Announcement transcribed from Noorderligt Flits nr. 97

Vrijdag 29 maart
Moondog Jr. (B) + Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung (B)
Aanvang 20.30 uur
Zaal open 19.30 uur
Entree fl. 15,00, vvk fl. 15,00 vanaf 1 maart

België, niet echt nieuw op de kaart van de popmuziek, maar het lijkt wel of de laatste tijd het aantal groepen niet meer te tellen is. In de slipstream van dEUS (overigens 14 april in Noorderligt tijdens Crossroads) breken steeds meer bands door. Nemo, Metal Molly, Evil Superstars en bovenal Moondog Jr.
Moondog Jr. is de groep van gitarist/zanger Stef Kamil Carlens, die bij dEUS de bassnaren beroert. Het is niet verwonderlijk dat de muziek van beide groepen in elkaars verlengde ligt. Ligt bij dEUS de nadruk op hard en versterkt, Moondog houdt het op akoestisch en schonkig. De muzikanten van Moondog Jr. komen uit een variëteit aan muzikale achtergronden: Flowers for Breakfast, Kiss My Jazz, avant-garde, en nog zo wat. 'Everyday I wear a greasy black feather on my hat' is het overrompelende debuut van de groep, dat niet alleen lovende recensies teweeg bracht, maar al heel snel een schare fans lokte.

Vroeger, in het grijze verleden toen de aarde jong was, ontstond er een geluid dat zich voortplantte, in de loop der tijdens steeds zwaarder en rijker wordend. Vijf miljard jaar na het ontstaan van deze oertoon, vingen vier mensen daarvan toevallig een glimp op. Temidden van hun cultuur begonnen zij aan de reproduktie van dit geluid, hun invloeden omvormend tot uitvloeden.
Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung is de vleesgeworden oerknal, de perfecte verbeelding van de chaostheorie. Vier muzikanten, die vanuit een kruisbestuiving experimenteren met blues, jazz en rock en hieruit een verrassend eigen geluid weten te toveren. Hou ze in de gaten!

Review

In my career as a visitor of live concerts, this night absolutely was one of the highlights. I surely didn't expect this when I entered the Noorderligt concert hall. At around 8 o'clock, not more than 25 people were inside, whereas the capacity is at least 1000 people; the show was scheduled to start at 20.30h. I thought this was rather strange: during the six or seven Moondog shows I've been to, there was plenty of audience. And this would be one of the last occasions to see the band in person. Because of this, my expectations were high: something special had to happen during this concert in my hometown. And so it did!

The sides of the steps in the back of the room (Noorderligt used to be a cinema in earlier days) were transformed into two sitting areas with several tables and chairs. Fortunately, when the show actually started just before 9 o'clock, the hall was at least half full. My fear, that the initially small audience would have a negative effect on the performance, would probably not become true.

On the contrary: Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung were very enthousiastic during their entire performance. Maybe this had something to do with the fact that this was their final night as support act. Moondog would do one more show the next day in Ravels during the Bultrock Festival, but for DAA this was the end of the line.

Their set consisted of the usual songs (the Dreislagstelsels, one new song, and of course 'Suds and soda), but they were done with great eagerness. Especially Buni was having a great time: the size of the stage enabled him (and Han and Roel) to stroll around during large parts of the show. Near the end Buni told the audience that it was time to go and get someone from backstage. After a few seconds he returned alone; clearly this wasn't planned, otherwise Stef would be in the neighbourhood. During the first notes of 'Jintro & the great luna' I saw Stef walking from somewhere behind me to the front of the stage, where he watched DAA play for some seconds before climbing the stage. He sang along with his eyes closed and his hands in his pockets.

After one or two more songs, DAA's time was over. They were very reluctant to leave the stage, especially while the audience made it clear it wanted more. Buni apologized and said that it was now up to Moondog. But it was clear that DAA had big plans for the night... I estimated the chance to see another 'Spike Smiths' march' to be very big.

At about 10 o'clock Moondog came on stage. This time they seemed to be very relaxed, in contrast with the gig in Den Bosch two weeks before. If you look at the setlist, the first part seems rather normal, but this surely was not the case. First, let me write down the setlist.

Moondog
Habibi Ouldi
Jintro & the great luna
Bombo
'Switchblade'
Ice guitars
TV song - 'Mary comes around'
Everyday I wear a greasy black feather on my hat
Cachita
Spike Smiths' for all lost goods
Moondance
Love is a heavy brick
Waiting 'til you're gone
The Ricochet
?
Jacky
--------
Ragdoll blues
The messenger
Shall I let this good man in
Love 609
--------
Spike Smiths' for all lost goods (with DAA)
Rivers of Babylon (DAA + Benjamin, outside)

It would be too lengthy to describe all events during the show. Therefore, I will only sum up the highlights.

Stef was hyperactive during the entire show. The first marks of this could be seen during 'Jintro & the great luna'. I am used to see him do very strange things during this song, but this time really beat everything. The energetic sequence of songs from 'Jintro & the great luna' until 'Ice guitars' created a perfect ambiance for this kind of behaviour. 'Bombo' smoothly progressed into 'Switchblade' with no break between the songs.

The show climaxed for the first time during 'Cachita'. Again lots of percussion instruments were used, but not only by the members of Moondog Jr.: Han, Buni, Simon and Roel from DAA took the opportunity to reappear on stage and joined Moondog during a somewhat chaotic rendition. While Simon and Buni were jumping and dancing in the back of the stage, the other two anarchists were 'helping' Aarich to play his drumkit. Benjamin and Tom had problems to observe what was going on behind them.

The next song was 'Spike Smiths' for all lost goods', a not so unfamiliar song for DAA. The fact that the members of DAA had left the stage after 'Cachita' didn't mean the end of this night's cooperation of the two Antwerp bands. Han and Roel joined Benjamin on clarinet and altsax during the end of the song. I was curious if this would be the last thing we would see of DAA this night.

'The ricochet' was introduced by screams and squeeks by Tom, Tomas and Stef, which resembled the Efteling-like tape, which was played before the show over the PA (the same tape as in Den Bosch by the way). And again Buni could not restrain himself. He and Simon (I think) were first (kind of) dancing behind a curtain at the side, but when the song really got going they again used the back and side of the stage as an improvised dance floor.

'The ricochet' was followed by a song, I didn't hear before. Stef introduced it as an old Antwerp sailor's song. I'm not really sure at the moment, but I got the impression it is a cover ('Coming back' or 'Racedoll meat' or something like that).

Two events during the first set of encores are worth mentioning. First, 'The messenger' from Daniel Lanois was played again. Some crazy guy in the audience (way to go, Henk!) madly screamed the title of this song after the magnificent 'Ragdoll blues' and Moondog granted this request. Again I was positively surprised by the way this song perfectly fits the band.

'Love 609' was split into two parts with some verses of a song, I am not able to place, in between.

The band left the stage, but I was expecting more. And indeed after a few minutes, the doors at the right side of the stage opened and the sounds of 'Spike Smiths' for all lost goods' in the DAA+Moondog version could be heard. The parade marched to a position just in front in me, while several people were climbing the stage to get a good sight on the 9 musicians. After some minutes they returned directly to the door, from which they entered the audience. I didn't know exactly what to do at this moment: would the band do some more songs inside, or would there be another outside performance like in Eindhoven and Utrecht in January? I guessed the latter would be the case, and I decided to leave. When I was walking to the exit at the back of the room, I could hear the music coming back. When I turned around I saw DAA+Moondog enter the stage at the left side, and leave it again at the right. Still this was not the end, because some of the guys came back in the audience and were quickly pacing through the audience to the other exit, while they were still doing the 'Spike Smiths'' tune. I left through the other exit and could see that they were indeed going outside. There the four members of DAA and Benjamin moved to the front of the house next to the Noorderligt and performed Boney M's 'Rivers of Babylon'. Only about twenty people saw this short miniperformance on the streets of Tilburg, and I'm glad I was one of them. Part of the audience was formed by the people living in the house, in front of which the surprise gig was taking place. They clearly didn't know what was going on when they pulled the curtains aside.

The five remaining musicians went back inside, but not without being shouted at by some woman from the Noorderligt organization at the entrance. She was really pissed off. She made it very clear that this was not part of the deal and harmless children were disturbed during their sleep. I guess they were lucky she allowed them to re-enter the building, because they of course didn't have a ticket :) I took the opportunity to go back inside as well, but the outside performance was the last musical event of the evening. I talked to the tour manager (Hans, if I remember correctly) for some time about the Moondog Jr. homepage. We exchanged addresses and he promised to take a look at the www-site as soon he got back to the Musickness office. He seemed positive about a possible cooperation. He told me that, apart from the next day's show in Ravels, Moondog would do some more shows during the festival season (Pinkpop, Torhout/Werchter and Roskilde). After this, all attention will be given to the new dEUS album and tour, so the Moondog success story will come to a provisional end.

I left the building at about 12 o'clock after a terrific night. I know I keep repeating it, but again this was one of the best concerts I have seen. I don't know how they do it, but Moondog Jr. keeps surprising me again and again. A minor flu couldn't keep me from having a great time during this brilliant last (snif!) Moondog Jr. show.