SCENE REPORT               

MAXIMUM ROCK'N'ROLL #20 (USA) - December 1984

Too long, much too long ago, there was a scene report on Belgium in MRR. So here, finally, is an update. The Belgian scene is breeding some new bands like Sponky Business, Schurft, Sons of the Pope, @Strand, Sticky Vomit, Xcreta. A band which has been building up a reputation is Capital Scum, who play very noisy, ultra trash (too noisy even). Phlegm Attack seems to be burnt out after one gig. Moral Demolition and Subversion (where I played bass) have split up, ages ago it seems ! Out of the ashes of Moral Demolition, former guitarist Danny is trying to build up a new, slower band: Tribe of Morons. And I'm trying to get a drummer for my new band Euroshima.

Lately there have been some new releases in Belgium. A 6-song EP from Wulpse Varkens (Lewd Pigs) and Zyklome A have finally released their "Made in Belgium" 16-song LP (on Punk Etc.), which is even better than the stuff on the split EP with Moral Demolition (which is totally sold out). Another band that totally split up some time ago is Sovjet War. They split right after the release of their 7", and their drummer joined Company of State. Maybe, you've already heard the Lost Legion 7". Well, the only thing I know about them is that they have a 7" and that they don't answer their mail. I've heard something about them playing a gig ... nobody knows any of the members ... a ghost band ??

A lot of new zines have appeared lately, and I'm proud to say that in Belgium there's only one fanzine that isn't political. There are fifteen different zines which appear regularly. In fact, even that one zine, Extreme Noise, is kind of political. Many of the punks are becoming veggies lately, which shows the scope of awareness growing here. The zine I work together with Bart Steens on, Het Schandaal, is on its 7th issue, and is still improving (forty pages for only twenty-five Belgian Francs, cheap huh ?). The Dirty Scums have made a fanzine too, De Waarheid Is Revolutionair. The band improved a lot after they got a female vocalist, but she's now left the band. They began back in '81, and have a lot of '77-influences, with lyrics that are most anti-militaristic.

A recent gig with The Insane (UK) was a success. The gig in Liedekerke with Sponky Business, WR3, The Dirty Scums, Xcreta and Zyklome A was good too. But the next day's gig in Antwerp was a total fiasco. It was fucked up by an awful organization. The foreign bands didn't play (the Rest from Berlin, and Toxic Reasons) and the Belgian bands only played half their sets. Only fifty people turned up, including ten skins, who were throwing darts at members of Wulpse Varkens. There was no advertising, and I was the only person in my city to even know there was a gig that evening. I'm afraid Toxic Reasons will have got a mistaken impression of Belgium. About a hundred and twenty people turned up at the Xpozez (UK) gig. Xcreta (a trash band) played as well as No Numbers (Britpunk) and Vortex (faster than usual, with good guitarwork). On December 22 we're having the first gig in my town in two years, with BGK and Frites Modern from Holland, and Zyklome A. Also a band I don't want to forget is Fixator.

Some political stuff has been put out by Clandestiene Produkties, including a sticker against nationalism, and the release of a badge by our zine. In the future we'll try to do more stickers and badges, as finances allow.

Stel