91-03-23 (Peanuts) Nations On Fire – Hiatus – Triptych – Zero Positives – Xinix

Mokka called this the final Smurfpunx concert… Actually, there were some more later on under that name but it was probably the last one where the ‘main’ group of collaborators were involved. Things had been crumbling down those last months, ideas were drifting apart, the spirit faded. I was more and more reluctant to do shows for bands with HardCore-punk roots but who were just about the music and not the ideology/politics anymore; quite a few of these were touring with commercial promoters or releasing stuff on ditto labels and the D.I.Y. idea was far away.

As you can see on the flyer, I posed the question “Is there still a HardCore-scene in Belgium!??”. And that was because of the above. So I persuaded the others to do show with five Belgian bands playing different styles, from different regions and backgrounds; trying to ‘re-unite’ the Belgian punk-scene. All of them mates and/or people I was friendly with. ‘Hiatus’, the ‘crusty’ punx from Liège (french-speaking part of Belgium) replaced the originally booked ‘Vortex’ (don’t know anymore why these couldn’t make it). The ‘straight edge’ band ‘Nations On Fire’ (just came back from a UK tour, Hazel had left – see 91-02-08). ‘Triptych’, the band of the ‘Heibel’-bros (Jo, Herwin, Pé); Dirk Scum’s noise-combo ‘Zero Positives’ and the punky ‘Xinix’ (Bart Van Malderen & his mates). The idea was also to get a bigger crowd together again ’cause the turn-outs hadn’t been that fabulous. The ‘audience’ had become more and more jaded (only interested in ‘big’, well-known US or UK outfits) and divided.

Another problem we had to deal with was the fact that the people running the ‘alternative cultural centre’ (‘Netwerk’) in Aalst that had been so wellcoming all those years, became more and more reluctant to make the venue available for us. They wanted to do more and other activities (exhibitions, theatre, etc.) so we regularly had to look for another venue; which was not so easy: renting a place costs money, the location was not optimal. ‘Peanuts’ was more like an old local parish-hall in a ‘dead’ province-town (Lede) but this is what we could get and afford. We soon had to admit the place didn’t excite people too much…

I think the turn-out was still OK but it could’ve been better; especially with all these promising bands. Oh well, I guess the ‘buzz’ was more or less gone and it was time for something new. Myself, I would soon start to collaborate with the Vort’n Vis in Ieper…

The ‘Nations On Fire’ show was video-taped and appeared on on the anti-fascist benefit for the SCALP (Section Carrément Anti Le Pen, from Lille, France). This was the work of A.T.C. (Above The Crowd; i.e. Wim & Chat’n of the band ‘Blindfold’).

Brob

Well, at this point it was fairly clear that Smurfpunx were going to end, Vort’n Vis and it’s younger crowd had taking over by then, you just knew the old Smurfpunx crew was burning out and ‘growing up’, it was a new generation taking over. This show had some of the leading Belgian bands of the moment but it’s honest to say that ‘Hiatus’ and ‘N.O.F.’ were the two bands on this bill that had ambition to go somewhere. ‘Zero positives’ and ‘Xinix’ were nice people but you just knew that it would never go somewhere and ‘Triptych’ was a post-‘Heibel’ band that you knew were already going somewhere else that wasn’t hardcore.

Jeroen Lauwers

This was probably one of my first ones in ‘Hiatus’. A good souvenir.

Willy, ‘Hiatus’

Spatje (‘P.J.D.’) joining in on vocals with ‘Hiatus’ (pic provided by Spatje)