Voicst / Solex
Melkweg, Amsterdam
05/03/2005
If you are even remotely attached to the Amsterdam indie music scene then the Melkweg was the place to be this Saturday. Every local band and label had at least one representative present, which made it more of a party for locals than a rock concert per se. A new arrival from my perspective was Ottoboy, the self-proclaimed one-man trash band. He sat in the middle of the Oude Zaal with half a drum kit and a guitar, looking a bit alone. In that setting it almost seems that the reason he’s a one man band is that he doesn’t have any friends, but that might be an overly harsh judgement. He managed to get a pretty good full band sound going, though with certain riffs being re-used song after song and the trashiness being not much more than a gimmick, he failed to keep the audience interested throughout the set.
Soon after, the stage was opened up for Solex, with new drummer Marit de Loos of Caesar fame. While the reception was mild at best, Solex showed off her professionalism by playing a great set regardless. Marit’s vocals and funky drumming added to the set immensely, as did the chemistry between the two performers. Solex may never be fully appreciated in her home country or even her home town, but she managed to confirm yet again that her fame abroad is well deserved.
When Solex finished the stage was set up for Voicst, and it was obvious that this was what the crowd was waiting for. It’s quite possible I was one of the only people there who had never seen them live. I’d had plenty of chances, but somehow they were always programmed against some once-in-a-lifetime band or event I had to attend. My time to experience the famous energetic buzz that is a Voicst live show had finally come, and my hopes were high.
Voicst, in a word, rock. ‘Rock’ is such an over-used term these days it’s hard to still use it as a qualifier, but when you experience a Voicst show you’ll be reminded of its essence. The drummer, a young Dave Grohl, pushed the rest of the band through their entire catalogue of songs. Occasionally the band was supported by people from the local scene such as the violin chick from Seedling, or a somewhat disturbing pants-less egg-shaking young man (who, one must hope, was a friend of someone in the band). The years of playing live shows before even bothering to make a proper record have clearly paid off. Rarely do you find a band playing this tight without any lull in the set. They even (wisely) skipped the whole encore thing and just kept playing until they were out of songs.
Voicst seems to be a rare gem of a band - one that genuinely doesn’t care about releasing ‘important’ records or conquering the world. They’re just out to play and have a good time. Here’s hoping they stick around to brighten the local music scene for a long time to come.
Onno Siemens
Photo: Nick Helderman
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