The Final Switch: When the Last One Leaves, the Lights Go Out

The 2024 summer festival is definitely a thing of the past with the last musical notes at Leffinge. In the West Flemish coastal region, a few thousand people found their way again to the center of the cozy village to bid a successful farewell to one of the best times of the year. Leffingeleuren had planned a very balanced day for this last day, with the return of Mclusky guaranteeing one of the busiest shows of the weekend, but Dylan Leblanc, Ibibio Sound Machine, Deeper, King Hannah and Cool Sorcery also managed to make an impression.

ILA @ Hall De Zwerver

True to its nature, the last day of the festival always starts a little later. Things were also rather quiet in Leffinge, although the hall was still quite full for UDP in the end. This summer you could already see the band in action here and there to promote its new album Aina. In De Zwerver the group remained faithful to its fixed concept and the members played almost constantly without wanting to waste too many words on marginal issues. The tension was good, partly due to three strong musicians and ensuring that there was no question of a pleasant start to the day. UDP was not surprising, but it could depend on the approval of the early birds.

UDP will be in many halls in Flanders this summer. You can find the complete overview here.

Talcen Mawr @ Café De Zwerver

The Great Gable singer had no idea where he had ended up, but that didn’t stop him from putting on a great show with his three colleagues at Café De Zwerver. Last night the quartet played in Switzerland, although luckily there was no sign of lack of sleep. With a lot of energy they threw “Best Friends” to the lions, which was probably quite clichéd indie surf. However, the clichés faded during the set and Great Gable soon found the right chord in a full Cafe. “Drift” was vague and made you forget the hangover, while with “Hazy” they showed again that they can also seem quite dreamy with their foot on the accelerator. They finished with the new “Fine Wine”, which immediately left a lasting impression. Pleasant band!

On Friday, September 20, Great Gable will be the support act for Lime Cordiale at the Botanical.

Tapir! @Apollo

Things can be a bit quieter on Sunday and that message was from Tapir! understand very well. The band had a new album to present which highlights the rich music of the quintet. As a result, you were completely absorbed into the intimacy of the music without actually being overwhelmed, but you found beauty everywhere. The voice sounded a bit like Neutral Milk Hotel, so Tapir could easily fill in the gaps! With “My God” we had a slightly more recognizable song in the middle, but in itself the group relied mainly on the beauty of its music. This happened partly because of the change between tempos, but also because the drummer occasionally took a seat behind the cello to make it a little quieter. They managed to win even more souls with a nice story about how they came here, and the guitarist’s parents came to them. In this way, intimacy prevailed on the last day of Leffingeluren.

On Wednesday, November 6, Tapir! in Trix Cafe.

Ibibio Sound Machine @ Zaal De Zwerver

The fifth album Ibibio Sound Machine was released at the beginning of May and yet the group from London around Eno Williams are not yet as well known as they deserve. That soon became clear at De Zaal van de Zwerver. Thanks to Ibibio Sound Machine, your dancing legs were put to the test early in the day. The collective brought the temperature to a boiling point early on with sultry music full of brass instruments and southern atmospheres. In fact, it seemed that no one could really stand still and that turned out to be more than logical because a groove always had to blend into every song. Williams herself was the perfect front woman to constantly excite everyone so that you wouldn’t dare stand still. With a nice added saxophone sound, lots of good dance moves and of course exotic grooves, Ibibio Sound Machine had everyone on board and more than impressed.

UNIVERSITY @ Apollo

There is no shortage of podium opportunities in our country for UNIVERSITY. The trio have been in Belgium repeatedly in recent months, although they deliberately kept things a little quieter this summer in order to be able to work on new music. In Leffingeleuren we had a lot of oblivion on our plate and admittedly it tasted pretty good. Despite the chaotic recipe, there were many flavors that provided a varied and intense experience. Drummer Joel Smith in particular created the high tempo and unapproachable intensity that the rest of the band had difficulty keeping up with. The gimmick of the gambling thug at the front of the stage kept the UNIVERSITY intact, although it was the music that left a lasting impression at the Apollo.

Dylan Leblanc @ Zaal De Zwerver

It’s a shame Dylan LeBlanc isn’t more famous than he is now. The music that the man from Nashville makes is made for a bigger audience and you soon heard that he has the Zwerver South Hall wrapped around his finger. He is inspired by artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young, making it easy for him to appeal to the same audience. It was impressive that a collective dress code had been agreed, with the whole band wearing sunglasses in a darkened room. Impressive, but luckily we didn’t hold them accountable for it. Musically the band was rock solid and they played one nice Americana song after another with LeBlanc’s voice in the middle, which has a rich sound. Towards the end, those songs got a little longer and the instrumental talent of the whole band was highlighted once again. Especially the closing track “Cautionary Tale”, a song that usually lasts just under four minutes, which got more than ten minutes of playing time here. With guitar solos, strong reverberation and particularly strong dynamics, Dylan LeBlanc made a great impression.

AUNTY RAYZOR @ Apollo

Although Leffingeleuren is mainly known as a festival for guitar connoisseurs, there are also many artists on the program that do not include strings. AUNTY RAYZOR was a good example of such an exotic yesterday, as with her grave beats and inaccessible flow she blew a fresh breeze through the Apollo. The Nigerian brought something we have not seen very often in Leffinge and did not hesitate to involve the audience in many ways. At one point she even traded the audience for a place among the audience. A successful move, because everyone came out and participated with AUNTY RAYZOR with a great atmosphere. For such surprises, go to Leffingeleuren.

Mclusky @ Hall De Zwerver

Mclusky’s return was announced, so to speak, together with the show in Leffingeleuren. The band started in 1998, but less than ten years later, after three albums, the band decided to end it. This year came the relief that they would get together again after frontman Andrew Falkous was busy with Future of the Left all this time. The show in Leffingeleuren was a welcome retrospective for many fans and we noticed that too. Although some newer, lesser known work was played, the classics were well received. The dirty, dry sound of the classics is still in the new work, which means that Mclusky continues to provide what the audience wants to hear. You noticed in the wild mosh pits and violent hand gestures of the audience that the heavy old songs really got the audience moving. Along with the tight playing and the drum playing behind a wall, Mclusky gave us the driest, but also dirtiest set of the day.

Deeper @ Apollo

For Deeper, their European adventure ended yesterday on the Belgian coast. As one of the new forerunners of the indie scene in Chicago, they have a more than decent history. The cheerfulness gradually faded from their songs making way for a slightly darker and less predictable sound. In any case, their hefty tour schedule was no problem for the foursome, who played with focus and resourcefulness. They threw their set list a bit over the top for this last stop. The result was a clever build-up and a tight enough ending. It didn’t go deeper than it needed to and yet that was enough to crown itself one of the highlights of this issue.

Sorcery Cool @ Café De Zwerver

Last time we came across the most exotic act on the line-up at Café De Zwerver. The Brazilians from Cool Sorcery had landed their plane there to play in Belgium for the first time. We also have a small doubt that those present will certainly not forget that, because the quintet performed with Brazilian fury. Although they started a bit vague at first, that was quickly destroyed when the first riffs came to massage our ears. The fuzz pedal was pushed full blast and then switched between punk and psychedelic music at a furious pace. For example, songs usually didn’t take long to explode and then return to that solid part through many vague revolutions. They never lost sight of the pace. It didn’t take long before half the cafe had to wallow in a mosh pit. That also had consequences for the temperature, because it only increased further. As a result, the Brazilians started to feel even more at home, they even said it was an average Monday for them, those temperatures. This also allowed them to continue playing, which meant they were actually playing nearly twenty minutes too long. Nobody was singing about that, because with the energy and the songs they brought here, they will continue to resonate for a long time.

Cool Sorcery will be at CHAFF in Brussels tonight, tomorrow at Cafee Cabron in Antwerp and Wednesday at The Pit’s in Kortrijk.

The Grogans @ Apollo

At the end of the Apollo in Leffingeleuren, we expected a bit more atmosphere. The Grogans took on the heavy role, but were a little too light to serve as a closing act. It’s not that the songs they played were bad, it was all a bit too thin and the dynamics weren’t always right. For example, we had “Dim Diolch (I’m Going Surfing)” early in the sunset, where the feeling of the sun and the sea was obvious, but the sun had already gone and Leffine is not that close to the sea With those songs that were too light also the atmosphere of the music was a bit too good. It could also be a buildup, because with “Got a Girl” a lot of energy was put into the songs. It led to the first mosh pit. However, this momentum was not sustained as the energy level dropped again a little later, we thought it was a missed opportunity. The fact that they played about ten minutes longer afterwards to give the fast songs another chance was to their credit, but that didn’t make the people wait to watch. The marquee was almost empty and it seemed that only the real fans were there. Too bad, because they have nice songs!

King Hannah @ Hall De Zwerver

The last one turns off the lights and that honor this year went to King Hannah. The band from Liverpool is a welcome guest in the Low Countries and has performed in Leffingeluren for the second time. This time as a conclusion and with a few more expectations to meet. Their second throw Great Swimmer took up most of the show and you never heard us complain about that. Their exquisite style and ability to stretch songs beautifully came across so much better live. The only thing that was really a shame was the many speakers that disturbed the band and the rest of the audience, making it difficult to be absorbed into the atmosphere of the band. “Suddenly, Your Hand” went through the skin and made a lot of noise, which could also be said for the impressive “Crème Brûlée”. So King Hannah crowned herself the perfect ending to Belgium’s most enjoyable village festival.