© CPU – Joost Van Hoey (archive)
With three full-fledged albums under our arm, we can no longer catalog Warhaus under the heading of ‘side project’. Where Maarten Devoldere still finds the time to write everything together alongside Balthazar remains a mystery to us. Everything started in the wake of the release of Thin Walls when various band members gave time and space to their personal musical preferences. Devolde took the time to think about how Warhaus should sound and barely a year later scored high with debut album We Fucked a Flame Into Beingon which his then girlfriend Sylvie Kreusch also played a star role.
In 2017 followed with Warhaus already the next album of which especially single “Love’s a Stranger” did very well. Balthazar then picked up the thread again with the release of two albums and it became quiet again around the solo project, until we were delighted with new work last year. Third album Ha Ha Heartbreak was again well received and now forms the guideline through the new tour that stopped tonight in a sold-out Ancienne Belgique.
But first time for another frontman who has touched the Belgian stages for years. After the breakup of The Van Jets, Johannes Verschaeve took the time to create a new – entirely Dutch – project from the ground up. The sound of Johannes Is His Name is miles away from the band mentioned above. After a short introductory text from the Bible, Johannes jumps on stage to surrender to his new alter ego for half an hour. A character who sings about everyday scenes in sometimes surprising, sometimes humorous lyrics.
The pre-programmed synths and drums catapult us back to the eighties and Verschaeve gives a great performance on his own in his oversized suit jacket. The only singles “Johnny Will Be King” and “Apparaat” are placed at the beginning and end of the set respectively, but also in between Johannes shows that there is more to look forward to. The debut album will follow at the end of April and we are sure that he has already won a few souls for this tonight.
Fifteen minutes before the start of the concert, by way of intro, we are presented with a long bearded man who plays various Warhaus melodies on his barrel organ. A nice warm-up, but the AB longs for the real thing. The audience is immediately served at its beck and call with the strong openers “Desire” and When I Am With You”. These two songs from the new album immediately set the tone for what was to be a flawless and intriguing evening.
The registers are carefully pulled open for the first time during the closing minutes of “Control”. The ripping trombone sounds come in a lot more penetrating live and it soon becomes clear that Maarten Devoldere knows how to surround himself with four excellent band members. When the frontman dives into the wings after the vocals of “Shadow Play”, it is time for some authentic top-shelf spielerei. Especially the writhing guitarist Jasper Maekelberg can count on a lot of support from the fans during this intermezzo.
Just before the start of a fully acoustic and lived-in version of “Fall In Love With Me”, the singer addresses the packed room for the first time. That Ha Ha Heartbreak when a real breakup record is pushed forward is nothing new, but according to a small anecdote, according to a Portuguese couple, that was taken very literally when they called it a day during the first show of the tour. We sincerely hope that Devoldere has no new breakups on his conscience this evening.
After this resting point in the set, it then goes crescendo to a thrilling conclusion. The ingredients of Warhaus are not inscrutable, but they taste all the more. The drawling voice and the melodramatic lyrics are only too happy to result in a musically layered arrangement in which we fail to follow what multi-instrumentalist Tijs Delbeke has to say. “Time Bomb”, but especially the instrumental “Beaches” – in which Devoldere puts his band members in the spotlight by personally illuminating them with one of the stage spots – make everyone move.
The frontman of course has stage experience to spare and without doing too many frills he still lets the fans eat from his hand. The right moves, the big arm movements and penetrating looks towards the room, it all works fine. The presence is there, the songs are lived through and the setlist has been thought through very well. In the bis round we are sent into the night with the beautiful musical outro of “Open Window”. ‘Girl, it’s in the future we belong / I know it’s in the future we belong‘sings Devoldere and who are we to crush that hope.
At the end of this week the band will do it again in a sold-out Roma and later this year they will also be at Rock Werchter.
Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Website
Setlist:
Desire
When I Am With You
Control
The Good Lie
Shadow Play
Fall In Love With Me
Best I Ever Had
Time Bomb
Love’s a Stranger
Beaches
It Had to Be You
Mad World
Machinery
Open Window
