Before any of the actual sets, today started with the annual tradition of a sit-down audience with Roadburn’s Artistic Director, Walter Hoeijmakers, hosted by Becky Laverty, who not only puts the side-programme together, but has been a crucial part of pushing the festival forward stylistically and defining its ongoing mission. Mostly a Q&A from the people who crammed into the V39, where merch used to be, they covered a range of topics from the logistics of setting up the time table to why they’ve moved away from having curators like in years past. No, they didn’t say anything about who will play in 2025, but one assumes that will come in time.

I had a question I wanted to ask about the next generation of Roadburn taking shape in the last few years of lineups and where they see it all leading, but they sort of touched on it and since there was only an hour, I was in the back, etc., etc., I just let it go. But, a casual chat, and always interesting to get their insights on this weirdo behemoth that Roadburn has become.

Once upon a however many years ago, the last day of Roadburn was known as the Afterburner. They’ve dropped the branding — fair enough — but there are still fewer active stages today, some longer changeovers between acts on the main stage, and so on. A mellower vibe, perhaps, was taking hold, but plenty of anticipation in the air around the 013, that electric undercurrent running through. My trajectory was loose but there was plenty I knew I wanted to see, and felt a little less in-my-own-head than the day before. Hard not to be inspired though coming out of hearing Walter and Becky chat about the passion and care that goes into making Roadburn, top to bottom.

—

Secret shows announced for The Keening (at Little Devil, won’t make it; sadder because they’re playing a new song), Mojo and the Kitchen Brothers (skate park, 19.00, hope to make it) and Torpor (skate park, 21.40, would be awesome), but to start out, I headed into Next Stage to watch a few minutes of Belgian trio Use Knife. I’d been tasked with writing a small blurb about them previously and after taking a listen decided it was something I was interested in seeing myself. I guess I sold myself on it. Happens sometimes.

They touched on old-school industrial and techno throb, put together around Middle Eastern melodies and instrumentation and of course mountains of keyboards and programmed whathaveyou. They played behind three white sheets onto which varyingly manic projections were cast. I had sat on the floor to start writing and ask my wife for a picture of our daughter — got one, it was nice — and when I looked up, the room was full. It was somewhat of a later start today on the main stage with the Die Wilde Jagd & Metropole Orkest commissioned piece ‘Lux Tenera: A Rite to Joy,’ perhaps because of the need to set up a full 50-piece orchestra on the stage. Either way, Use Knife didn’t seem displeased from what I could see behind the sheets.

Metropole Orkest has had representation at Roadburn before — alongside Tom G. Warrior and Triptykon in 2019 (review here) — but the collaboration with Sebastian Lee Philipp of Die Wilde Jagd brought a full 50 players to the stage, so it was both bigger and presented in a different context. Ambitious, to say the least of it. Over the course of an hour, the piece evolved over several sections or movements, with conductor/arranger Simon Dobson leading as Philipp worked various synthesizer elements seated at a table or stood for a bit of ‘more traditional’ — which is only in quotes because classical music is actually more traditional — guitar and vocals.

Aside from the stunning visual impact of so many players on the stage and the huge drums flanking each side, the tiers for the chaired strings, brass, winds, and such, getting the notice to check in for my flight home tomorrow helped me put a few things into perspective, most specifically how fortunate I am to be here in the first place. Yeah, you might just see a thing that happens once, never again, and which is so fulfilling to the creator that the first thing he says on mic is that he can die happy having been a part of it. Could happen.

But even that’s only just a fraction of the thing, and true to the cliché, Roadburn is more than the sum of the sets that comprise it. They didn’t have to invite me. They don’t need me here now, and the truth is they never did, even in 2009 the first year I came. It wasn’t the first time this (long-) weekend that such a thing occurred to me, and I doubt it will be the last, but ‘Lux Tenera,’ in its subdued contemplations and moments of legit bombast, made me glad to feel alive. The value of that, I cannot hope to tell you. All I can do is to try to hold onto it for as long as possible, because I know in my heart that being here to experience it might not come again.

Dinner! I had dinner! The changeover between the commissioned piece and Grails afforded me time to go downstairs and have some food, sit down like the people do. There was cauliflower, even. I had that and greens and a bit of beef rendang for protein. When I’m not too dead on my feet to hold my head up at the end of the night, I have no doubt that will have been a factor in it.

Eating didn’t keep me from Grails, but I knew I wasn’t going to be staying all that long. Not lacking appreciation for the vast expanses of Emil Amos’ consistently-pushed creative reach, but there was that Mojo and the Kitchen Brothers secret show happening and I didn’t want to miss getting in to the skate park for it. About the decision, I’ll say this: ‘who haven’t I seen?’ has always been my first question for Roadburn time clashes. In this case, that meant heading up the street early.  The doors weren’t open yet when I got there, and it’s been chilly in Tilburg, but I was toward the front of a line that grew exponentially shortly after I joined, and a not-freezing wind was a small thing next to the fiery heavy boogie wrought by the Belgian six-piece. The second two-drummer outfit I’ve seen this weekend — bonus points on whatever imaginary score is being kept for one of Mojo’s singing — along with three guitars and a bass warm enough that it didn’t need more low end to keep it company.

They started about two minutes after people started to be let in, and what a blast. And like Heath, who I mention not as a sonic comparison — though if the 1970s are a genre, you could argue they’re both at least somewhat on branches of it — but just because they’re the other secret show I’ve seen, they were young. A clear look at the next generation’s take on the heavy of yore, but with a modern dynamic that didn’t ignore the five decades between then and now. With a bit of riff worship, an insistent shuffle, and an energy in their delivery that could not be faked, they swept up the skate park crowd and had people dancing on the ramps. It was fun, and as Roadburn has continued to grow beyond its foundations and, as the tagline says, ‘Redefine Heaviness,’ it’s encouraging to see them make room for a band like Mojo and the Kitchen Brothers too. I knew I was making a bet leaving Grails, but the payoff was easy justification. They can redefine heaviness all they want, Roadburn will always mean hard choices.

I took some pictures, but mostly just let myself hang around and enjoy it, which was why I was there. I had moved up to the balcony by the end — I’m iffy in crowds, and couldn’t see from anywhere else, really — but I watched the whole set and left the building a fan of the band, which for the first time seeing a group play is the ideal as far as I’m concerned.

The Jesus and Mary Chain‘s headlining set has been a ‘well duh’ kind of answer to the question of who people are looking forward to seeing since Wednesday, or to be more accurate, since they were announced. I was in high school when they were big in the ’90s, and while I could probably retire on the Gen-X cred that having seen them live afforded me and everybody in the room — that’s how retirement happens, right? — I was in no way rad enough to have been into them at the time. But aside from being Important in the capital-‘i’ critical sense and an obvious influence on any number of the acts on this bill, including Cloakroom, who were tasked with closing the main stage after them, they had more going on than established stage presence, colored strobes and a back catalog, and the room was accordingly full.

The reason I didn’t get (more) pictures was because they had a rule where you could only stand in a taped-off rectangle to shoot the set. It was my first time encountering such a thing since Queens of the Stone Age in Boston in 2013, and I wasn’t a fan of it then either, but it’s their show so fair enough. Compare that to the guitarist from Mojo and the Kitchen Brothers climbing up on the barrier — which I think is usually a grind rail but served well to separate band and audience for the secret shows — about three feet in front of my face to tear into an early solo, or, say, everyone else playing this weekend. Just two experiences to put side by side.

My original plan had been to watch as much of The Jesus and Mary Chain as possible before The Bevis Frond went on the Next Stage. I think they’re the only band here who can say they played the first Roadburn in 2006, which isn’t nothing, and their sometimes heavy, sometimes spacy, sometimes jammy, sometimes poppy, sometimes psychedelic rock has always held an interest, so given the chance, it seemed like an logical place to end my Roadburn. They went on at 21.20 and were given a 70-minute set, so plenty of time to dig in, but they were already on when I got there, as Freeburn-wheeled up to the skate park to see what the deal was for Torpor. The deal was a line out the door (not open yet) that wrapped around the building and I knew that what I’d first intended had been the thing all along. The Bevis Frond welcomed me — no, not personally; existentially — with friendly vibes and a spirit of fun that went beyond the tunes they played, “Stoned Train Driver” among them.

There was room to breathe on the balcony, and so that’s where I stayed for the duration. I’d missed maybe the first 20 minutes, but they made it a pleasure to stick around until the end, and it felt in watching them like the show meant something special to them, particularly to founding guitarist/vocalist Nick Saloman. Even after being told they only had six minutes — it turned out to be 15 — his response was “Let’s make the most of it.”

And they did, covering The Open Mind’s 1969 single “Magic Potion” with due garage-psych flair and shouting “I’ve Got Eyes in the Back of My Head” from 1987’s Inner Marshland out to Rolf and Jeanette from Stickman Records. It was right on, a happening to-do. The guys from Full Earth/Kanaan were there, as was Stephen Smith from Virginia and a host of other recognizable faces, including the dude with the soul patch I know only as Capt. Stoner Rock, to whom I’ve never spoken but have seen at every loosely-riff-following set I’ve ever been to at this festival — he had a Hippie Death Cult shirt on the other night and I almost snuck a picture to send to their guitarist Eddie Brnabic with an explanation of why he should be so honored; nothing but sincere respect for Capt. Stoner Rock — and people danced and smiled and the band seemed to have a good time and so did everyone in the crowd, myself included.

That was the note on which I wanted to end my Roadburn, so I did’ No disrespect to Cloakroom, who certainly gave me no reason not to show up when I saw them in 2022, but after The Bevis Frond, I knew I was done. A scheduled 9AM departure for Schiphol ahead of me, it was time, which I realized with no shortage of wistfulness as I walked back to the hotel.

—

I’ll hope to have more tomorrow from the airport, but in case for some reason I don’t end up with time or, more likely, energy, I want to express my thanks to Roadburn Festival for having me over, for making me feel welcome. Thank you Walter & Esther, Becky, Jaimy, Renske, Koos, Rian, Miranda at 013 and the multitudes of Roadburn crew whose professionalism continually astonishes. Thanks to Lee Edwards for putting up with me in sharing a room, Dante, Niels, Paul, Marco and all in the photo pit, and to everyone I talked to over the last few days. Thank you to The Patient Mrs., who made this entire trip possible the same way she makes everything possible, by being the least-fathomable human being I’ve ever met, and to my mother, who took The Patient Mrs. and The Pecan out for ice cream while I was gone, which I have no doubt was a welcome diversion, and whose support I treasure to the core of my being every single day of my life.

Madness ensued and I am grateful to have been able to find a path through it. Thank you, Roadburn, and thank you for reading. I’m fully Roadburnt at this point, but this has been amazing.

More pics after the jump.

Read more »

Some new names from Belgium’s Down the Hill Festival for the 2024 edition, bringing familiar parties like UK psychedelic novamakers Gnod and Mojo and the Kitchen Brothers, who you might remember were picked up last year by Lay Bare Recordings ahead of releasing their Mojo’s Heavy Cream LP this past Fall. The latter outfit — the one with the longer name, just to be clear — are making a return appearance after kicking things off in 2023, and Dutch heavy psych/classic rockers Rrrags are back for a second time as well, supporting their 2023 album, Mundi, also as it happens on Lay Bare.

Joining them and rounding out the list of five in this announcement — with seven names still to be unveiled as you can see on the poster below — are Desmond Dandies and Large Plants. The former are Belgian-based heavy garage-psych rockers with a strong current of later-’60s classicism running through last year’s 57 Heaven made modern through its still-organic production, and the latter is the acid-folk/neofolk-informed solo-project of UK songwriter Jack Sharp, formerly of Wolf People.

I’ll tell you honestly I hadn’t heard either Desmond Dandies or Large Plants before seeing their names here, and although when I started this post I intended just to put the Gnod stream at the bottom, I ended up with a player for each band because once I actually listened to them I couldn’t leave anybody out. That speaks to me of a lack of filler, which is something further to be appreciated about Down the Hill. Headliner still TBA. I wonder if it’ll be High on Fire, maybe Brant Bjork? This summer is packed front to back with tours in Europe, so the possibilities are vast, though if it had been Greenleaf or Rotor, I’d still think it was awesome.

The following was posted on socials:

It’s time for the weekend, so let’s add 5 more bands to next summer’s edition.

With GNOD you will dive head and body first into a powerfully new psychedelic maelstrom full of possibilities, we don’t think they need further introduction.

Large Plants started as a solo recording project for Jack Sharp, the singer and guitarist for Wolf People, characterized as psych rock, with a folkier, proggier and more fantastic feeling.

2nd time RRRags at Down The Hill, influences come from the heavy and psychedelic seventies with bands such as Grand Funk Railroad, Stooges, Pink Floyd and Hawkwind. This band also performs live with a blend of long, instrumental jams and heavy, catchy songs. In short, a party not to be missed for the true psych head!

Desmond Dandies, heavily inspired by the sound of the 60’s and all its side streams, they instinctively reproduce a genre that can’t be put into boxes. Live sets vary every show, pushing their musical limits, but always characterized by solid harmonized vocals, tight guitar riffs, and energetic rhythm section.

Mojo & The Kitchen Brothers, also the 2nd time playing DTH, last edition they opened the fest, now we give them a later spot, their catchy tunes, proggy riffs, deafening drums, roaring basslines and spacy, triple-guitar jams take the listener on a Janus-faced journey through the limbo between past and present.

Line up so far:
Greenleaf, Rotor, GNOD, Zone Six, B R I Q U E V I L L E, Large Plants, Full Earth, Vandal X, Doodseskader, Fuzzy Grass, RRRags, TAKH, Kozmotron, Desmond Dandies, Cuberdon, Mojo and The Kitchen Brothers and CRANC

And of course our DJ’s Cosmic Masseur, 7” of Riffs and Coconaut.

Tickets are selling fast!

Write it down into your agenda… the end of August, awesome party in Rillaar, aka Down The Hill.

Go to www.downthehill.be to get your tickets.

So… 7 more names to add to this already great line-up.

Headliner will be announced very shortly!

Keep an eye on our socials. Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/319457490570582/

https://www.facebook.com/DownTheHillFestival/
http://www.downthehill.be/

Gnod, Hexen Valley (2022)

Rrrags, Mundi (2023)

Mojo and the Kitchen Brothers, Mojo’s Heavy Cream (2023)

Large Plants, “The Death of Pliny” (2021)

Desmond Dandies, 57 Heaven (2023)

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Mathijs Van Meensel from Mojo and the Kitchen Brothers

—

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

First and foremost, we make music and have a good time. It doesn’t really have to get any more complex than that, but there are two interconnected factors that explain why we make the type of music that we make, and why we have such a good time. Quite simply, we make the music we want to hear with the people we want to hear and play it with. As for how we came to it, the answer can be found along that exact vein. Our drummer, the founder of the band, realized that the type of music he loved wasn’t being played much in Belgium, so he contacted a few of his friends and that was that. From the very first rehearsals it became obvious that we shared some special connection, which shines through in our creative process, musical chemistry and onstage energy, but perhaps most clearly in our backstage banter.

Describe your first musical memory.

I distinctly remember chugging beers and rocking out to Black Sabbath’s Paranoid in my mother’s womb, she fucking loved that tune.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

I don’t think I have any musical memories I would call the absolute best, but I suppose the musical memories that have had the most influence on me must be my earliest run-ins with Pink Floyd, especially Dark Side of the Moon. I remember sitting in front of my computer at about 14-15 years old just listening to them and being transported to another realm. I know that by now it’s a huge cliché to say Pink Floyd changed me not only as a music fan but as a person as well, but nonetheless I feel like things mostly become clichés for a reason, and seeing as so many people share that same experience with the Floyd, there must be something to it.

Another great memory is finally getting to see Acid Mothers Temple live in Liège, we were there with most of the members of the band and it was absolutely amazing. Somewhat strangely I’ve known them for a really long time now. About 10 years ago the Youtube algorithm decided to introduce me to this bunch of spaced-out Japanese rockers and I’ve loved them dearly ever since, so finally getting to see them in the flesh was mindblowing.

I had to ask the band if they had any other memories because it’s such a personal question, and some other good ones came out. For example, one of our guitar players remembers listening to Maggot Brain during his first experience with space-cake, he told me “[his] bed turned into a spaceship man”, and I can totally see that happening. Another one of our guitarists mentioned the time we went to France as a first band teambuilding trip. While we were there, we jointly listened to Matthew Halsall’s beautiful minimalist jazz tune “Only You” and just all fell silent and enjoyed. That song holds a special place in the band’s shared heart for sure.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

I try not to hold on to any beliefs too firmly, I prefer to remain mentally malleable. The beliefs I do hold onto firmly though, like equality and ecology, are not likely to be tested by anyone.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

It is unclear to me what exactly you mean by “artistic progression”.

Artistic progression can be viewed as a broad historical phenomenon, or as something personal to the individual artist. In the first case, I would disagree with the term “progression”, as I do not believe art progresses in the same way as for instance medicine or technology. The history of art is not a progression, but rather the assimilation of a tradition of tastes and impressions hailing from the human experience. This assimilation, in turn, leads without end to a more and more expansive library of the artistic tradition.

As for the more personal interpretation of artistic progression, I would like to divide the response into two sections: first, the progression of any individual work of art; and second, the progression of the artist as an artist.

The progression of any individual work of art leads to a cut-off point. At a certain point in time, the artist must say enough is enough and determine the work of art ready for publication, which is of course much more easily said than done.

The progression of the artist as an artist leads, preferably, to a purification and as such an intensification of their personal aesthetics.

How do you define success?

I’ve never thought about defining success, I’ll know when I get there. For now though, small victories will do nicely.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

I once saw a whole chicken coming out of a can from a dollar store and let me tell you, it did not look like chicken.

Btw, if you’d like to see what I’m talking about, here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nrcgTp0SChU

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

Anything but whole-canned chicken-soup.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

To me, the most essential function of art is its non-functionality, its ability to exist without any clear purpose and to create in the face of nothingness. Uselessness is what makes art so special and powerful. To view art as necessarily connected to a utilitarian value, is to diminish its potential. If it is created impulsively and without any clear function, art manages to escape from the everyday drag of late-capitalism where the cadence is determined by the dictum “time is money” and any time-consuming move needs to be justified. A good analogy would be a jam-session. When you’re deep into a half-hour musical freakout, with all the musicians on fire and creating on the spot, something unique and undefined happens. It is exactly in this undefined happening that a true and unfiltered artistic spirit reigns supreme, and at such a time, everybody, artist and audience alike, is connected in a distinct and ephemeral moment that will never be replicated.

This is not to say that art cannot have certain functions. For instance, art can make people happy, it can make them sad, and if used correctly, it can humanize. However, I am firmly against the idea that clearly defined functions can or should be essential to any art form.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

/

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https://laybarerecordings.com/
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https://laybarerecordings.bandcamp.com/

Mojo and the Kitchen Brothers, Mojo’s Heavy Cream (2023)

Hey, I like good news. That’s part of the reason you see so many album announcements around here. Most of life is nasty, brutish, short, really really hard and/or affected in some detrimental way by climate change, so if you can put yourself into a position of looking forward to something, how is that not worth it? Dutch imprint Lay Bare Recordings in celebrating its 10th anniversary has new preorders up for Mojo and the Kitchen Brothers, and that’s kind of cool on the thing-coming-up tip, and there’s a sale and a new Rrrags coming, but the point here is really to celebrate the passing of a decade since Désirée Hanssen founded the label in 2013.

Not an easy decade for a record label to survive, and that’s before you get to the two-plus plague years worked into it. In a crowded, one might argue saturated, market, a label has to be flexible, to promote all the time, to always be working on the next thing, and to try to capture fickle attentions of a listenership while still keeping one’s passion in check and releasing something you love. I don’t envy the task, and I wake up at four o’clock every morning to write about riffs. Take that little bit of context and sit with it a while.

Heartfelt congratulations to Hanssen on the milestone, and here’s hoping for many more to come. 52 releases in 10 years is an accomplishment.

From the PR wire:

Celebrating a Decade of Sonic Power: Independent Dutch Record Label Lay Bare Recordings Marks 10 Years and 52 Album Releases

In a world dominated by digital streams and fleeting trends, independent Dutch record label Lay Bare Recordings stands as a steadfast champion of authentic music experiences. As they proudly celebrate their 10th anniversary, the label has achieved an impressive milestone of 52 album releases, showcasing an unwavering commitment to musical diversity and quality.

Founded in 2013, Lay Bare Recordings has carved a distinctive niche in the music industry by focusing on the artistry of vinyl releases across a vast spectrum of genres from the rock and metal world, from the low and slow to the hard and heavy, Lay Bare Recordings has solidified its reputation as a champion of diversity and musical excellence.

Over the past decade, the label has curated a collection that transcends mere sonic creations. Each album, meticulously crafted and pressed on high-quality vinyl, becomes a tangible embodiment of the artists’ vision. The label recognizes the significance of preserving the analog warmth and intimate connection that only vinyl can offer, and they have consistently upheld this tradition throughout their journey.

” Today, 10 years later and working on the 52nd release, I still feel truly humbled to continue releasing such great music from bands all over the world. This can only happen by the support of you, the music aficionados, music fans from everywhere.” says Désirée Hanssen, the founder of Lay Bare Recordings.

The label’s 52 album releases span an impressive range of genres, showcasing the label’s dedication to promoting artistic diversity. With each release, Lay Bare Recordings has not only celebrated the musicians’ creativity but has also offered music enthusiasts a chance to experience music as a multisensory journey, combining stunning album artwork, meticulously designed packaging, and the tactile pleasure of spinning vinyl.

To commemorate their 10th anniversary in style, Lay Bare Recordings have launched a “Killer Classics Sale” that promises to enthrall music enthusiasts. With discounted prices on select vinyl releases. In addition to the Killer Classics Sale, Lay Bare Recordings is excited to offer exclusive pre-orders for upcoming releases. This unique opportunity allows fans to secure their copies of eagerly anticipated albums before they hit the shelves.

KILLER CLASSICS SALE IS ON!

TREASURES FROM THE VAULT & RELICS FROM THE PAST

Killer classics for €15, €10, or less! A celebration offer especially for vinyl lovers for a limited time. Hurry up the stock is limited!

ORDER NOW: https://laybarerecordings.com/releases

EXCLUSIVE PRE-ORDERS

As the party goes on Lay Bare is thrilled to launch the pre-orders for Mojo & the Kitchen Brothers – Flaming Tiger Lizard EP and debut full length Mojo’s Heavy Cream.

“Mojo & the Kitchen Brothers is a 5-headed omnium gatherum of eclectically inspired music freaks from Belgium cooking up a late 60’s early 70’s mix of heavy progrock soaked in psychedelia. Catchy tunes, proggy riffs, deafening drums, roaring basslines and spacy, triple-guitar jams take you on a journey through the limbo between past and present.”

Pre-Order Flaming Tiger Lizard: https://laybarerecordings.com/release/flaming-tiger-lizard-lbr045

Dive into the captivating world of sound crafted by this dynamic Belgian group, and seize the opportunity to pre-order their albums ‘Flaming Tiger Lizard EP’ and ‘Mojo’s Heavy Cream’ individually or as an attractively priced bundle.

Pre-Order Mojo’s Heavy Cream: https://laybarerecordings.com/release/mojo-s-heavy-cream-by-mojo-the-kitchen-brothers-lbr048

As the label looks toward the next decade, their unwavering dedication to the soulful spirit of music remains their guiding principle. The label’s commitment to nurturing artistic innovation and fostering a genuine connection between musicians and listeners continues to drive their endeavors, ensuring that the timeless allure of vinyl will thrive for generations to come.

For more information about Lay Bare Recordings and their 10th-anniversary celebrations, please visit their official website at www.laybarerecordings.com

Watch this space for news about the upcoming releases from Sister May, RRRags, Bismut, Modder, Ghorot & Severant.

https://laybarerecordings.com/
https://www.facebook.com/laybarerecordings/
https://www.instagram.com/laybarerecordings/
https://laybarerecordings.bandcamp.com/

Mojo and the Kitchen Brothers, Mojo’s Heavy Cream (2023)

If you want to take a look at what Euro tastemakers think is the shape of things to come in heavy rock, it’s young. And as someone in my 40s, I enjoy how much Mojo and the Kitchen Brothers aren’t. The Belgian five-piece — who’ve been confirmed as well to appear at Down the Hill this August (info here) — self-issued their funky debut album, Mojo’s Heavy Cream, on April 7 and even before the post-release dust has settled, the full-length and their 2022 EP, Flaming Tiger Lizard, have been snagged by Lay Bare Recordings for wider distribution. Think Slomosa signing to Stickman. Lucid Void with Sound of Liberation‘s label wing. Mojo and the Kitchen Brothers on Lay Bare seems to me to be coming from a similar place. It’s a pointed endorsement of the next generation of European heavy from parties who not only will help shape these bands, but who’ve helped make the heavy underground (in Europe and beyond) what it is today.

And in addition to being wonderful news that will perpetuate the subculture blah blah blah, the music’s cool and I hadn’t heard it yet, so vibing to the 12-minute psych meander of “I’ve Been a Fool” after the funkified “For the Greater Good.” I’m gonna keep digging into the rest of the album, because it’s sitting right, and if you’d like to do the same, the playlist is down at the bottom of the post. I couldn’t find a Bandcamp for them, which is kind of interesting.

Lay Bare posted the following to socials:

!!! NEW BAND SIGNING !!! *** MOJO & the Kitchen Brothers***

A 5-headed omnium gatherum of eclectically inspired music freaks from Belgium who mixes the finest late 60s, early 70s heavy psych and prog rock –

We are really excited to announce that Mojo & the Kitchen Brothers have signed to @laybarerecordings for their upcoming debut ep ‘Flaming Tiger Lizard’ and their full length album ‘Mojo’s Heavy Cream’ !

M&TKB: “Super proud and honored to be on board as a member of the Lay Bare family. Can’t wait to have our music on those shiny pieces of wax!”

PRESALE info on both albums will follow soon.

BIOGRAPHY

Mojo and the Kitchen Brothers. A 5-headed omnium gatherum of eclectically inspired music freaks from Belgium cooking up a late 60’s early 70’s minded mix of heavy progrock soaked in psychedelia. The smells emanating from our kitchen recall bands like Black Sabbath, Wishbone Ash and Pink Floyd. However, M&TKB is more than a nostalgia trip. Firmly tuned into the spring of our contemporary psych rockers, Mojo & the Kitchen Brothers’ catchy tunes, proggy riffs, deafening drums, roaring basslines and spacy, triple-guitar jams take the listener on a Janus-faced journey through the limbo between past and present.

@mojoandthekitchenbrothers are:
Warre Brits, Drum – Lead Vocals
Jon Geboers, Gitaar
Mathijs van Meensel, Bas
Luca Fazioli, Gitaar – Backing Vocals
Jules Meyvis, Gitaar

https://www.facebook.com/MojoAndTheKitchenBrothers
https://instagram.com/mojoandthekitchenbrothers
https://linktr.ee/mojoandthekitchenbrothers

https://laybarerecordings.com/
https://www.facebook.com/laybarerecordings/
https://www.instagram.com/laybarerecordings/
https://laybarerecordings.bandcamp.com/

Mojo and the Kitchen Brothers, Mojo’s Heavy Cream (2023)

Very little says ‘vibe’ as directly as having a reunited Hypnos 69 and Kanaan at the top of a bill, except maybe for the word itself. Down the Hill in Belgium looks immediately like a good time, and I don’t expect the lineup is done either, so all the better. They’re later in the summer than some of the other European events being announced now, so I’d imagine there’s still some things that are too bad confirmed — and I’m not playing coy or anything, I actually don’t know — but it’s cool to see what started as a one-off for Hypnos 69 becoming a real thing, and Gnome seem primed for a pretty big 2023. Fair enough. Their record is doing pretty well in the year-end poll here too, so good for them.

Gonna try to keep up with this one as it comes together closer to the two days next August when it actually takes place, but they’re off to a good start.

Dig it:

Here they are! The first 5 bands that will crash the wooden stage at the Down The Hill Festival on August 25 & 26 2023 in Rillaar, Belgium!

For the Early Birds out there, a limited amount of tickets are going on sale the 5ft of december at 10.00pm.

More info&tickets》www.downthehill.be

HYPNOS 69

Hypnos 69 is a space rock/psychedelic rock quartet based out of Belgium. Forming in 1994, this band would draw heavily from 1960s and 1970s psychedelic and space rock. In a career spanning nearly twenty years the band would release five studio albums all the while performing all over Europe as a marquee act.

The band’s final shows would be a short tour in 2011 and a string of shows the next year, sharing the stage with the likes of Glowsun, Sungrazer and Lonely Kamel. Hypnos 69 would ultimately disband in 2012.

In September 2022 Hypnos 69 reunited for the 25 Years OrangeFactory happening in Leuven, Belgium. And they played a more than epic set at Desertfest Antwerp 2022.

It seems Hypnos 69 is back from a 10 year hibernation!

The name was taken from the ancient Greek god of Sleep and Subconsciousness. The number 69 stands for equilibrium and stability; properties that can be retrieved in the marked sound of the band.

KANAAN

Kanaan – Band is a Norwegian power trio that has been playing their own form of free-flowing psychedelia, heavy stoner-rock and jazz-influenced krautrock for the last few years. They´ve released six albums since 2019 and have played over 100 concerts in ten different countries since they emerged as a powerful live act on the European music scene in 2019. This spring they won the Norwegian grammy awards for their heavy stoner-rock album “Earthbound” and recently released the experimental album Diversions vol 1: Softly Through Sunshine. The latter features the talented Norwegian jazz keyboardist Håvard Ersland and is a document of a fruitful musical collaboration.

As a live act Kanaan are known for their fiery, intense and loud performances, and their gig at Down The Hill will not be an exception.

GNOME

Belgium’s hardest rocking creatures, Gnome are back with their majestic second outing, King.

After the sucses of 2018 debut Father of Time, demonstrating their talent for stacking riffs like lego blocks, and conquering stages across Europe with their shin-kicking live sets, the power trio from Antwerp raise the bar for their second album, sounding bigger, catchier and heavier, with more room for vocals (including special guest Oskar Logi from The Vintage Caravan) but never losing sight of the quest for the golden riff.

This silly looking, greasy smelling, small but heavy three-headed being packs abigger punch then the name suggests: combining sing-along hooks, wall-of-sound guitars booming drums and thundering bass with adventurous rhythmic twists they brew their unique and ultimately satisfying potion of sludge, prog and stonerrock.

GRANDMA’S ASHES

Grandma’s Ashes is a female power trio of alternative / progressive rock.

For almost 5 years, the band has been inviting people to an introspective and transcendent musical journey on the roads of France. Their first EP, “The Fates”, released in January 2021 has shown a singular vision of a modern and narrative rock. On the dark, sometimes sarcastic texts, the voices of the three musicians intermingle. The clear and melodic lead vocals are sublime in contact with a heavy and meticulous instrumentation. If it constitutes a first piece to the edifice or rather, to the gothic cathedral that Grandma’s Ashes is building, the Grandma’s Ashes, the group has not however finished to enchant you.

MOJO AND THE KITCHEN BROTHERS

A 5-headed omnium gatherum of eclectically inspired music freaks from Belgium cooking up a late 60’s early 70’s minded mix of heavy progrock soaked in psychedelia. The smells emanating from our kitchen recall bands like Black Sabbath, Wishbone Ash and Pink Floyd. However, M&TKB is more than a nostalgia trip. Firmly tuned into the spring of our contemporary psych rockers, Mojo & The Kitchen Brothers’ catchy tunes, proggy riffs, deafening drums, roaring basslines and spacy, triple-guitar jams take the listener on a Janus-faced journey through the limbo between past and present.

https://www.facebook.com/DownTheHillFestival/
http://www.downthehill.be/

Down the Hill 2023 playlist