Entering the venue my eye fell on small posters asking the audience to be silent during the show. At this point I started wondering whether I was in the right place. I mean, Rockezine isn’t called Rockezine for nothing. It turned out that this Bettie Serveert tour is completely semi acoustic. From the first tones of the opening track it was clear that the close to selling out Doornroosje was going to have one of their best gigs of the year 2005. I was surprised by the soft sound, which caused me to immediately take out my ear plugs. As a result the crowd was really quiet, trying not to miss out on a single note played. It’s incredible how clam and relaxed the audience was. At the most delicate parts of the concert you could actually hear a needle drop.

Bettie Serveert proved to be a very well balanced band. The charming Carol, the dry humor of guitarist Peter and the solid bass player. Something I particularly liked was the combination of the lead vocals by Carol and the excellent backing vocals of the drummer (who’s name I didn’t catch). It was obvious that the band enjoyed the gig as much as the audience. The smiling faces, the interaction with the crowd, all the jokes, it all fitted together perfectly.

Because of the fact that I had never heard anything from Bettie Serveert before, I can’t bore you with a list of songs played. I can’t even tell you which of the songs I liked best. You’re right, I could’ve or even should’ve done my homework or try to get my hands on the printed set list. To be honest, it didn’t even come to mind. I was too focused on the music. This gig will probably end up taking the first spot in my best concert of 2005 list.

(Review & Pics: Geert Oldenmenger)