Line-up

Headliner
Hooverphonic Last time in Groningen: 14 years ago

Venue

De Oosterpoort

Trompsingel 27, 9724 DA, Groningen, Netherlands

www.de-oosterpoort.nl

Capacity: 1,150

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Hooverphonic biography

Hooverphonic have nurtured their band, working on their crafter since forming in 1995. They hail from Sint-Niklaas in Belgium, showcasing a distinctive brand of electronica and indie pop.

Hooverphonic’s beginnings were in Belgium, when Frank Duchene, Alex Callier and Raymond Geerts joined forces. The band later signed a contract with Sony Music, and shortly after, released their album “A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular”. They gained copious success, especially due to the release of the song “2Wicky” which made it to the soundtrack of Stealing Beauty in 1996. It later graced the original soundtracks of I Know What You Did Last Summer and Heights. The band had a successful 1998, embarking on a tour with Massive Attack and Morcheeba. They released “Blue Wonder Power Milk” on August 11th 1998. It led the band on an organic departure from their trip hop roots, focusing more on a pop song structured idea complete with light strings and memorable vocal hooks. Again, the band did very well with having their music featured on film with the song “Eden” being used in the 1998 horror flick I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. The band’s third triumphant effort entitled “The Magnificent Tree” was released on September 26th 2000; the single from the album “Mad About You” became a chart topping song in Europe.

“Hooverphonic Presents Jackie Cane”, released on October 28th 2002 became the band’s first number one record in Belgium. It features the singles “Sometimes” and “The World is Mind”. Both tracks made it into the top 50. The band maintained a reputation for topping the charts in Belgium with the following five releases being in the top 4 of the Belgium Album charts. They released an interesting live album called “Sit Down and Listen to Hooverphonic” on December 16th 2003, which was accompanied by an orchestra, but interestingly to no audience.

Live reviews

With the sort of music that is impossible to attach to a genre, Hooverphonic certainly produce a rather unique and enjoyable sound. Formed in 1995, the band have undergone some dramatic changes since becoming active, including reinventing themselves musically and having to replace different members. Despite this, the group consistently produce top quality music. Performing in the Q-Studio during the Hooverphonic Showcase, it is clear how structured and diverse the trio (and a few others accompanying them) are. The set started with the song 'Boomerang', which included two minutes of slowly layering each individual instrument before Noémie Wolfs announced herself onto the stage with a technically brilliant vocal performance. Noémie certainly gets into the groove of the music as she subtly dances on the spot throughout the whole set to the pleasure of the crowd. 'One Two Three' followed the first song which was a lot more upbeat, showing the versatility of the band and their ability to rock the crowd. They also have a very distinguished performer in the form of Alex Callier, who can play bass, keyboard and also sing backing vocals, shown in the song 'Sometimes' Hooverphonic are a group who will soon be approaching their 20 year anniversary together, a remarkable achievement for one of Belgium's best known musical acts. They will undoubtedly grow as a band as they alter their sound and experiment with different forms of music. If you want to hear the unexpected, then you should definitely check these guys out live.

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