Leffe; can’t remember the other 2) that imitated their examples. Not very original but tight, and friendly guys. ‘Cry For Change’ were from Tielt [Brob: actually Oostrozebeke]. For a while very prominently present but suddenly disappeared. Musically rather smooth ‘Dag Nasty’ /late ‘7 Seconds’. Released one demo but nothing more.

Jeroen Lauwers, ‘N.O.F’ bassplayer

‘Nations On Fire’ (source unknown); in the audience: Ghilain Vermeersch (Be Yourself recs), Hans Verbeke,…

‘Private Jesus Detector’ from Brugge were Koen ‘Siesele’ Lammens (bass), Leffe (drums), Peter ‘Pette’ Roose (guitar), Jurgen ‘Spatje’ Fiems (vocals). Leffe was the vocalist of ‘Chronic Disease’ and would later play in more bands (e.g. ‘Katastrophobia’, ‘Ravaged’,…) Their music could be described as Scandi-crustcore; raw, heavy and fast. They had a demo out around that time and in ’92 they recorded their How Evil Can One Get? 7” that Urban Alert recs released.

‘Cry For Change’ consisted of Jean-Pierre Verhulst (guitar), Peter Maes (bass), Johan Maes (vocals), Piet (drums), Chris (guitar). Some of them were SxE-minded but I don’t think they wanted to be labelled as just straight-edge band… They a had a demo out entitled As Time Goes by… (where Uniform Jan, Hans Verbeke and ‘Spirit Of Youth’ did the backing-vocals). A positive bunch of people playing decent hardcore…

Since ‘Scraps’ vocalist was also singing in ‘Nations On Fire’ and they were living not so far away from Ieper (their hometown Lille is just across the border), they were invited to play quite regularly at the V.V. Their attitude had also developed from ‘drunk-punk’ to a more political engaged one. We’d had them play for Smurfpunx (Netwerk, Aalst, 6 oct 90 (with False Prophets) & Netwerk, Aalst, 3 mar 91 (with Seein’Red).) and we gradually got to respect one and other… The active members at that time were David D. and his brother, guitarist Raphael (nowadays in ‘Résilience’), bassist Tomoy (later also in ‘Unhinged’; nowadays in ‘Gun Addiction’ and some other bands) and drummer Xavier (squats in Barcelona; later replaced by Pierre).

Brob

Some pictures of ‘Scraps’ (kindly donated by Eric ‘React’ W.)

(extras by Eric & extras by Justin Neumaier)

Alain ‘Vrokker’ De Bock [also ex ‘Chronic Disease’] did 2^nd vocals in the very beginning. It’s possible he still did this one… [Brob: He was pictured singing during the first ‘P.J.D.’ gig at the V.V. on 90-08-25 but not on the pics of this one.] The 7” was released in 1994. Siesele & Vrokker later played for ‘Barjackers’. A few years ago we also got a ‘discography’ lp out.

Leffe, ‘Private Jesus Detector’ drummer

Some photos of ‘P.J.D.’ (kindly provided by Spatje):

(Dieter ‘Lord Moloch’ R. in the crowd; Johan DW behind the bar…)

Very little recollections, luckily I sometimes took notes about our gigs. This one was our 3^rd at the Vort’n Vis (the 2^nd was with ‘Zygote’ & ‘Bad Influence’ [90-10-27], but we were probably not announced on the bill then). Even though I think we didn’t fit in with the other bands – giving the fact that they were straight edge but also musically (‘Scraps’ didn’t sound the way they did in 1987) – the concert, the atmosphere was good [Brob: We always tried to get a mix of bands with different styles and ‘ideologies’ at the V.V. Sometimes that worked out, sometimes it didn’t…]; an average turn-out I guess. Don’t know if ‘Vrokker’ was still on stage with us. ‘Pette’ was the only one that didn’t play in other bands after ‘P.J.D.’. Spatje went into dub-reggae and I’ve been in ‘Corpus Christi’, ‘Suffocare’ and ‘The Barjackers’. ‘P.J.D.’ was actually derived from another band ‘Capital Offence’ (1988/’89; fast-core) with Sling, Spatje, Pette, Brand en Leffe (I think). They did 2 gigs (in Brugge & in Oostende)… [Leffe: ‘Capital Offence’ was Spatje (vocals), Pette (guitar), Brand (bass) & Leffe (drums); one gig, unannounced in Oostende. ‘Capital Offence’ was the offspring of ‘B.L.M.’ (‘Brugse Lawaai Makers’) – without me.]

Siesele, ‘Private Jesus Detector’ bassplayer

We all worked together on the ‘P.J.D.’ lp, 15 years after the split. It was released on Vulle Pulle recs and had 2 pressings. I don’t play anymore music, at least not in the hardcore/punk genre, I’m into psychedelics and stuff… The link with what ‘P.J.D.’ did, is hard to find; however I still find the punk/HC ‘classics’ enjoyable, that never goes away!!!

Jurgen ‘Spatje’ Fiems, ‘Private Jesus Detector’ vocalist

First time I saw a Straight Edge band (‘N.O.F.’) perform and the fact that most people there didn’t smoke was refreshing for the lungs… I thought that was cool! Nevertheless I also liked the crusties of ‘P.J.D.’!

Henk Loobuyck

additions wellcome!…