90-09-28 Dreft – C.O.D.A. – K.U.N.T.

An almost forgotten gig with local ‘bands’…

The second gig of ‘Dreft’ here (a year after 89-07-09) – from the Izegem-Kortrijk area. Here in their grindcore phase (they started in ’85 but things got ‘serious’ in around ’88); with Dominik ‘Nolf’ Denolf (vocals), Pascal ‘Scalle’ Desplancke (vocals), Sammy Windels (guitar), Kris ‘Mosh(terd)’ Maes (bass) & Bernard ‘Narre’ Demeulenaere (drums). The death-metal sound came later when Erwin De Vriendt took over the guitar (without ‘Nolf’ & ‘Scalle’; ’88-’92), and in an even later stage ‘U.J.’ played bass and ‘Josh’ guitar ’92-’93?). Their demo Butchered was recorded September 1991 with Kris doing vocals…

‘C.O.D.A.’ (‘Co-operation Of Death Alcoholics’) was the band of Andy ‘Wanky’ Debaere (growls). There were two vocalists (Benny & Swatn/Swab), a drummer (another Andy/ ‘Anti’ Vandendriessche) and a bassist, Patrick Foré – no guitarist. They were from the Roeselare/Torhout area and surroundings. There’s a demo from 1989 entitled Growing A Moustache Isn’t Hardcore!? with 30+ tracks (labeled “noise-thrash”).

Brob

K.U.N.T. (‘Krisis Und Neurosis Theater’) was a figment of Dieter [Roelstraete]. He had lyrics and wanted to do something in the vein of ‘ Einsturzende Neubauten’, proto-noise with costumes and tribal drums. If I remember well ‘K.U.N.T.’ was myself, Fabrice Baclet, Dieter Roelstraete, Jeroen Vanhandsame and Philippe Dassonville [‘Fluppe the Hardrocker’]. We performed once together with a little project that Jeroen ‘nationsonfire’ [Lauwers] had: “The Jeroen Machine” – a benefit for god-kows-what. One hand-written poster, nothing more. Just a racket: everyone ‘played’ a character from Dieter’s lyrics; the idea of what later would become ‘Anus Mundi’ – Dieter’s little artist-club in Gent.

David Stubbe

We only did 2 gigs with ‘K.U.N.T.’, At First I was bassist, then drummer… We didn’t have songs; we did pure jam-sessions. Rather wild parties…

Philippe Dassonville

I think David Stubbe made a few too many wrong combinations of alcohol, mushrooms and other chemical substances in his life…

Jeroen Lauwers

‘K.U.N.T.’, ai, that was for fun really, just as that tape with 1001 ‘songs’ that David and I made under the moniker ‘Anal Disobedience’. Can’t believe we ever played live…

Dieter Roelstraete

‘C.O.D.A.’ was called ‘Chronic Death’ at first and had a guitarist.

Ben Adams

Benny was thrown of the band because of fascist ideas. Then I joined… I don’t have any recollections of this gig but I might’ve been there…

Andy Debaere

additions wellcome!…

92-12-12 Spina Bifida – Dreft – Trail Of Sorrow – Caducity

I think ‘Caducity’ played there too, did they replace ‘Spina Bifida’…?

‘Narre’, ‘Dreft’ drummer

The flyer states “+1 more”… That might’ve been ‘Caducity’. I know for sure I’ve seen them play at the V.V.: I remember us all joking about their vocalist growling theatrically and spreading his legs so wide out that we feared he was gonna shred his pants…

‘Spina Bifida’ were a death/doom-metal band from Tilburg (The Netherlands). I believe the band’s line-up here was Gerard van Boxtel (drums), Harrie Van Erp (guitar), Veronika ‘Vroon’ Wilking (bass; Jeroen van Veen, the founder of ‘Within Temptation’ played on the demo), Rob Kesselaar (guitar) and and Werner van Rijswijk (vocals). They had a demo out entitled Symphony Of Indictment and just recorded (October 1992) for a their album Ziyadah. They reunited in 2010.

‘Spina Bifida’, photo by Henk Loobuyck

‘Dreft’ (Kortrijk area) had played a few times at the Vort’n Vis already (89-07-09, 92-08-29). I think their line-up at this stage was Bernard ‘Narre’ Demeulenaere (drums), ‘U.J.’ Jan Vandekerckhove (bass), Kris Maes (vocals), Erwin De Vriendt (guitar) and Sammy Windels (guitar). I don’t think Joost Noyelle (guitar; also ‘Burning Fight’, ‘Congress’, ‘Liar’, …) played here. On 93-03-28 (their last or one of their last shows – ‘Caducity’, ‘Spithead’, ‘Dreft’ in De Gilde, Ruddervoorde), they recorded their set live…

‘Dreft’ in action

‘Dreft’, posing

‘Trail Of Sorrow’ were a local death-metal band: Arjan (bass), Bart (guitar & vocals), Johan (drums) and ‘Breeb’ (Kurt Vanbrabant; guitar; later in ‘Confrontation’).

‘Caducity’ was a death-metal band from West-Flanders (Oostrozebeke/Waregem); at that time consisting of Steven Suys (bass; later guitar), Koen Arnoys (guitar; replaced by Vinnie Bonduwe in ‘93), Dirk Peirs (bass), Bert Van Thuyne (drums) & Guy ‘Nirion’ Cnockaert (vocals). They had 2 demos out: Incarnated: The Abhorer’s Tale (92) & The Imperishable Mystery (93).

Brob

I remember we played our set twice. There were some real ‘Spina’ fans at that gig. The line-up you mentioned is not correct. We played with Veronika on bass, Joris did drums, Michel on guitar, Norbert singing and Rob playing guitar. This was the third ‘Spina’ line-up. Jeroen van Veen never played with ‘Spina’, though I know you can find it on internet. We started playing in 2011 again with almost the same line-up we recorded the CD back then.

Rob Kesselaar, ‘Spina Bifida’ guitarist

‘Neuthrone’ played with ‘Spina Bifida’ in Lauwe (La Gare) May 1993.

Steve W.

I can’t remember exactly who joined ‘Dreft’ when… Erwin came first; when Sammy quit we replaced him UJ (bass) and only later Joost popped up.

Best line-up of ‘Caducity’ was the one of the demos and first 2 CDs (with Guy – who’s an MD nowadays – doing vocals)!

Kris ‘Mosh’ Maes, ‘Dreft’ vocalist

The former 2 ‘Dreft’ vocalists were fired or quit?! Kris stopped playing bass and went on to do vocals, and I started playing 2^nd guitar alongside Sammy. When he quit (because of school), a good hardcore gitarist named Joost joined. We did some concerts in The Netherlands (still with Sammy) and later also a few ‘big ones’ (e.g. in the halls of Kortrijk with ‘Gorefest’ and ‘The Gathering’; and also one in a very decent venue in Ieper with ‘Caducity’, loads of people there! The last gig was indeed recorded.

Erwin De Vriendt, ‘Dreft’ guitarist

excerpts from the V.V. guestbook:

additions wellcome!…

92-08-29 Sedition – One By One – Dreft

The first gig of ‘Sedition’ (from Glasgow) here. On their 1^st tour with ‘One By One… I’d probably already heard them on tape. Later I helped distribute the LP over here. I’d exchanged some notes before with ‘Brycey’ about his on Reel To Real tape-label but I didn’t realize it was the same guy who played with them. The band was: Angus ‘Gus’ Quinn (vocals; later ‘Scatha’), Martin Mann (drums; just joined before this tour, replacing Jamie Usher – who later also played in ‘Quarantine’ for a while), Billy Steele (guitar; ex ‘Disturbed’ – he replaced the original guitarist Davie Thompson after the 1^st 7”; also ‘Disaffect’ & ‘Scatha’) and Craig ‘Brycey’ Bryce (bass; later in ‘Dawson’ – see 93-10-03). They played raging political hardcore/ peace-punk. Their music was also often described as ‘Celt-core’ because of their love for the tribal societies of Ireland/Scotland (hence the kilts by times)… Their 1^st releases were the Dealing With Clichés 7” (1989) and a split with ‘Pink Turds In Space’ (the latter on Reel To Real recs, 1990 – re-issued in 1994 on Flat Earth recs). Later came the Earth Beat LP and the split-7” with ‘Disaffect’ on Sned’s Flat Earth recs (‘93).

‘Sedition’; photos courtesy of Karl Penando

‘One By One’ had been here before (91-08-18 & 92-03-08)… Karin joined the lads (Sned, Mac & Micky) early ’92 (after the World On Fire 7” and the LP on Words Of Warning). The first ‘One By One’ release with Karin on vocals was the Fight 7” (recorded Oct ’92). There was also the Atrapad@s En El Fascista Planeta Tierra 7” on the Spanish label Víctimas Del Progreso and the Les 40 Ans Du Vieux 7” (with one ‘Sedition’ track) – recorded at a farmhouse somewhere near Tours, France, both in 1994.

‘One By One’ (with an attentative Hazel on the L); pic courtesy of Karl Penando

For info on the starting ‘Dreft’ see: 89-07-09. I think by then they had already evolved from grind to death-metal… Can’t remember if U.J. was in the band at that time…

Brob

I was at the old V.V. when ‘One By One’ and ‘Sedition’ toured. And later at one or two festivals?! Sascha [May] and Gregor [Kanitz] went as well as, with some other people from Düsseldorf. Only thing I recall at once is the long yet comfortable train-trip with them cheap Belgian 6-trips group-tickets for the local/short-distance trains. Dead cheap really. The lot of us were still pupils/students and could ride free to the border.

Roland, autonomous centre Mülheim (Germany)

I am actually not sure whether I have been at this gig. Actually, I think our first trips were to Liège – I am sure I saw the lot there. We only knew about what was happening in Liège or Ieper because Gregor started his distro and dealt with Alain from Nabate & Bruno from Ieper. Otherwise, no info would come over to us. Düsseldorf and the Ruhr-area were pretty much dead in the first half of the 1990s. Occasionally, we could get Gregor’s mother’s car and took the ride to Liège. The [railway] GoPass would come into play later, for the longer journeys to Flanders. Dead cheap it was indeed: a 10-ride card costed about 30 Euro and that would be valid for journeys between any two Belgian stations. Problem for us: making the transition from Aachen to any first station in Belgium. I guess we did anything: hitchhiking to Welkenraedt, watching the conductor and try not to pay until Verviers, pretending to sleep until Liège. Eventually, we would have to get out at Liège to get a GoPass anyway. Things became a bit easier when Klumpi started an affair with Gratien from Gent, because she would always have a Pass to share. But very soon, people from the Düsseldorf-area came over quite a lot and there would have been always one or two cars to go to Ieper. But I bet I didn’t come to the V.V. in 1992 yet.

Sascha May

I have some video of ‘Sedition’ playing at the V.V. I think (an old Hi 8 tape that I am in the process of getting put onto DVD). It was our first escapade into Europe and I can remember it was nothing like we had experienced before, then we got woken in the night with cops with guns demanding our passports and lots of craziness that followed. I will get the whole story of the night and get it posted!!! [C’mon Billy!!!]

Billy Steele

Me and Jane [Graham; Shag Stamp zine & ‘Witchknot’] were together for 4 years from about 1990, we came over with ‘Sedition’/‘One By One’ and they played Ieper, Hasselt, Liège and probably some other places. We also stayed in Liège and Gent (with Leffe) while the bands went on to Germany.

Russ Snell, ‘Stalingrad’ guitarist

This was the first time the bands toured together, so it must have been the one with ‘Sedition’ in a crazy bus called Amyerbus, driven by Angus Buchan [The guestbook mentions ‘Fazzy’…]. They got refused entry to Switzerland, Arjen [van der Meulen; Groninger who organised quite a few tours] got arrested (that happened a few times back then ) and … I got other memories but we toured a few times in a short time and I get them mixed up…

Sned

I’m the Angus that used to be in the band ‘Glue’ and also drove for ‘Quarantine’ / ‘Scatha’ a few times. We have indeed met more than once and also had some correspondence. [Brob: I’d mixed the 2 Angus-es …]

Angus McPhee

We had a nice dinner with the blokes of ‘Sedition’ & ‘One By One’ upstairs at the old Vort’n. Our line-up was probably still the one from the demo with myself on vocals, Erwin & Sammy on guitars & ‘Narre’ on drums.

Kris ‘Mosh’, ‘Dreft’

This was the day before they played in Hasselt [92-08-30 @‘De Hazelaar’] and a week later they were in Liège [92-09-11]…

Ralf Leesen

excerpts from the V.V. guestbook:

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