German progressive guitarist Yuval Ron will embark on his first ever Central European tour with his trio in June, performing in the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland. His latest album, Somewhere in This Universe, Somebody Hits a Drum was released in 2019, so fingers crossed that some new music will finds its way into the shows.
Dutch art rock band Oh Hazar will perform as a duo on a short UK tour. Imke Loeffen and Stefan Kollee will play stripped down versions of the songs from the Clair Obscur EP: They have the hooks, the words, the breaks and the ability to string it altogether to create something very special indeed. They play with light and darkness, making it personal or political and - as a whole - pretty intense. They shun the easy routes, sprinkling dissonants, feedback and unexpected rhythmic shifts in each track."
English indie duo Wings of Desire have made a song about what should be the best time humans will experience during their lifes: Your Twenties. Suffice to say to say that they are not so sure about that. Chloe Little and James Taylor have a lot of questions and no definite answers, but they ended up with a wall-to-wall sounding dreampop banger about heartbreak, loss and regret.
French synth New Wave trio Vacance are still stuck in the 80s on their new album Après la pluie, using electronic pop as a colourful band-aid for dealing with the undeniable fact that they are getting older. Ideals have taken a beating from disillusions, and every day hassles have gotten in the way. Yes, they are looking back at times when life seemed less complicated, with the upbeat 17 ans as the prime example, but they also have an open mind about what lies ahead at this stage of their lifes.
OMD and to a lesser extent Depeche Mode are still the cornerstones of their music, with a seasoning of 60s French pop. Their melancholia is wrapped in comfy layers of analog synths. Allison Treutenaere, Laurent Billy and Michaël Korchia are fully confident that the rain will pass and make way for the sun again. If anything, music will always be there for them.
Amsterdam based art-rock band Labasheeda had to reschedule their special instant crowdfunding show at Zaal 100 in their hometown on May 16 for their new album. The venue was unusuable after some serious water damage. New date: June 6. Expect many guest players and a VJ. They will perforem two sets and the album can be purchased right there and then.
