Belgian concerts: The Ancienne Belgique’s latest gigs…
The Sisters of Mercy
Still going strong, the first AB concert on 17 April of this extremely popular 1980s English rock band, set up in 1980 in Leeds and an instant hit with students everywhere, is sold out. But there is hope for numerous fans of the archetypal Gothic group’s music – as an extra concert will take place and perhaps a third when this magazine is published. Mesmerising since the early 80s, ‘Body and Soul’, ‘Temple Of Love’, ‘Alice’, ‘Marianne’ and ‘No Time To Cry’ are all cult songs from their repertoire. The Sisters may have not released a new album for a while, but this does not make their gigs any less exciting. Their concerts focus on the band’s numerous classics, but also make room for older, unreleased or new material – attracting a new audience of young Goths all dressed in black. 18 April, 8pm. AB Main Hall. €43.
www.abconcerts.be
Cate Le Bon + Mega Bog
Billed by the AB as an “otherworldly, reflective genius”, Le Bon (1983) spent her childhood on a farm in rural Wales. Her 2009 debut exuded the vibrant charm of someone trying to connect with the world in her own unique way. Since then, her music has become more eccentric by the album with her own special voice. ‘Crab Day’, her breakthrough record in 2016, is a collage of sounds and feelings. On ‘Reward’, her successful previous album, she performs with a both stunning and strange musical approach to the loneliness she feels. The singer’s sixth album Pompeii was released in February. Considered by Pitchfork magazine as “one of the best out there making music now” she is accompanied by the wonderfully-named Mega Bog (experimental singer Erin Birgy, 1989). 11 April, 8pm. AB Box. €20. www.abconcerts.be
Joesef + EMY
Described as “heart-warming, jazz-inspired, low-fi pop”, do not miss AB’s new date to see 25-year-old Scotsman, Joesef, compared by the international press to Amy Winehouse. A self-declared “sad boy”, his music combines soul, jazz, pop and melancholy lyrics based on his own sad life as his latest single ‘It’s been a little heavy lately’ shows. Joesef’s first concert was sold out before a single song had been released – a definite incentive to take a look. This Liveurope concert – the first pan-European initiative supporting concert venues promoting emerging European music – also features dreamy female musician EMY (Emy Gabore). 29 April, 8pm. AB Club. €15.
www.abconcerts.be
