RedLightSmikkelRadio

16 Feb RedLightSmikkelRadio

Dance to the radio? Well maybe. Taking a cue from Joy Division is never a bad thing. Gloom hung over the Red Light studios, the girls banged on the windows around us, and the smell of waffels, chips and deep fried meat-based snacks permeated the atmosphere-ah. Worse, a 6 pack of Heineken-Schmeineken was pushing northwards of 8 euros. What do they put in the water in this town apart form pissed-out cocaine? Still Smikkelbaard, and that Boudisque/Vinyl/Gonzoid King, Oscar Smit relived old times and tried to tell the tale of how NL rocked to the punk shocks between 78 and 82. Surprising sounds from all corners of the Lowlands shook the windows. Great related stuff from Flyin’ Spiderz, Ton Van Der Meer wrestled it out with those forward thinking clangs and bangs from + Instruments and Interior. The Helmettes’ Half Twee sounded as fresh and as spunked-up as ever, and the new EP from the MIGHTY Venus Tropicaux cut through the air like a chainsaw going through auntie’s birthday cake. Even the ever-bored dudes from Hamsterjam gave the thumbs up.

A small victory, quickly forgotten, just like the original Dutch punk movement itself.
(Expo: 18 Feb Melkweg Gallery. Free free free… AND the NL punk bonanza at Paradiso 25th. Be quick this is gonna sell oot!)