Category: Tourblog

Often, while traveling in other countries, it was a small daily detail that stuck with me. Mundane things that are not that important, but were unexpected because I had not linked or ever associated them with the place. Before touring with Hysteria in Mexico in 2010, we had not known about the many Volkswagen Beetles … Continue reading “Wonderland”

Playing in a band means writing and performing songs. In every song, we are searching for a symbiosis between electronic drums and synth on the one hand and guitars on the other. This songwriting process is very satisfying in itself. But the band allows us to create much more.

Lianne Hall is an English singer/songwriter who started her career as a singer of the punk band Witchknot. She has released three solo studio albums since and has toured Europe and the US frequently. She relates some of her favourite tour moments, from hiking in the Redwood Forest to celebrating Halloween in Vilnius.

Sarah Wienke, an audio engineering student and volunteer at EKKO in Utrecht, and occasionally at OCCII, explains how to fit three bands’ equipment on a small stage, even when it isn’t possible.

Wow, wat een weelde. Zoveel plekken waar we weer terecht kunnen met ons programma gedurende onze verbouwing. Tijdens de vorige grote klus waren we een week lang te gast in de Paradox op Incubate, Tilburg waar we ons eigen programma hadden samengesteld. Nu blijven we dichter bij huis.

Do-It-Together (DIT) is a film project about independent music scenes around the world. The DIT film crew has covered many a show at OCCII so we’re very excited that the film is now on tour itself! See the screening dates below and read the ‘very silly story’ (according to DIT’s founder) behind the film’s title.

These photos were taken during our first real tour in Scotland, in November 2011. It’s on top of Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh. We were just hiking in the area towards the mountain (hill!! the locals kept telling us). We hiked some more, climbed a bit, and we kept thinking we’d almost reached the top.

Black Spirituals, an improv duo from Oakland, plays terrific live shows, and in order to do so practices little. When asked why, they sent us this pamphlet. Catch them live in Europe this month (find their tour dates here) to experience what they’re talking about.

Efrem Angela, aka Toto Boroto, plays drums for the Amsterdam band Nancy Acid and guitar for The Sasters. Both bands consist of the same two members, but they switch instruments as they change into the other band, which sometimes has advantages. Toto Boroto reports from the cycle lane in between gigs.

19 November 2012, 479 days ago today, I’m sitting on my knees in a happy pile of obsolete electronics with saxophones on either side of me, a bunch of drums, flutes and an organ in a mess around.

Goddard is an indie math rock band from Massachusetts who are currently for the first time on tour in Europe. Goddard’s drummer Andy Kivela writes in this tour blog about Monday shows and buying too many Belgian beers.

The Sweet Release of Death is a noise pop trio from Rotterdam. In this photo tour blog they relate their encounter with two insistent fans from Warsaw.

Wolvon is a noise rock trio from Groningen. They are currently playing shows to promote their new EP bother. Wolvon’s bass player Ruben van Walraven wrote for our tour blog about their worst gigs, making friends with border patrols, and touring the Balkans.

Katherine Oktober Matthews wrote for our tour blog about encounters with strangers that let you escape all context. She goes to a nudist lakeside beach in Austin, Texas, in search of a photo, but leaves with something else instead.

English Nederlands The Amsterdam experimental noise rock band Katadreuffe has just released their latest album Malconfort. For KNiK they took the time to dig into their memories and photo archives to tell a tour story from a few years back of books, weight, glass doors and noise. Katadreuffe hasn’t toured much (yet), so there isn’t … Continue reading “TOUR BLOG: Katadreuffe in FNAC”

English Nederlands Sweet Sweet formed in 2005 and was Bianca (keyboard and vocals), Meta (drums and vocals) and Maaike (bass guitar and vocals). The band mixed post-punk with riot grrrl and electro.

English Nederlands I’m sitting behind a drum kit in Paris. I’m surrounded by Marshall Allen (from the legendary Sun Ra Arkastra) and film maker and musician James Harrar, when Daevid Allen (Soft Machine/Gong) walks in and, after shaking a few hands, unpacks his guitar. You can hardly call it a soundcheck. Everybody just starts playing. … Continue reading “TOUR BLOG: Songs on the sidewalk”

English Nederlands Cold clothes, little sleep, bad coffee, but also a couple of phenomenal shows with an enthusiastic audience. In 1986, while on a boat back to the Netherlands he wrote about the past British tour with his band of that time, The Ex. He recently found back these notes, and shares them here with … Continue reading “TOUR BLOG: On the boat”

English Nederlands Las Kellies is an Argentinian band that plays a mix of raw garage and post-punk playground chants. They released their new album Total Exposure last month and are currently touring Europe. They sent us some of their tour photos. The pizza moment: it was our first proper Italian pizza in Italy! So, it’s … Continue reading “TOUR BLOG: Las Kellies”

English Nederlands I saw it for the first time in 2012 in a small bar in Metz, France. King Ayisoba and I were on a short tour through Europe, where he taught his audience the Frafra language during his show.

The American zine maker Miyuki Baker (24) had just started her world tour visiting queer communities and writing about them, when her laptop was stolen. But who says one needs a computer to write?

English Nederlands Full moon After playing a sweaty show in a small squat in the outskirts of Bern, we hung out in the squat’s parking lot. As I came out of the building I realized it was full moon – and summer solstice at the same time, and that I was surrounded by an assorted … Continue reading “TOUR BLOG: Frankenberries / Full moon and Breakfast”

English Nederlands When driving into Minsk, the view is exactly what you would expect from Belarus: concrete, grey landscapes, dusty Soviet monuments with red stars, hammer and sickle still sitting perkily in gold.