Like everyone in Brussels know, Le Botanique, starts the European summer festivals in May with the infamous Nuits Botanique. For two weeks, the venue offers in different rooms, a selection of the best music that have been released this year. Our journey at #Nuits17 started yesterday with the concert of Hercules & Love Affair, Youngr and Rocky.
The sunny weather in Brussels predicted the beautiful night that we had. A weather like that doesn’t happen that much for it to be noticed. The entire park invested by the venue was full of people coming here to enjoy music, and as the concert took place in the marquee built in the park specially for the festival, we could enjoy the sun, the food and sitting on the stairs to contemplate the beauty of Botanique. I always have been a fan of the venue and last night wasn’t an exception.
The concert started with the Lille/Paris-based band Rocky that surprised us by their entertaining live and refreshing sound. As the concert started, because of the weather, we were only two in the big room. They screamed “ARE YOU READY”, we screamed “YES” but actually we weren’t ready for the pleasant surprise that we had. Mixing many genres and sounds, the quartet is the perfect example of a cosmopolitan melting-pot. In their Facebook page, they quote many references raging from LCD Soundsystem to Crystal Waters and Talking Heads, showing their versality when it comes to creating sounds for themselves. Their debut album “Soft Machines” was played with strong energy and we clearly had fun during the concert, converting me into a fan.
After a short break, the concert of multi-instrumentalist Youngr started. We actually missed the beginning of the show as we were enjoying a delicious croque-monsieur outside, and we didn’t expect for the room to become a giant club when we were gone. Hidden behind an enormous quantity of instruments, the artist plays in between drums and electronic sounds, making the entire room travel to Ibiza in two seconds to dance. As we weren’t ready to find ourselves in a club at 8pm, we got back outside to look for beers to put us in the mood. It was rather hard to connect with the artist as we could barely see him, but the crowd did definitely enjoy the show.
The night finished with the concert of Hercules & Love Affair who are currently touring to present their soon-to-be released fourth album announced thanks to their single “Controller“. I was first surprised that there were kids in the audience, told my friend “Do their parents know that their last single is about BDSM love?” and we laughed. As the concert evolved, we started noticing that we actually didn’t know any of the songs they were playing. After 5 songs, Andy Butler, the founder of the collective, said, amused “You are such a great crowd! We played already 5 songs that you don’t know and you are still here!”. Currently based in Belgium, they didn’t forget to thank us for being so kind and told us that their sound has entirely been created in our country. You’re welcome, Andy!
We started the #Nuits17 by going to a marquee turn into a club for the evening by Hercules & Love Affair, Youngr and Rocky.
At #Nuits17, when they played their classics such as “My House” and their first hit “Blind”, they put the audience on fire and created a special communion in between fans. We danced like it was a Saturday night, and actually drank a bit, creating a perfect little Monday morning hangover. Their new album sounds in the continuity of their previous albums, with a touch of pop. Their latest release “The Feast of the Broken Heart” unveiled in 2014 was focused on more electronic and cold vibes. We still don’t know much about the LP besides that it will be “a lot about spirituality”, as said by Butler himself to The Fader. We can’t wait!
Our journey at the #Nuits17 continues tonight with the concert of Magnus, Agar Agar and Whispering Sons.
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