Heaven = Bettie

It took me a long time to fully understand what Jean-Paul Sartre meant by L'enfer c'est les autres, and I'm still not sure if  Hell is other people is not just that. In any case, when I heard Hell = Other People by Bettie Serveert for the first time (which is not that long ago) I so agreed with singer Carol Van Dyk: "to hell with other people". Well, at least for the time the song lasted...

[photo via]

Last night, I had a similar feeling. Bettie Serveert played at CactusatMaZ in Bruges, and there were moments there was just me, the band and the music. Was it the venue? Was it the fact that it was a relatively small crowd? Was it because Carol Van Dyk looked really lovely in her black blouse, black skirt, black stockings and high black boots? Was it because her voice (beautiful but not in a classical way) put some spell over me? Or was it because it's just a band at its musical peak? No idea. It probably was a combination of all different elements coming together. That combination that occurs every now and then and that makes a concert so much better than listening to a CD. Some call it magic. And if it wasn't that I don't believe in magic, I'd probably agree...

Bettie Serveert have existed for 15 years now. They have evolved from an angry young man/woman atmosphere to a more mature look on life, which is also reflected in the new music. But despite this evolution, their early work does not sound outdated at all. They got their breakthrough during the grunge era with the still brilliant Palomine (exquisitely performed during the third encore last night!) and got their spot in the scene where The Breeders, Pavement and Throwing Muses can be found as well.

Despite their being a Dutch band, Carol Van Dyk sings with a perfect American accent (she lived in Canada for while) and they do ring a few bells in the States too. I guess you can even say they scored a few hit songs with Tom Boy and The Kid's Allright (both played in brilliant acoustic versions last night). And not so long ago they planted the catchy Smack (missing on the playlist this time) in a lot of people's minds, probably making them whistling or humming the tune for the rest of the day...

I saw them perform live for the first time in the early 90s, opening for Buffalo Tom at Vooruit in Ghent. Today, they still serve somewhat emotional guitar pop/rock, often wild and loud, sometimes with a light electronic touch, but a lot quieter now. The new album Bare Stripped Naked was sort of a birthday present to the public, supported by a series of semi-acoustic performances. This tour also brought them to Bruges last night and is supported by a limited edition of the new album, containing a DVD featuring a live performance at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels and some other nice extras.

Also nice is the fact that the band members remain, even after all these years, a very accessible bunch. Signing CDs, having a drink at the bar after the concert, ready for a chat with the audience. So: not only a great band, but lovely people to boot. Carol Van Dyk admitted she also felt there was something in the air. Magic? No, of course not. But then again: who knows...

Note: if you ask me, this is a band that deserves a lot more attention than they sometimes get nowadays. If you don't know them yet or not that well, go check out their website, which features video clips, live performances as well as a continuous loop of excerpts from the new album. Or have a listen over at MySpace. And it you ever have the chance of seeing them perform live, especially during this tour, don't hesitate...

Comments

[marc]

Drinking at the bar with Carol? What about drinking at the bar and dancing with Neneh Cherry. That was even better :) Neneh's a great lady for sure

[Serge Cornelus]

OK - if it was your intention to make me jealous... you have just succeeded. :-)

[Mark Vane]

Fellow blogger, Found a cool new tool for our blogs... http://www.widgetmate.com/ It helps get latest news for our keywords directly on to our blog.