De Brassers
30 oktober 2022
Raven's nest
22:50-23:40
Biography
De Brassers, once described by a reviewer as ‘the classiest of all jammers’, have been around since 1978. Although they were clearly inspired by English pioneers such as Joy Division, The Sex Pistols and Cabaret Voltaire, they soon developed a distinctive sound of their own that perfectly matched the sombre atmosphere in which these Limburg youngsters had to grow up. The news was dominated by propaganda about the Cold War, interspersed with demonstrations against crisis and unemployment, police violence and a lack of future prospects. In 1980, the band self-released ‘En toen was niets meer’, a cult single that still stands comparison with any other post-punk classic.
In 1982 the band split up, but ten years later they can’t help but dust off their ominous sounds and hit the stage again, often with more success than in their early years. Their old releases have become collector’s items for which fans have to pay a lot of money, but fortunately their collected work can be found on several compilations.
The most recent release, ‘Alternative News’, dates from 2020 and is a live recording of their concert at the Breaking Barriers festival at the Leuven music centre Het Depot.
