Jim Evans, Record Mirror , August 20, 1977, Page 17, "Too Much of a Good Thing"

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

Bilzen 1977: Too Much of a Good Thing

Jim Evans reports from the Bilzen festival

1,387 words

PHIL LYNOTT : "Festivals are very weird. If one comes off it’s a magic moment."

Welcome to Bilzen 1977. A four-day rock festival somewhere in the flat Belgian countryside, 100 kilometres from Brussels , 428 from London . Geographic report OK. On with the show.

THURSDAY, DAY ONE

Rumours that the Sex Pistols were to appear are quashed. But, say the promoters, it’s going to be a punk evening. Should prove interesting. The scene is like a time warp, something between Woodstock and the Isle of Wight . Tents and camp fires, beer cans, hippies, energy, excitement, etc. Yeah, long hair and peace, man. And the village is well into the spirit of the thing. If there’s nothing in Belgium to get into and watch, the Hari Krishna bald-heads are rattling up and down the streets of the small village that is Bilzen . T-shirts, beads, first aid and chips available at the back of the arena. Those with special passes, this way please, into the dual stage backstage area. Backstage bar, roadies a-plenty and caravans for dressing rooms.

Who’s this dude in the black-rimmed specs? Why it’s young Elvis Costello , the one they’ve all been raving about. "No point in keeping 'em waiting, let’s get on." Front stage, a tall, barbed wire fence separates the kids from the vast press enclosure which runs up to the stage. Such remoteness between genuine (paying) audience and performers could mean trouble. Read on.

ELVIS COSTELLO and his band, THE ATTRACTIONS . They kick off with 'Don’t Blame It On Me' and rapidly move into 'I’m Angry' , both well-built songs. But young Elvis is angry, he’s not happy with the lighting and he’s not happy with the fence. "What is this? A prison camp? What are all these journalists doing here? Let the people in." With dead-pan face he gears into 'No Action' and 'American Man' . He’s getting a reasonable response but "all you people stay at the back, this is 1977, wake up." They do, slightly, and encouraged by the artistes start to work on the fence... pushing it. Into his two best numbers, 'Less Than Zero' and 'Red Shoes' , both excellent songs with arrangements built around the musicianship of THE ATTRACTIONS . Not suggesting anything, or attempting to detract from Elvis' performance, they played Springsteen’s 'Born To Run' after his set and it had the same ring of urgency. Good set. The multi-national punters were starting to get into the festival spirit.

Festival organiser: "This first night is an experiment. Punk is not big in Belgium. The state-controlled radio is not at all adventurous. Festivals are the only real chance the bands have of getting to the people."

THE DAMNED : I forgot to mention, there was a jazz band on straight after Elvis ... forgive me Charlie Parker ... enter Vanian and friends. The Captain knocks over the mike stand, the show goes frantic. Encouraged by Vanian , the kids start to get that fence down. Helped back on stage. An OK set but people were more intent on removing the fence than getting into the music. And I don’t see that the new guitarist makes a lot of difference.

Rat Scabies , commenting on the stage bombardment: "It’s just like being back home." Elvis : "I feel like Steve McQueen when he fell off his motor bike in the Great Escape."

THE CLASH : A band very much in form. Strummer to the fore, they’re well together. 'I’m So Bored With The USA' and the very apt 'The Prisoner' , both excellent. But the gap, the no-man’s land the press enclosure, isn’t helping. Strummer , in his best French, "Why is there space ici?" That fence is rockin' as much as the band. More frantic. Strummer leaps off the stage, runs to the fence. The meatheads are confused, the kids are going wild. The hail of cans, bottles, rocks even. Could be nasty. Into 'Hate And War' .

"You’re the most grateful audience since the Grateful Dead," roars the Captain before throwing his red cap to the crowd. Beer cans and other sundries start to fly. 'Problem Child' good, despite all you’ve ever been told about this music. Vanian jumps down from the stage. Get that F--- fence down! They were talking about the violence. They were concerned about the kids getting hurt. Really concerned. With all due respect, that’s not what you read in the Press.

FRIDAY, DAY TWO

And on the second day, behold it rained. Poured down all day and night. Sleepy-eyed, eventually make the festival site, thanks for the lift and all the help. Great look for Noah , but he’s not around. Missed the Albion Dance Band , but then you can't win them all. Wait for the appearance of Motor City Mad Man Ted Nugent .

Meanwhile, backstage comment: "These Continentals couldn’t organise an orgy in a brothel." But they could. They can organise festivals better than we can over here. Belgium : country of bitter youth. "There’s no free radio here. No chance of it. But the Government sell guns to Russia, China, all over." Belgium : country of high prices. Two coffees £1.50. Ham omelet, no chips, £2. Belgium’s fastest moving thing: taxi meters. Don’t go by cab in Belgium . Mud, rain, sitting in a marquee drinking watery beer, poking at very spare ribs. Is this real? What’s happening?

But wait, is that thunder? Loud rumblings, my friends, coming from a stagewards direction...

TED NUGENT : His music is thunderstorm style heavy metal. Would have been appropriate for him to ride his tank intro. With squirrel tail—the one he shot for the World Wildlife Fund ? Hair flying, band to the left and fore, he lets rip and the kids luv him. Jumping, glaring, strutting, strutting... look out Hammersmith , the mad manipulator means business. So do his band: Cliff Davies on drums, Derek St. Holmes on guitar and Rob Grange on bass. Ultimate Nugent : 'Cat Scratch Fever' , 'Death By Misadventure' and 'Storm Trooper' . The storm trooper of heavy metal made a lot of friends at Bilzen . Remember he started out in the late sixties with the then-called punk outfit the Amboy Dukes .

GRAHAM PARKER AND THE RUMOUR : Well rehearsed set. Likes of 'Fool’s Gold' with duelling guitars and the modulations of 'Harlem' and, for all you people on bad trips, 'Thunder And Rain' , 'Gypsy Blood' , 'Fast Singalong' , 'White Honey' , 'Soft Shoes' from the first album. Encore: had to be 'Hold Back The Night' . Wall of sound. Upcoming European tour bodes well for the band.

It’s wet and it’s cold and it’s late. URIAH HEEP : the band the critics love to hate. Love 'em or hate 'em, Heep set that audience—that wet, dedicated audience—on fire.

Ken Hensley : "Festivals are like motor racing, you’re always watching the weather to see if you’ve gotta change your tyres."

First time I’ve seen them with vocalist John Lawton . Mix not quite right to start with. Band plagued by monitor trouble—lack of monitors to be precise. 'Take Me Across The Water' warms 'em up. Singalong from 'Salisbury' even better. There must be some 8,000 kids out there now, braving the elements. It’s only rock 'n' roll. Hensley remains the focal point of the band, whether on keyboards or guitar, but Box , Bolder and Kerslake are integral parts. Christ, the band are into their 13th album. They entertain. 'Easy Livin’' brings la maison down. Mass choral response from the kids. Back for the real head-basher 'Gypsy' . Dancing searchlights and into the 'Astral Planes' with more singalong and 'Sweet Lorraine' .

"Look, it’s the kids that matter and they really got off on Heep. Look, I’m wet through." And the mud, the mud. It’s like a bleedin' farmyard, backstage and front stage. Limos grounded, trucks up to their axles. All right if I miss out on Jon Hiseman’s Colosseum ? After all, there’s still two days to go.

SATURDAY, DAY THREE

It’s beginning to get a shade confusing. Arrival of Blue , billed as "Elton John’s New Discovery." Best thing they bring with them, company and music apart, is a much-needed supply of "les chats et les chiens."

Hugh Nicholson , Blue : "I feel sorry for the people out there." Looking around at the mud and chaos backstage... "I’ve seen The Clash, we know what they’re all about. We came back from America and it's a really grey country. Have we got any wellies? If Elton was here his roadies would have embossed boots." It’s going to take something to rouse those kids today. The rain’s stopped but it ain’t the height of comfort, sittin' out there in all that uncomfortable mess. So the Scottish band take the stage 4:35 pm Saturday. Second number, 'Gonna Capture Your Heart' , captures 'em. There’s like a gentle Eagles feel to their music. It was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic and it’s easy to see why. Playing to an audience of multi-coloured umbrellas and assorted head gear they carry on in country rock vein with 'Bring Back The Love' from the new album—thoughts of Walsh and Frey at Wembley . They have harmonies, they have good time music—you need bands like these at festivals. The title track from the new album 'Another Night Time Flight' bodes well, but 'I’m Alone' from the same platter must rate as a superior cut, at least live. A too-short set. Blue are faced with the so-called ‘new wave’ and they’ll surface on the right side.

Ian MacMillan , Blue : "I’d like us to be really hard to pin point. I’d like to be recognised all across the board and have our numbers covered by people from Ray Conniff to Eric Clapton." Charlie Smith , Blue : "Elton’s not the usual millionaire."

STANLEY CLARKE BAND : no time for a long review but this guy can play the bass. Eight piece band including Raymond Gomez on guitar, Peter Robinson on keyboards and Alfie Williams on sax. Loved the bluesy 'Schooldays' . Another time, Stan , more space. The kids loved you too.

Hmmm, the guy on the disco’s playing Clapton tracks— 'Carnival' , 'Sunshine Of Your Love' and 'Layla' . And to think uncle Eric is sunning himself in Spain . 'Career Opportunities' ... playing a blinder. The beer cans and bottles, other objets de festival continue to wing stagewards but that was one hell of a performance. That’s only the third time I’ve seen the band. They’re going places further than an ancient Belgian village. Reaction from the hippies. But I think I’m suffering from rock overdose... or is it double pneumonia? Only one more act tonight.

SMALL FACES : I need tell you little more about Steve Marriott and friends except they’ve improved mucho mucho since the start of their ‘reunion’ tour. They had big problems with the monitors—there weren’t any. Marriott can gob further than any punk.

Marriott : "I’m the original punk anyway." Marriott’s 10th time at Bilzen . They played oldies like 'Whatcha Gonna Do 'Bout It' , 'Itchycoo Park' , 'Tin Soldier' , 'All Or Nothing' and material from the new 'Playmates' album. Happy Conclusion: fun time music, well rehearsed. Looks like this band will go on for ever.

SUNDAY, DAY FOUR

HORSLIPS : green dragons on the drum riser. Pleasant enough. Kids get off on the jig sections. Long, varied piece from 'The Book Of Inventions' gets deserved applause. Likewise the Irish history lesson, 'The Wrath Of The Rain' . Despite being called back for more, the lads weren’t happy.

Spokesman : "All bands look for perfection and you can’t get that in a place like this." It’s only rock and roll.

JOHN MILES : A small plane is circling the site, trailing a banner with the legend 'Sensational Alex Harvey Band' . Alex who? JM , how did he keep his trousers so spotlessly white in all that mud? Kicks off with 'House On The Hill' . Powers through the likes of 'Rebel' and 'Pull The Damn Thing Down' and the slower 'Glamour Boy' from the 'Stranger In The City' album. The varied moods of 'Music' and 'Slow Down' complete a well received show. Miles is later to put even more action into a backstage beer fight with one Phil Lynott .

THIN LIZZY : Thunder, flash, gong, crash, bang, into 'Soldier Of Fortune' . Then 'Jailbreak' which sends the punters wild, followed by 'Warriors' from the 'Jailbreak' LP and 'Dancin’ In The Moonlight' . Lizzy were the only band over the whole four days to get a sound check. It was a worthwhile exercise. Brian Robertson , still suffering from arm trouble—not helped by a fight in Finland last week—started to get it together in the bluesy 'Still In Love With You' . But the band are happier on the harder, faster numbers. If Scott’s hair gets much longer it'll get tangled in his six string. Like 'The Boys Are Back In Town' and 'Don’t Believe A Word' , Lynott really winds the kids up—clenched fists, exaggerated movements, strutting machine gun style with his bass. "For all the young ladies on the road... Bad Reputation." Together with 'Emerald' and 'Rocker' and you have, boys and girls, the complete Thin Lizzy , a band that can, and did, set a festival alight.

Phil Lynott : "I see my future in music, forever, one way or another. Whether I end up as an old jazz player in a seedy club or as a producer, I’ll see it through, you can’t control the future." Phil Lynott : "Violence, rock 'n' roll and sub-cultures always go hand in hand. Blame it on youth versus establishment."

The second half of the set was magic. The first half stuttered, not helped by the vagaries of the lighting—the sunset and the spots produced a weird combination. Yet the music won through handsomely. But at the end, violence was to rear its head again as the crowd, hungry for more, showered the stage with bottles, cans and anything that came to hand. Still, s’pose they had been there for four days.

IAN GILLAN BAND : The ex- Deep Purple singer and his band— Ray Fenwick , John Gustafson , Colin Towns and Mark Nauseef —kicked off with a rockin' 'Lucille' followed by the gentler 'Child In Time' . He still has a hell of a voice and almost hit the top in the long 'Money Lender' and the screaming 'Over The Hill' , cruising home with 'Smoke On The Water' . But Gillan did not come back for more and afterwards was far from happy.

AEROSMITH : Yup, it’s America’s very own high energy fast movin' hard rock outfit. Frontman Steven Tyler in jerking Jaggersque form, Joe Perry lead guitar foil to the rhythm of Kramer and Whitman , loud.

SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND : top of the hill, final night. Alex is back. Bagpipes on the PA rush the beer tent... now awash after a most amazing beer fight to the Press enclosure. But Christ, I can hardly keep my eyes open. This’ll be the 15th band I’ve watched in four days. You can have too much of a good thing. Enter Alex , glaring as usual, dressed as a pirate, long cutlass stuck in his belt. Zal Cleminson mad as usual. Starts with 'Faith Healer' , through 'Midnight Moses' to Del Shannon’s 'Runaway' .

Brian Robertson : "Alex is great. He can take the P--- out of anything. Runaway with a Glasgow accent!" Alex has been preparing, rehearsing this new act for a while. This is a sort of rehearsal for Reading . More details then, cos I didn’t take a lot of this in at Bilzen , did stay for one more number 'Dance Of Love' which features some most exotic dancing ladies. Brian Robertson was so busy watching this aspect he didn’t notice the tomato winging through the air until it went splat on his forehead. Time to quit. Goodnight Bilzen for the last time. Final word from Alex : "King Kong was the first the roller bore." Time for a long sleep.

Caroline Coon / Vivien Goldman, SOUNDS , August 20, 1977, Page 42, " Clash , Damned Bilzen Festival, Belgium " 511 words

'Bilzen? more like Belsen' Clash in Euro-Rock horror

Clash, Damned Bilzen Festival, Belgium

THE CLASH have a tendency to attract trouble wherever they go. Not because they’re malicious trouble-makers, but because there’s something about their stance that authority can’t tolerate.

Latest event happened last Thursday, at the Bilzen Jazz Festival in Belgium . Normally a staid trad jazzers bop, this year Bilzen were presenting their first ever Punk Night featuring Elvis Costello , the Damned and the Clash .

The audience were mostly hippies, with a sparse front line of punks who’d picked up on the fact that the iconography of today’s teen rebels includes safety pins stuck through the ear, from the media.

In front of the stage there was a wide press enclosure, with a few press rattling round inside. Then there was a big barricade, a fence of (barbed?) wire. Behind that fence, the kids were enclosed, scrabbling to get a decent view of the bands. Elvis Costello commented on the obvious stupidity of the arrangement, while backstage the Clash and the Damned were laying bets about who were going to get the fences down first.

As to the kids — every time one of them whacked at the fence, one of the exceptionally heavy security thugs would literally slap them in the face...

The Damned onstage commented bitterly — "This looks more like Belsen than Bilzen ." They were right.

The kids began throwing things, out of sheer frustration. As the guards’ hostility grew more brutal, the missiles the kids hurled into the press pit grew more dangerous. From empty beer cans to full, from pebbles to rocks to bricks.

When the Clash started their set, the kids aimed at the stage, desperate to make their presence felt, desperate to get through, break down the barriers. Joe ’s guitar was ruined, Paul Simonon got hit by a brick on the shoulder, and his cabinet busted.

"Half way through the set I got a brick right through my cabinet — it’s a drag ‘cos it cost quite a bit of money. But we finished the whole set. We had to stop during ‘ Police And Thieves ’ ‘cos Joe jumped down into the press pit ‘cos guards with helmets were hitting the kids with barbed wire. We wanted them to pull down the barricades ‘cos it was just like a prison camp with all that barbed wire fence round," said Paul Simonon , back in the safety of London .

"I was just onstage with all these things coming over . . . but it’s different when you’re there onstage with people watching you, you’re there to do something, and you get such a tremendous feeling, you feel like god, ‘cos you’ve got control over many people who want to see play. You feel invincible even the bricks are coming."

. . . fighting broke out during ‘ Police And Thieves ’ . . . stopped and searched at every checkpoint, just on looks,) the band arrive in Germany . The CBS rep warned them in the taxi going to the studio that punks were absolutely unknown; this TV appearance was the first.

broken beer bottles that fell off a table.)

Paul Simonon summed it all up. "The bloke just didn’t think we were respectable. It’s really mad. He just didn’t know what punk was."

Author: Bert Bertrand | Publication: Unknown (likely More! or En Attendant ) | Date: Circa late 1977 | Page: N/A | Title: THE YEAR OF THE CLASH, 925 words

The Year of the Clash

THE YEAR OF THE CLASH

The Clash ’s performance at the Bilzen Festival was eclipsed by the general resentment of collective paranoia and chaos. What was billed as the concert of the year by THE group of 1977 was a project doomed from the start given the circumstances and the environment. New Wave is ill-suited to festivals because they attract a mass of people who stink like dung attracts flies. And among the minority of people who come to Bilzen to listen to the bands, an even smaller proportion are Punks . Undeniably, they are hated by everyone (and I admit they do nothing to change that). ALL non-specialized journalists present the "punk movement" — assuming such a thing exists — in contemptuous terms: they know it is topical, but it is beyond them. These newspapers that don’t know what they are talking about (ranging from "Joepie" to "Paris-Match" by way of "Le Soir" ) focus on violence, neo-nazism, and the amputations of a few extremist posers, while totally omitting the enthusiasm, creativity, novelty, and the importance of this scene. How many people have I heard say they hated the Sex Pistols and The Clash without ever having heard a single one of their tracks, simply because their image disturbed them! And what do you want to bet that these same people, in two years, will be snapping up copies of "Anarchy in the U.K." and "White Riot" at gold-medal prices?

THIS AIN’T ROCK’N’ROLL. THIS IS GENOCIDE

It is now time to describe the Bilzen site to you. The enclosure reserved for journalists separated the artists from the audience by a distance of about ten meters (which is enormous), so the public, who had paid nearly 300 francs , found themselves penned in like cattle under two meters of barbed wire. From the moment Elvis Costello took the stage, the punk fraction of the audience stood up and all the photographers machine-gunned them like curious beasts. (A flashback that has nothing to do with this directly: 8 years ago, all "Paris-Match" remembered about the Woodstock Festival was that young people bathed naked there). Everyone feared fights. The year of CONFRONTATION .

THIS AIN’T ROCK’N’ROLL. THIS IS A CONCENTRATION CAMP.

Already, The Damned 's concert did not take place in optimal conditions. Coca-Cola cans were flying onto the stage, miraculously without hitting anyone. And the "dissuasion forces," more than vigilant, prevented the punks from breaking the barbed wire barriers, as Dave Vanian urged them to do. In such a revolting situation, The Damned obviously couldn't give their best. There was, however, an amusing moment when Rat Scabies parodied the smoke of "space-rock" bands by throwing flour over his drums! But the atmosphere is summarized in this cry from Captain Sensible : "This is Bilzen , not Belsen !" It was believed that The Clash would succeed where The Damned had failed and that they would provoke the riot ( "White Riot" ) that would liberate everyone, even the journalists.

This hope was not to materialize, because of the excessive omnipresence of the gorillas ( "Remote Control" ). Those who were able to judge the group outside of its climate charged with violence and electricity conducive to bad vibrations will have appreciated its phenomenal power. François De Kock will kill me if I don't write that he and a few others were disappointed and that for them The Clash was no longer a "positive group impermeable to pressure," and I recognize that Joe Strummer without a guitar evoked Freddie Mercury in an embarrassing way, but for me, having seen them 8 months ago, they have tenfold potential and presentation. The riffs surge and the images flash by. But in all this ecstasy, something is wrong. That something is the audience. Only the boldest (and wealthiest) punks could afford the trip and the concert ticket. They came there to have fun, not to destroy. But seeing your favorite band through barbed wire is NO FUN . The problem at the start was that New Wave fans were not numerous enough. If there had been 1,000 instead of 100 , they could have broken the barriers, but the "security" people (the term sounds painfully ironic in this case) were too well-armed.

Until the end, however, they tried to create a breach, disfigured by hatred and frustration. And we (journalists) could only watch, powerless, at their rage. At one point, Strummer yelled at me to attack one of those gorillas. Even assuming I had the courage, I don't see what I could do with my 48 kilos (really). Joe Strummer then came down from the stage and went to help the public "uproot" the posts. He was rudely sent packing by the "security." Think about it, you fans of Led Zepp , Queen , the Eagles , or Genesis : that is also what New Wave is, the fact of caring about your audience, sharing their enthusiasm and their sorrows, and not scorning them with limousines or an excessive display of wealth.

THIS AIN’T ROCK’N’ROLL. THIS IS PARANOIA

The band then realized there was nothing to be gained from the apathy or hostility of the general public, and everywhere was confusion. Some people threw coke cans at The Clash , some Punks threw them at the gorillas, and they threw them back.

Joe Strummer : "Who is throwing cans at who? EVERYONE stop!" The association of Punks — Violence is wrong on several levels. Yet even the Punks use it excessively (there are idiots everywhere). When Johnny Rotten screams "Destroy," he mostly means the destruction of preconceived ideas. The Clash , for their part, oppose gratuitous violence: " Hate and War , are the only things we’ve got today" . And everyone fights apathy. Mick Jones at Bilzen : "You’re the most exciting audience since the Grateful Dead " .

THIS AIN’T ROCK’N’ROLL. IT IS SUICIDE

I blame no one, or rather, I blame everyone. The "Security People" only obeyed orders and they were afraid of the Punks ; the Punks felt wronged (and they probably exaggerated because they knew the journalists present would talk about them); the "Hippies" surely had preconceived ideas of hostility or lack of interest. That a 14-year-old Punk gets beaten up by three "Hippies" because he’s enjoying The Clash makes you think. And as far as I know, the Punks , who have such a fierce reputation, (fortunately!) attacked no one. Piero Kenroll tells me that my comparison with a concentration camp is a worn-out cliché. I don't care: it's a cliché I wouldn't want to live through again. On the other hand, I implore The Clash to come back and give a concert in a real venue in Brussels to chase away any eventual doubts.

Bert Bertrand .

THE YEAR OF THE CLASH

La prestation de Clash au Festival de Bilzen fut éclipsée par le ressentiment général de la paranoïa collective et du chaos. Ce qui s’annonçait comme le concert de l’année par LE groupe de 1977 était un projet condamné au départ vu les circonstances et l’environnement. La New Wave se prête mal aux festivals car ceux-ci attirent une masse de gens puants comme le caca attire les mouches. Et parmi la minorité des gens qui viennent à Bilzen pour écouter les groupes, plus infime encore est la proportion de Punks . Indéniablement, ceux-ci sont détestés par tous (et je reconnais qu’ils ne font rien pour qu’il en soit autrement). TOUS les journalistes non spécialisés présentent le "mouvement punk" — en admettant qu’une telle chose existe — en des termes méprisants : ils savent qu’il marque l’actualité, mais il les dépasse. Ces journaux qui ne savent pas de quoi ils parlent (cela va de "Joepie" à "Paris-Match" en passant par "Le Soir" ) s’arrêtent sur la violence, le néo-nazisme, les amputations de quelques poseurs extrémistes, en omettant totalement l’enthousiasme, la créativité, la nouveauté, l’importance de cette scène. Combien de gens n’ai-je pas entendu dire qu’ils détestaient les Sex Pistols et Clash sans avoir jamais entendu un seul de leurs morceaux, simplement parce que leur image les dérangeait ! Et qu’est-ce qu’on parie que ces mêmes personnes, dans deux ans, s’arracheront des copies de "Anarchy in the U.K." et de "White Riot" à prix d’or ?

THIS AIN’T ROCK’N’ROLL. THIS IS GENOCIDE

Il est temps maintenant de vous décrire le site de Bilzen . L’enclos réservé aux journalistes séparait les artistes du public sur une longueur de dix mètres environ (ce qui est énorme) aussi le public qui avait payé près de 300 balles , se retrouvait parqué comme du bétail sous deux mètres de fil de fer barbelé. Dès le moment où Elvis Costello est monté sur scène, la fraction punk du public s’est dressée et tous les photographes les ont mitraillés comme des bêtes curieuses. (Flashback qui n’a rien à voir directement : il y a 8 ans , tout ce que "Paris-Match" avait retenu du Festival de Woodstock c’est que des jeunes gens s’y baignaient nus). Tout le monde craignait des bagarres. L’année de la CONFRONTATION .

THIS AIN’T ROCK’N’ROLL. THIS IS A CONCENTRATION CAMP.

Déjà le concert des Damned ne s’est pas déroulé dans d’optimales conditions. Les boites de coca volaient sur la scène, sans blesser personne, miraculeusement. Et les "forces de dissuasion" plus que vigilantes ont empêché les punks de briser les barrières de barbelés, comme les y incitait Dave Vanian . Dans une situation tellement révoltante, the Damned n’ont bien sûr pas pu donner le meilleur d’eux-mêmes. Il y eut cependant un passage amusant quand Rat Scabies a pastiché la fumée des groupes planants en jetant de la farine sur sa batterie ! Mais l’atmosphère est résumée dans ce cri de Captain Sensible : "This is Bilzen , not Belsen !" On croyait que Clash réussirait là où the Damned avaient échoué et qu’ils provoqueraient l’émeute ( "White Riot" ) qui libérerait tout le monde, même les journalistes.

Cet espoir ne devait pas se matérialiser, à cause de l’omniprésence excessive des gorilles ( "Remote Control" ). Ceux qui ont pu juger le groupe hors de son climat chargé de la violence et de l’électricité propices aux mauvaises vibrations auront apprécié sa phénoménale puissance. François De Kock me tuera si je n’écris pas que lui et quelques autres ont été déçus et que pour eux Clash n’était plus un "groupe positif et imperméable aux pressions" et je reconnais que Joe Strummer sans guitare évoquait Freddie Mercury de façon embarrassante, mais pour moi qui les avais vus il y a 8 mois , ils ont décuplé en potentiel et en présentation. Les riffs déferlent et les images défilent. Mais dans toute cette extase, quelque chose cloche. Ce quelque chose, c’est le public. Seuls les punks les plus hardis (et les plus fortunés) ont pu se permettre le déplacement et le billet du concert. Ils sont venus là pour s’amuser et pas pour détruire. Mais voir son groupe préféré à travers des barbelés, it’s NO FUN . Le problème au départ, c’est que les amateurs de New Wave n’étaient pas assez nombreux. S’ils avaient été 1.000 au lieu de 100 , ils auraient pu casser les barrières, mais les gens "de la sécurité" (le terme sonne douloureusement ironique dans ce cas-ci) étaient trop armés.

Jusqu’au bout pourtant, ils ont essayé de créer une brèche, défigurés par la haine et la frustration. Et nous (journalistes) ne pouvions qu’assister, impuissants, à leur rage. A un certain moment, Strummer me crie de m’attaquer à un de ces gorilles. Même en supposant que j’en aie le courage, je ne vois pas ce que je pourrais faire avec mes 48 kilos (vraiment). Joe Strummer descend alors de scène et va aider le public à "déraciner" les poteaux. Il se fait rudement remballer par les "security" . Réfléchissez-y bien, vous les fans de Led Zepp , de Queen , des Eagles ou de Genesis : c’est ça aussi, la New Wave , c’est le fait de se soucier de son public, de partager son enthousiasme et ses peines, de ne pas le mépriser avec des limousines ou un déploiement excessif de richesse.

THIS AIN’T ROCK’N’ROLL. THIS IS PARANOIA

Le groupe comprend alors qu’il n’y a rien à tirer de l’apathie ou de l’hostilité du grand public et un peu partout, c’est la confusion. Une partie des gens jette des boîtes de coca sur Clash , une partie des Punks en jette sur les gorilles, ceux-ci les renvoient.

Joe Strummer : "Qui jette des boîtes contre qui ? Arrêtez TOUT LE MONDE !" L’association Punks — Violence est erronée à plusieurs échelons. Or même les Punks s’en servent avec excès (il y a des cons partout). Quand Johnny Rotten crie "Destroy" , il veut surtout parler de la destruction d’idées préconçues. Clash pour leur part s’opposent à la violence gratuite : " Hate and War , are the only things we’ve got today" . Et tous combattent l’apathie. Mick Jones à Bilzen : "You’re the most exciting audience since the Grateful Dead " .

THIS AIN’T ROCK’N’ROLL. IT IS SUICIDE

Je ne blâme personne ou alors je blâme tout le monde. Les "Security People" n’ont fait qu’obéir aux ordres et ils avaient peur des Punks , les Punks se sont sentis lésés (et ils en ont probablement rajouté parce qu’ils savaient que les journalistes présents allaient parler d’eux), les "Hippies" avaient sûrement des idées préconçues d’hostilité ou de désintérêt. Qu’un Punk de 14 ans se fasse tabasser par trois "Hippies" parce qu’il prend son pied sur Clash , ça fait réfléchir. Et pour autant que je sache, les Punks qui ont une réputation si féroce n’ont (heureusement !) attaqué personne. Piero Kenroll me dit que ma comparaison avec un camp de concentration est un cliché éculé. Je m’en fous : c’est un cliché que je n’aimerais pas revivre. Par contre, j’implore Clash de revenir donner un concert dans une vraie salle à Bruxelles pour chasser tous les doutes éventuels.

Bert Bertrand .

Chris Salewicz , New Musical Express NME Thrills, September 1977, Page Unknown, "Joe really goes over the top", 685 words.

Joe really goes over the top

Joe really goes over the top

"I don't think about things I do too much. I just do 'em."

YES THE controversial Joe Strummer , 83, has once again been making a nuisance of himself.

Last Thursday, somewhere round about midnight, Joseph found himself down on the ground surrounded by a horde of Belgian security heavies intent, it seemed at the time, on removing this troublesome little iconoclast from our midst once and for all.

It was the opening day of the 14th Bilzen (close relation) jazz (sic) festival. The beat group The Clash were headlining.

Throughout the preceding set by The Damned bottles, bricks and beer cans had splattered about the band onstage. Those in the audience up by the front of the stage had attempted to remove / deface / render into non-use the thoroughly degrading ten-foot high concrete and wire fence separating them from "the privileged ones" in the front stage area.

Whether these two aggro factors were connected is not entirely certain.

What is certain is that the missile throwing continued with quite devastating force as soon as The Clash hit the stage.

As did the attempts at fence destruction.

During the fifth number, "Les Flics Et Les Voleurs" , ( The Clash 's stunning rendition of Junior Murvin 's "Police And Thieves" in case it was German at your school) optimists might have believed there was a chance the fence was about to go down.

Joe Strummer was optimistic.

Leaping into The Area he ran and began pulling at the loosest of the concrete posts. For some 30 seconds this demonstration of living art continued.

At the end of this time Joe suddenly appeared to be on the ground. He seemed at first to be on the verge of receiving the proverbial good kicking. "They definitely wanted to have a go at me." he said later.

Then he was on his feet, fists clenched and surrounded...

What happened next? Did Joe survive this savage Old Wave onslaught? Will he ever manage to twist a toe to Tapper Zukie again?

See next week's devastating tale of Flemish terror. You Will Be Shocked! Only in the New Musical Express ...

THE NEXT morning, towards midday, The Clash party cheerfully made their gleeful way to Brussels airport.

They were very excited. That night they were due in Bremen , Germany , for a run-through of a German version of Top Of The Pops , called Musikladen .

Appearing on the show with them would be Tina Charles , Paul Nicholas and Dana .

Gosh. They were excited.

You can imagine their disappointment when they missed their plane (something they'd also managed to do for the Mont De Marsan festival ; — they had to take five planes to get there.)

After spending close to the rest of the day in the European air corridors — and being heavily searched at every customs they went through — the four plucky musicians and their manager arrived at the TV studios.

What excitement was in the air! They were the first ever punk band to be on German television.

They made close friends with Dana and Nicky Headon happily hummed Paul Nicholas 's hit to him.

When they went on the run-through of the show they discovered they had to mime.

It seemed very odd miming "White Riot" , their German single release. Wag that he is, Joe kept his back to the camera.

In the dressing-room Paul dropped a beer bottle. It broke.

The band returned to their hotel and spent a liquor-soaked evening in the hotel bar.

The next day they awakened.

Life felt good.

There would be a New Moon that night.

"Only the filming of the show to get through and then it's home to Blighty , eh chaps?" said Joe as he playfully drew Hitler moustache on faces on the beer mats and on the sign on the gents.

But it was not to be: a phone call came from the TV station.

Their presence was no longer welcome on Musikladen .

They had not, they were told, mimed correctly, they had left their dressing-room in a shameful state and, it was intimated, they had not shown proper respect to the producer.

When they went down to the dining-room in their hotel to eat the down-hearted chaps were then told their clothes were not suitable.

It would appear Germany is not ready for punks.

CHRIS SALEWICZ

Belgium Underground , Punk in Belgium, 1976-78 , 2015-2016, Web Archive, "Punk in Belgium". 2 December 2015

Punk in Belgium, 1976-78

Belgium Underground: Punk in Belgium, 1976-78

PRICE: ...... N° 000009 ROCKIN' CLUB

PHOTO Carte de Membre LIDKAART

nom - naam: MITO prénom - voornaam: NADIN adresse - adres: 24, av. d'Auderghem, 1040 Bruxelles 2 December 2015 betom , Nadine Milo mink , Rock

Cette carte est strictement personnelle - De kaart moet op aanvraag vertoond worden - (Change de club sans prévenir - kan vervallen)

First category presented in the Belgium Underground App , Punk Music arrives in Belgium in 1976. In the first half of 1976 the then new rock music magazine Moustique put Patti Smith on the cover of its March issue and dedicated a page and a half in the same issue to her legendary concert in May at the Paul-Emile Janson Auditorium at ULB . Fb page articles in "the almanac of rock" the editorial Led Zeppelin , was on the cover, while the magazine's most well known personality Bert Bertrand introduced The Punk Page .

While London was going through total boom times, a new generation in Belgium had grown sick of "prog rock" boredom ( Yes , Emerson Lake & Palmer , Genesis ) and took to the stages and clubs throughout the country. First, while everyone anticipated the opening early 77 of Rockin’ Club as announced by Moustique , the first punks gathered at the Gemini , a club in rue du Souverain that, after taking over the Canalette , would later welcome names such as Simple Minds , who according to the co-organizer Gilles Verlant played in front of just twelve people. At that time tracks from The Ramones among others were what got everybody dancing , thanks to De Coster the leader of the heed1900 .

The Rockin’ Club opened in February at the Forest National annex. The first punk band to play was Chainsaw , a short lived group from Brussels , but whose members went on to show their merit in Mickey Mike ( aka Micky Mike ), Dustin Daniel , politicaly engaged punk Bob Seytor with Streets , the Contingent , and Mizky Mie became known as Snowy . Finally in April it was The Kids' turn to come up; the trio from Antwerp was founded in 1974 by Ludo Mariman . The Kids and Chainsaw both made claims of being the first punk group to come out of Belgium .

Unfortunately the wild days of the Rockin’ Club were already coming to an end; the steps on the staircase annoyed the management at the Forest ; the public were the punks and not the ice skaters. In May 1977 The Damned and The Ramones played at the club. The Sex Pistols had been booked for June 1977 but they never showed up. The Last , who had been booked to play at the Rockin' Club , did not come, but gave a raucous performance at the Bilzen Festival in August. A large part of the public and the security guards didn't understand why the punks—supported by Marc Zermati —wanted to break down the metal gates that protected the press area at the foot of the stage and hit the photographers and journalists.

On September 14, Iggy Pop played an unforgettable concert at the 140 , where The Kids were the opening band. In the fall of '77, however, came an outcry from the establishment which started with the "walloon decree" . The decree was followed by searches in the general press that aimed to demonize punk rock and its fans while the professors at the Université Libre de Bruxelles complained about the noise.

On January 17th, 1978, the Talking Heads gave a memorable concert in a new venue that would go on to become legendary: the Vieux Saint-Job in Uccle . The show was organized by Gilles Verlant , a personality as influential as Bert Bertrand in the More/En Attendant staff, who teamed up with Philippe Kopp and Brian Fletcher to organize the show. The First Belgian Punk Contest at the Vieux Saint-Job in March 1978 gave the occasions for different groups to appear , such as the recently formed Walsh , who organized the event.

The Mad Virgins played there before the categories of discussion on rock music in Verlant that was organized by Urban Alternative . The goal was to raise awareness about a form of music that causes fear. In May, 25 Belgian punk and new wave groups played at the Super Nova concert venue at the Botanique metro station. One particularly notable band was The Kids . It was one of their final concerts before their breakup, even though the members later went on to other artistic pursuits.

Patti Smith , the Belgian shell played at the Cirque Royal with The Kids in March and at Forest National with Magnum in September. Among the Belgian groups Pulsion the remarkable performer Peter Schlager , guitarist Jerry Wanker ( WX ), bassist Kurt Klang , and Hong on drums would soon give birth to Digital Orgasm . Hertz and Stephane Maes ( X-Pulsion ) and Illy , one of the famous Klang brothers. The groups made a departure from the raw, three-chord music. Nadine Milo (formerly of More/En Attendant ).

Further reading  

Wave-Genres And Sub-Genres 13 January 2018. At the end of the 1970s no one would have thought to apply the currently used term post-punk to the motley collection of genres and sub-genres that grew out of... More .

Belgium Underground: Interview Of Nadine Milo 2016. Belgium Underground has interviewed Nadine Milo , a journalist who took part in the adventure of the famous More/En Attendant journal, the first Belgian magazine that defended the punk and new wave scene. More .

Lepo (Ed.), Planeta Clash , August 11, 2021, Web, "Arde Bélgica".

Belgium burns - Planeta Clash

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Belgium is Burning Lepo

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Robin Crocker , aka Robin Banks , an old friend of Mick Jones , recounted for ZigZag magazine what happened to The Clash on Thursday, August 11, 1977, during a violent concert in the European country. Translation, compilation, and clarifications: Lepo . /// Putting this report together took several hours. If you like the material PlanetaClash provides, make your contribution here http://cafecito.app/planetaclash . From Spain and other countries http://buymeacoffee.com/planetaclash ///

“Be not the first by whom the new are tried, nor yet the last to lay the old aside.” Alexander Pope’s words of warning could well have applied to this gig in the depressing heart of Belgium , where The Clash , The Damned , and Elvis Costello bravely faced the wrath of several thousand hardcore hippies, jazz fans, and (read on to confirm it) lunatics of all kinds.

Being a sort of ambassador is a full-time job, and playing at what was listed as a “Jazz Festival” in a country not known for its tolerance of new ideas—musical or otherwise—proved to be a harder task than most. But on August 11, 1977, near the end of a schedule that would have exhausted Superman , The Clash were the headlining band of that year's Bilzen Jazz Festival .

Things started smoothly enough, with the three English bands checking into their hotel just a bit late. Paul Simonon had a rather miraculous recovery from a mysterious illness that briefly made him look like a man with terminal leprosy. So everyone was in high spirits when the bus left Liège [100 kilometers east of Brussels ] for Bilzen [40 kilometers north of Liège ], and Captain Sensible of The Damned kept the travelers entertained with his extraordinary penguin imitations.

The first sign of the impending fiasco or disaster only came when the bus reached its destination: the grounds and the surrounding area were completely covered with what looked like refugees from the summer of 1967, with hair down to their asses, beards, and peace symbols. The crowds listened intently to a group of local jazz musicians who sounded like a bizarre cross between British clarinetist Acker Bilk and the English jazz-fusion group The Soft Machine . The bus had suddenly become a sort of time machine and its victims—the occupants, The Clash , The Damned , Elvis Costello , and others—had been quickly transported 10 years back, into the middle of the era of peace and love.

They all seemed slightly dazed as we made our way backstage, and many were already making jokes about Woodstock ; something that quickly became the natural defense mechanism to adopt in that situation.

Each band was shown their dressing room in a trailer, and although Joe Strummer had to climb into The Clash’s hideout through a window to let the others in, everyone seemed fairly recovered from the initial shock of arrival and quietly set about preparing to go on stage. The Clash made themselves comfortable in their trailer and were soon giving interviews to the assembled Belgian journalists, whose English (or lack thereof) gave plenty of room for Strummer and Jones’s wit. But Joe told one particularly bewildered reporter: -It’s all right, mate. We’re not really taking the piss.

Meanwhile, The Clash's super-roadie, Roadent [ Steve Connelly ], struggles in vain to assemble the frame for the now-famous backdrop. His efforts are further frustrated when his partner Baker [ Barry Auguste ], on loan from Subway Sect , falls heavily off the roof of the van. In fact, things are quickly going wrong everywhere, and you just sense it’s going to be a special night when the usually immaculate Paul Simonon manages to spill a full glass of vodka and Coke on his lap and the trousers he’s supposed to play in. Do you believe in omens? In light of the night's later events, maybe you should.

Sooner or later, Elvis Costello’s outfit takes the stage, and the other English musicians wander busily around the front to catch a glimpse. And suddenly, there it is: fifteen feet from the stage, the ugliest, most violent-looking barbed wire fence you’ve ever seen in your life. A fence! When did you ever see a fucking barbed wire fence at a gig? It’s ten feet high and stretches right across the front of the stages, giving the perfect effect of a stadium within a stadium; only that inner stadium is where the privileged people are, with their nice backstage passes hanging conspicuously from their waistcoats. And behind that monstrous fence is the other stadium; the outer one, where the less privileged customers were herded like cattle. There, the hippies are packed so tight against the wire they must be holding their breath. And they all look angry, and it’s no great surprise, because as Captain said later: -This isn’t Bilzen. It’s Belsen. * *Translator’s note: Belsen was a Nazi concentration camp.

But the crowd isn’t the only one that’s angry. Mick Jones is angry; so is Joe Strummer ; so are Nicky “Topper” Headon and Paul Simonon . In fact, all the artists are angry, and Mick Jones leads the mass exodus back to the trailer, and as soon as he drops into the privacy of the cabin, he turns to Strummer and says lamentingly: -Something’s got to be done about that fucking wire, Joe. And Strummer nods: -It’s definitely got to go.

After Costello’s set comes another jazz band, and though it’s different from the one we saw coming in, it might as well be the same. During that time, the crowd was quiet and fairly peaceful, with the occasional beer can thrown at a security guard. But when The Damned take the stage, things change suddenly and drastically: most of the audience hasn't seen anything like this before and they simply can’t stand it. Out of nowhere, beer cans fly, and they aren't all for the security. At first, it’s hard to tell if the cans are some weird Belgian gesture of appreciation, like exaggerated spitting. But it soon becomes clear that most of the audience doesn't like The Damned at all. Worse, they aren't even prepared to give them a chance. However, there is a small, noisy, and grateful section of the audience that manages to give the group enough encouragement to finish their set and, incredibly, do a quick encore. But the general feeling is that this crowd isn't going to like anything tonight. However, that feeling hasn't reached the four members of The Clash yet, who are busy tuning up, anxious for their set, as always.

But tonight, they’ll have to manage without their backdrop, simply because the frame proved too cumbersome to maneuver onto the stage. It’s only a minor setback, and the band quickly waits in the wings. Strummer clutches his throat spray and looks a bit nervous, but the second he steps onto the stage, all the nerves vanish like magic.

The three guitarists plug in, Nicky stands behind his drums and… bloody hell! Joe’s guitar simply refuses to work. Even so, that kind of problem isn't insurmountable, and a generous soul** takes about 30 seconds to offer his guitar. Joe quickly checks the tuning and the band goes straight into “London’s Burning.” **Translator’s note: it was Brian James’s guitar from The Damned .

Immediately, Nicky and Paul are dodging beer cans, and it becomes perfectly obvious that a portion of the crowd has no intention of watching the band! Now the cans and other projectiles fly with sickening regularity, and worse is the fact that outside it’s pitch black and you can’t see what’s coming your way until it’s practically too late. Then, the inevitable happens: Paul takes a rock right to the shoulder. I heard the thud. But he doesn't miss a note and maintains his exact position on stage. Like the other three, he’s an easy target; the perfect mark for any sick and cowardly lunatic hidden in the anonymity of that massive crowd. The original text by Robin Banks for ZigZag magazine.

Most of the cans aren't even empty. Some are unopened; others are half-full. The next alternative object to hit the stage is a five-inch steel bolt, which bounces twice with a dull thud that can be heard over the music. Then comes a stone. It hits the stage and splinters fly everywhere. One stone leads to another, and suddenly everything spirals out of control. Halfway through “Police and Thieves” (which received a huge ovation when announced), Mick stops the band. He goes furiously to the mic and says, his voice trembling with rage: -I want the security blokes to get the fuck out of here- and the band goes back to the song, just as tight and determined as before. Between songs, Strummer tries hard to make himself understood, but it seems almost no one speaks his language. -Tear down that fucking wire. I want you to tear down that wire- he tells them over and over. Photo by Paul Coerten .

And gradually, they seem to understand. They are slowly dismantling the fence, and the security guards are having a hard time keeping people from going where they should be: right at the front of the stage. Suddenly, Strummer leaps into the inner stadium and runs full tilt toward the fence, and with his own hands, he tugs it as hard as he can. For a second, no one knows what to do, and then hell breaks loose: the security tries to grab Strummer ; others jump off the stage and grab the security. Somehow, they push Joe back onto the stage and he carries on as if nothing happened. It really is an incredible scene, and added to all that, the bastards keep throwing cans, rocks, mud, and whatever they can grab. They aim some things at the guards, but many things seek out the stage, and the band just keeps playing; they go through the three new songs (the best are “The Prisoner” and “Complete Control” ); they go for 45 minutes until the end of the set. And all around the band; everything except the band is total and utter chaos. By the time of “White Riot,” the band surprisingly seems to have won over part of the crowd, who are standing and cheering, and some even know the lyrics.

Paradoxically, cans keep hitting the stage and Nicky hits himself with a drumstick while trying to dodge them. “White Riot” ends and the band gets off stage lightning fast. They did the planned set, and that in itself is pretty amazing. Having the balls to stand and play under a constant bombardment is an attribute most bands should seek at all costs. But playing such a tight set under those conditions is almost unbelievable. Later it’s revealed the sound was pretty poor, but who gives a toss: the band gave everything.

Back in the trailer, Paul pulls off his sweat-soaked shirt to reveal a huge red welt on his shoulder. Strummer is lying on the floor, motionless. Mick Jones is vomiting outside. The atmosphere is indescribable. No one quite knows what to say. And anyway, words seem pretty useless after what happened. Mick Jones comes back holding a rock the size of a Dr. Marten’s boot, and it seems the most eloquent statement possible; because that rock came flying out of the Belgian darkness, straight toward Mick’s right shoulder, just inches from his face. And that thought suddenly makes it cruelly and horribly clear that tonight, with the Westway motorway a distant luxury, the band could easily have played for the last time.

Robin Banks

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Robin Crocker , alias Robin Banks , viejo amigo de Mick Jones , relató para la revista ZigZag , lo que le pasó a los Clash el jueves 11 de agosto de 1977 en un violento recital en el país europeo. Traducción, compaginación y aclaraciones: Lepo . /// Armar este informe llevó varias horas. Si te gusta el material que te brinda PlanetaClash , hacé tu aporte acá http://cafecito.app/planetaclash . Desde España y otros países http://buymeacoffee.com/planetaclash /// “No seas el primero que prueba lo nuevo, ni tampoco el último en dejar de lado lo viejo” . Las palabras de advertencia de Alexander Pope bien podrían haberse aplicado a este reci en el corazón deprimente de Bélgica , donde los Clash , los Damned y Elvis Costello enfrentaron valientemente a la ira de varios miles de hippies incondicionales, fanáticos del jazz y (sigan leyendo para confirmarlo) lunáticos de todo tipo. Ser una especie de embajadores es un trabajo de tiempo completo, y tocar en lo que figuraba como un “Festival de Jazz” en un país que no es reconocido por su tolerancia a las ideas nuevas, musicales o de las otras, demostró ser una tarea más difícil que la mayoría. Pero el 11 de agosto de 1977, cerca del final de una agenda que hubiera agotado a Superman , los Clash fueron la banda principal del Festival de Jazz Bilzen de ese año.

Las cosas empezaron con bastante fluidez, con las tres bandas inglesas registrándose en su hotel apenas tarde. Paul Simonon tuvo una recuperación bastante milagrosa de una enfermedad misteriosa que por poco tiempo hizo que pareciera un hombre con lepra terminal. Así que estaban todos de buen ánimo cuando el bondi salió de Liège o Lieja [100 kilómetros al este de Bruselas ] a Bilzen [40 kilómetros al norte de Liège ], y Captain Sensible de los Damned mantuvo entretenidos a los viajeros con sus imitaciones extraordinarias de pingüinos. La primera señal del fiasco o desastre inminente, solamente llegó cuando el bondi arribó a destino: el predio y la zona que lo rodeaba estaba cubierto totalmente con lo que parecían ser refugiados del verano de 1967, con pelo largo hasta el culo, barbas y símbolos de la paz. Las multitudes escuchaban atentamente a un grupo de músicos de jazz locales, que sonaban a una cruza bizarra entre el clarinetista británico Acker Bilk y el grupo de jazz fusión inglés The Soft Machine . El bondi se había convertido de repente en una especie de máquina del tiempo y sus víctimas, los ocupantes - The Clash , The Damned , Elvis Costello y otros-, habían sido trasladados rápidamente 10 años atrás, al medio de la época de la paz y el amor.

Parecían estar todos levemente aturdidos cuando nos hicimos camino hasta el backstage y muchos ya estaban haciendo chistes sobre Woodstock ; algo que rápidamente se volvió el mecanismo de defensa natural a adoptar en esa situación.

A cada banda le mostraron su camarín en una casa rodante, y aunque Joe Strummer tuvo que entrar al escondite de los Clash por una ventana para hacer entrar a los otros, todos parecían estar bastante recuperados del impacto inicial de la llegada, y se pusieron tranquila y silenciosamente a prepararse para subir al escenario. Los Clash se pusieron cómodos en su casilla rodante y pronto estaban dándole entrevistas a los periodistas belgas reunidos, cuyo inglés (o la falta de él), le dio mucho espacio a las ocurrencias de Strummer y Jones . Pero Joe le dijo a un notero particularmente desconcertado: -Está todo bien, amigo. No te vamos a tomar el pelo en serio. Mientras tanto, el súper-plomo de los Clash , Roadent [ Steve Connelly ], reniega en vano para armar el marco del ya famoso telón de fondo. Sus esfuerzos se frustran más cuando su compañero Baker [ Barry Auguste ], a préstamo de Subway Sect , se cae pesadamente del techo de la trafic. De hecho, rápidamente las cosas están saliendo mal por todas partes y uno simplemente presiente que va a ser una noche especial, cuando el habitualmente inmaculado Paul Simonon , se las arregla para tirarse un vaso completo de vodka con Coca en la falda y en los pantalones para tocar. ¿Creés en los presagios? A la luz de los acontecimientos posteriores de esa noche, tal vez deberías. Tarde o temprano sube al escenario el conjunto de Elvis Costello y los otros músicos ingleses deambulan ajetreadamente por el frente, para echar un vistazo. Y de repente, ahí está: a cuatro metros y medio del escenario, el alambrado de púas más feo y violento que hayas visto en tu vida. ¡Un alambrado! ¿Cuándo viste un puto alambrado en un reci? Mide tres metros de alto y se extiende bien al frente de los escenarios, dando el efecto perfecto de un estadio adentro de otro estadio; solo que ese estadio interno es donde está la gente privilegiada, con sus lindos permisos para entrar al backstage colgando llamativamente de sus chalecos. Y detrás de ese alambrado monstruoso, está el otro estadio; el externo, donde los clientes menos privilegiados fueron arreados como vacas. Ahí, los hippies están tan apretados contra el alambrado, que deben tener que aguantarse la respiración. Y parecen todos enojados, y no es una gran sorpresa, porque como dijo Captain más tarde: -Esto no es Bilzen. Es Belsen .* *Nota del traductor: Belsen fue un campo de concentración Nazi.

Pero la multitud no es la única que está enojada. Mick Jones está enojado; también Joe Strummer ; también Nicky “Topper” Headon y Paul Simonon . En realidad, todos los artistas están enojados, y Mick Jones lidera el éxodo masivo hacia el backstage, y apenas se deja caer en la privacidad de la casilla, gira hacia Strummer y dice lamentándose:

-Hay que hacer algo con ese puto alambrado, Joe. Y Strummer asiente: -Definitivamente hay que sacarlo. Después del repertorio de Costello , viene otra banda de jazz, y aunque es distinta a la que vimos cuando entramos, bien podría ser la misma. Durante ese tiempo, la multitud estuvo callada y bastante pacífica, con alguna lata de cerveza que le tiraron ocasionalmente al guardia de seguridad. Pero cuando suben al escenario los Damned , las cosas cambian repentina y drásticamente: la mayoría del público no vio algo así antes y simplemente no lo puede soportar. De la nada, vuelan latas de cerveza, y no todas son para los de seguridad. Al principio es difícil distinguir si las latas son algún raro gesto de aprecio belga, como escupitajos exagerados. Pero pronto queda claro que a la mayoría del público no le gusta para nada los Damned . Y lo que es peor, ni siquiera están preparados para darles una oportunidad. Sin embargo, hay un sector pequeño del público, ruidoso y agradecido, que logra darle al grupo el aliento suficiente para terminar su repertorio e, increíblemente, hacer un bis veloz. Pero la sensación general es que a esta gente, esta noche no le va a gustar nada. Sin embargo, esa sensación todavía no le llegó a los cuatro integrantes de los Clash , que están ocupados afinando, ansiosos por su set, como siempre.

Pero esta noche, se las van a tener que arreglar sin su telón, simplemente porque el marco demostró ser demasiado engorroso de maniobrar sobre el escenario. Es apenas un revés menor, y rápidamente la banda espera a los costados. Strummer se aferra a su aerosol para la garganta y parece un poco nervioso, pero al segundo de pisar el escenario, todos los nervios se disipan como por arte de magia.

Los tres guitarristas enchufan, Nicky se para detrás de su batería y… ¡puta madre! Directamente, la guitarra de Joe se niega a funcionar. Aún así, ni siquiera ese tipo de problema es insalvable, y un alma generosa**, tarda unos 30 segundos en ofrecer su guitarra. Joe chequea rápidamente la afinación y la banda toca directamente “London’s burning” . ** Nota del traductor: era la guitarra de Brian James de los Damned . Inmediatamente, Nicky y Paul esquivan latas de cerveza y se vuelve perfectamente obvio que una parte de la multitud ¡no tiene ninguna intención de ver la banda! Ahora las latas y otros proyectiles vuelan con una regularidad repugnante, y peor es el hecho de que afuera es la boca del lobo y no se ve qué es lo que viene en tu dirección, hasta que prácticamente es demasiado tarde. Entonces, pasa lo inevitable: Paul recibe un piedrazo justo en el hombro. Escuché el ruido. Pero él no pifia ni una nota y mantiene su posición exacta en el escenario. Como los otros tres, es una presa fácil; el blanco perfecto para cualquier lunático enfermo y cobarde escondido en el anonimato de esa enorme multitud. El texto original de Robin Banks para la revista ‘ZigZag’ .

La mayoría de las latas ni siquiera están vacías. Algunas están sin abrir; otras están llenas hasta la mitad. El próximo objeto alternativo que pega en el escenario, es un bulón de acero de 12 centímetros de largo, que rebota dos veces con un ruido seco que se escucha por encima de la música. Después viene una piedra. Le pega al escenario y las astillas rebotan por todas partes. Una piedra lleva a otra, y de repente se sale todo de control. A la mitad de “Police and thieves” (que cuando fue anunciada recibió una gran ovación), Mick para la banda. Va furioso hacia el micro y dice con la voz temblando de ira: -Quiero que los chabones de seguridad se vayan a la mierda de acá- y la banda vuelve al tema, igual de ajustados y decididos que antes. Entre tema y tema, Strummer se esfuerza mucho por hacerse entender, pero parece que casi nadie habla su idioma. -Tiren ese alambrado de mierda. Quiero que tiren ese alambrado- les dice una y otra vez. Foto de Paul Coerten . Y gradualmente, parecen entender. Están desmantelando lentamente el alambrado, y a los de seguridad les cuesta mucho trabajo evitar que la gente no vaya a donde tiene que estar: justo al frente del escenario. De repente, Strummer salta hacia el estadio interno y va a toda velocidad hacia el alambrado, y con sus propias manos lo tironea lo más fuerte que puede. Por un segundo, nadie sabe qué hacer, y después se desata el infierno: los de seguridad tratan de agarrar a Strummer ; otros saltan del escenario y agarran a los de seguridad. De alguna manera, empujan a Joe hasta el escenario y sigue como si no hubiera pasado nada. Realmente es una escena increíble, y sumado a todo eso, los desgraciados siguen tirando latas, piedras, barro y todo lo que pueden agarrar. Le apuntan con algunas cosas a los guardias, pero muchas cosas busca llegar al escenario, y la banda simplemente sigue tocando; sigue con los tres temas nuevos (los mejores son “The prisoner” y “Complete control” ); sigue 45 minutos hasta el final del repertorio. Y todo alrededor de la banda; todo excepto la banda, es un caos total y absoluto. Ya con “White riot” , sorprendentemente la banda parece haberse ganado a parte del público, que está parado aplaudiendo, y algunos se saben la letra.

Paradójicamente, siguen pegando latas en el escenario y Nicky se pega un baquetazo tratando de esquivarlas. Se termina “White riot” y la banda se baja del escenario rapidísimo. Hicieron el repertorio planeado y eso en sí mismo, es bastante asombroso. Tener los huevos de pararse a tocar bajo un bombardeo constante, es un atributo que la mayoría de las bandas deberían buscar a rajatabla. Pero tocar un repertorio tan ajustado en esas condiciones, es casi increíble. Más tarde se revela que el sonido era bastante pobre, pero que se cague: la banda dio todo. Ya en la casilla rodante, Paul se saca la remera empapada en transpiración y revela una roncha roja enorme en el hombro. Strummer está tirado en el piso, sin moverse. Mick Jones está vomitando afuera. La atmósfera es indescriptible. Nadie sabe bien qué decir. Y de todas formas, las palabras parecen bastante inútiles después de lo ocurrido. Mick Jones vuelve sosteniendo una piedra del tamaño de una bota Dr. Marten’s , y parece la declaración más elocuente posible; porque esa piedra llegó volando desde la oscuridad belga, directo hacia el hombro derecho de Mick , a solo centímetros de su cara. Y ese pensamiento de repente deja en claro cruel y horriblemente que esa noche, con la autopista Westway como un lujo distante, la banda fácilmente podría haber tocado por última vez. Robin Banks

Kenroll, Piero (Author), Tйlйmoustique , 1977, Page N/A, Jazz-Bilzen Festival 1977 Report .

Jazz Bilzen 1977 - Visit Bilzen

Jazz Bilzen 1977 Jazz Bilzen 1977 - Visit Bilzen visit bilzen Jazz Bilzen 1977 "Elvis has left the building" - on the morning of August 16 , Presley is found on his bathroom floor in Graceland : the King is dead. But elsewhere people are shouting loudly: God Save the Queen . While disco reigns supreme in the clubs and The Bee Gees make a resounding comeback with the soundtrack of blockbuster 'Saturday Night Fever' , The Sex Pistols throw out their 'Never mind the bollocks' . It's clear as day: Punk is here to stay! Also in Bilzen , groups of punks with nails, chains, mohawks and safety pins make their appearance among the audience. With Theo Boelen as the new chairman, a breath of fresh air is blowing through the festival. There is hardly any jazz on the bill, but there is even more of punk , rock and pop . 

On Thursday evening, three young British sensations get the party started. It is Elvis Costello who is the first to comment on the sharp fence in front of the stage that separates the front stage for press and guests from the audience. "Tear the fuckin' fence down!" , he stirs the mood, causing some of the spectators to advance towards the stage. When a little later the singer of The Damned shouts, with a nod to the concentration camps: "This is Bilzen, not Belsen-Belsen!" , some hotheads start pulling down the barbed wire - until they are bleeding. Joe Strummer of The Clash himself jumps off the stage to help pull out the concrete poles between which the fence is stretched. But he is promptly thrown back onto the stage by some security people. He suddenly runs into his own microphone stand and breaks his nose. He finishes the performance bleeding, but afterwards Strummer still has to be taken to hospital. 

The floodgates will open on Friday night and will not close for the rest of the weekend. But that doesn't spoil the fun. Thousands of spectators will witness an excellent Graham Parker , the reur The Small Faces , the hard guitar work of Thin Lizzy and Uriah Heep and the Belgian debut of Aerosmith . The band arrives in Bilzen with three trucks full of material. When their roadies hav unloaded just one, the stage is already completely full. Three days of rain transform the Dell into one big mud puddle. Afterwards, military jeeps are needed to get the cars and equipment from the field and backstage.

On stage at the Dell on Thursday, August 11, 1977:
All Flemish Session with Johan Verminnen , Roland , Big Bill
Elvis Costello
The Damned
The Clash

On stage at the Dell on Friday, August 12, 1977:
OM
Ted Easton Jazz Band
Albion Dance Band
Ted Nugent
Graham Parker & The Rumour
Uriah Heep
Colosseum II

On stage at the Dell on Saturday, August 13, 1977:
Stella Marrs and Tony Scott
Blue
Organ Contest with Lou Bennett , Mike Carr and Art Taylor
Stanley Clarke Band
Ian Gillan Band
Aerosmith
The Small Faces

On stage at the Dell on Sunday, August 14, 1977:
Yvan Guilini
Horslips
John Miles
Thin Lizzy
Crazy Cat
Sensational Alex Harvey Band

'Elvis has left the building' ? on the morning of 16 August, Presley is found on his bathroom floor in Graceland: the King is dead. But elsewhere, people are shouting loudly: God Save the Queen. While disco is in full swing in the clubs and The Bee Gees are making a resounding comeback with the soundtrack of the blockbuster 'Saturday Night Fever', The Sex Pistols are throwing out their 'Never mind the bollocks'. It is as clear as day: Punk is here to stay!

In Bilzen too, groups of punks with nails, chains, mohawks and safety pins make their appearance among the audience. With Theo Boelen as the new chairman, a fresh wind is blowing through the festival. There is hardly any jazz on the bill anymore, but there is plenty of punk, rock and pop.

On Thursday evening, three young British sensations are allowed to get the party started. It is Elvis Costello who first remarks on the sharp fence in front of the stage that separates the front stage for press and guests from the audience. 'Tear the fuckin' fence down!', he stirs up emotions, after which part of the audience advances towards the stage. When a little later the singer of The Damned also shouts with a wink at the concentration camps: 'This is Bilzen, not Belsen-Belsen!', a few hotheads start to pull down the barbed wire - until it bleeds.

Joe Strummer of The Clash jumps off the stage himself to help pull the concrete poles between which the fence is stretched out of the ground. But he is promptly thrown back onto the stage by a few security guards. In reaction, he runs into his own microphone stand and breaks his nose. He finishes the performance bleeding, but Strummer still has to be taken to hospital afterwards. On Friday night the heavens open and they do not close again for the rest of the weekend. But that doesn't spoil the fun. Thousands of spectators witness an excellent Graham Parker, the reunion of The Small Faces, the hard guitar work of Thin Lizzy and Uriah Heep and the Belgian debut of Aerosmith. The band arrives in Bilzen with three trucks full of equipment. When their roadies have unloaded just one, the stage is already completely full.

Three days of rain transform the Dell into one big mud pool. After the show, military jeeps are needed to get the cars and equipment from the field and backstage.

On stage at the Dell on Thursday, August 11, 1977:

All Flemish Session with Johan Verminnen, Roland, Big Bill
Elvis Costello
The Damned
The Clash

Kenroll, Piero (Author), Tйlйmoustique , 1977, Page N/A, Jazz-Bilzen Festival 1977 Report .

Jazz Bilzen Festival 1977 - Memories

THE GREAT POP FESTIVALS IN BELGIUM

JAZZ-BILZEN FESTIVAL

AUGUST 11-12-13-14, 1977

THIRTEENTH EDITION

During the tumultuous (once again) general assembly that took place on 12/17/76, Theo Boelen was elected President of the non-profit organization Jazz Bilzen . Consequently, he inherited the delicate mission of supervising the organization of the thirteenth edition of the oldest Belgian rock festival. A record on the European level!

But everything did not go as smoothly as expected. Indeed, the quorum of 2/3 not being reached, it was necessary, in a hurry, to telephone several members and even go pick some up from their homes to bring them to the voters' table. That evening, things lasted until 10 p.m.

On this occasion, Boelen took the opportunity to emphasize the real function of member-collaborators and decreed that if they wanted to remain so, everyone would have to do their part throughout the year and not just during the three or four days dedicated to the festival.

The first administrative measure taken by the new President was to thoroughly review the functioning of the non-profit organization which, at that time, had fifty-eight members.

Theo Boelen : “By examining the attendance list of previous meetings, I notice that it is always the same people who do the work.”

He therefore announced that any person absent, without a valid excuse, from the next general assembly, would be automatically "resigned."

Regarding the artistic organization, the assembly decided to revise its plan concerning the amateur band competition. From now on, a pre-selection will be orchestrated from Belgium , Germany , and the Netherlands .

As for the number of professional groups to perform on the main stage, it was fixed at a maximum of eight per day. And finally, Sunday was no longer reserved exclusively for jazz, but rather for a mix of genres.

“The notions of intermissions, rock, or jazz are no longer relevant. We are going to bring universal music to the festival-goers. Let's give Bilzen a youthful makeover by erasing its somewhat too traditional side.”

THE LINEUP CONSTITUTION…

“This year we still won't have the Rolling Stones , nor Bob Dylan , nor Elvis Presley on the stage. As for Led Zeppelin or the Who , they are booked elsewhere. But is their presence truly indispensable? Real lovers of good music know that our program will live up to their expectations.”

THE PUNK ERA

Theo Boelen : “For the annual party of the Jazz Bilzen members, no need to dig too deep into your wardrobe. Simple city clothes will suffice, decorated, if possible, with one or another accessory such as a dog collar, a safety pin through the lip or the earlobe. Since Bilzen 77 will be partly centered on the punk movement, their mohawks or their accessories are no longer likely to shock many people.”

For Information:

To cover the event, Theo Boelen tried to interest BRT3 via its show “ Jazz magazine ” but without success. The 13th edition started with a cash balance of 3,977,183 Belgian francs (one hundred thousand euros), a sum resulting from profits from the two previous years and a loan of 650,000 francs.

OUCH, THE PUNKS!

Big scare on Thursday among the bourgeois population of Bilzen seeing dozens of eccentrics arrive equipped with studs, chains, dog collars, and safety pins.

Indeed, it was at the last minute that the performances of Elvis Costello , Damned , and The Clash were announced for Thursday.

Apart from the atmospheric conditions quite characteristic of the year, one cannot say that the Bilzen festival was, in 1977, very representative of its time.

Out of more than thirty groups to parade on the stage, only four were more or less new wave: Graham Parker , Elvis Costello , Damned , and Clash .

Two of them, the most energetic, were heckled by a part of the audience who thought they were still in 1969 (and at Woodstock probably).

Those who had the most success were established values like Thin Lizzy or Uriah Heep , if not returning ancestors, like the Small Faces .

Yet if there hadn't been this backward-looking spirit and the bad weather, it could have been a very good festival. Just think, four days this time, and there were organizational improvements to be credited to the committee...

But let's not get ahead of ourselves...

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11

REPORT BY PIERO KENROLL (Articles appeared in Télémoustique No. 2692-2693-2694)

2 p.m.: AMATEUR GROUPS CONTEST • Winner of the amateur groups contest: TRAIN

Johan Verminnen , Roland , Big Bill • Elvis Costello • The Damned • The Clash

MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS

This day began under a dark sky with nine excellent amateur groups. Even Humo magazine was not stingy with compliments.

This year: a great improvement in the organization of the amateur group contest final. Thanks to a pre-selection system, collaboration with the Geleen festival, and playoffs during the previous weeks, the nine groups we saw parade in the afternoon on a large stage (until last year, the amateur contest was held in town on a small independent stage, and access was free for the public) were all decent, if not original or particularly exciting for one reason or another.

Be aware that it was Train , a German jazz-rock group, who won; that Frisbee , a hard rock group from Roeselare , got the public prize; and that Cataract , more German jazz-rock, received the press prize. These prizes consist of a few long-playings (LPs), and it is likely that we will never hear of them again. They therefore have a lot of merit for having put in so much effort for so little.

The only one capable of going a bit further, in my opinion, won nothing at all. It is another German group called Phoenix , with compositions very rich melodically.

Another major improvement: the stage has been enlarged and divided in two, which allows one group to set up its equipment while the other plays, and considerably reduces the “gaps” between the groups' passages. It took thirteen editions of “ Bilzen ” to finally arrive at this solution which is common sense (the ideal, however, would be a triple stage to deal with any unforeseen events).

Then the All Flemish Session saw Johan Verminnen , Big Bill , and Jean Blaute parade by, who only achieved a success of esteem.

PUNK POWER IN "MUDSTOCK" allusion to Woodstock and to mud

Rivers of mud... everywhere © jazzbilzen

ELVIS COSTELLO

The most surprising thing is undoubtedly the relatively small number of “punks” in the audience, even though the day's program was essentially new wave, and especially the presence of a large number of “hippies” (or “heavy” or “ Woodstock ,” call them what you will) who, clearly, had a strong anti-punk prejudice.

The only new wave artist whose passage went almost without problem was ELVIS COSTELLO , who, while he has some good songs in his repertoire, looks a bit too much like Graham Parker , as much musically as by his lack of stage presence, to truly impress.

ELVIS COSTELLO , an enigmatic character, is known to us by two singles found on his very recent first album, one of the vinyl pearls of the moment. His group is called THE ATTRACTIONS and consists of Steve Nieve [Note: text says Manson] on keyboards, Pete Thomas on drums, Bruce Thomas on bass and, of course, Elvis on guitar and vocals.

One cannot help but compare him to Graham Parker or Van Morrison .

Elvis Costello : “These stories of influences are irritating: people always try to compare you to someone else. I appreciate the comparison with Graham Parker : I believe he is the only person doing something close to what I am doing.”

THE DAMNED Dave Vanian , singer of the Damned © jazzbilzen

During the entry onto the stage of Damned , part of the audience became hysterical. On the stage, singer Dave Vanian cried out upon entering: “this is Bilzen , not Belsen-Belsen ” —alluding to the Nazi concentration camp of Bergen-Belsen —upon seeing the security guards wandering around with their dogs and the presence of barbed wire above the fence separating the stage from the audience.

“Go ahead, keep going! You won't be able to reach me.”

DAMNED and CLASH were the only groups victims of distortion problems, whereas everything had gone well before them.

Yes, they were copiously booed and, my word, it must be said that what was coming out of the speakers at the time of their passage was not of the best quality.

Everything reportedly stemmed from the fact that the festival technician, in charge of the general amplification, was one of those “old-hippies-with-long-hair” who obstinately refused to lower the volume.

Throughout their performance, beer and cola cans flew toward the stage, most not reaching it anyway, but injuring people in the front rows.

However, it takes more than that to scare the musicians of these groups. Dave Vanian , the singer of THE DAMNED , even went so far as to mock the throwers, saying: “Go ahead, keep going! You won't be able to reach me.”

Dave Vanian is the singer, black image, large cape, reminiscent of Dracula , very white face; his way of moving on stage is absolutely unique, rather fascinating.

Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible © Coerten

The guitarist, Brian James , who lived and was part of several ephemeral groups in Belgium , is calmer on stage and, given his physique— Keith style—is probably the only member of the group who could not pass off as some demonic reincarnation or the fruit of who knows what extra-terrestrial idyll... his guitar playing is incisive, fast, powerful, everything you need!

CLASH Clash © jazzbilzen

Clash consists of Joe Strummer on guitar and vocals, Paul Simonon on bass, Mick Jones on guitar, and Topper Headon on drums. Their stage performances are always very eventful. The group's repertoire consists of short pieces performed one after the other at a frantic pace.

After the thunderous music and provocative show of Damned , The Clash had the hard task of doing even better.

While the spectators in the first rows were receiving masses of cans on their heads, Joe Strummer jumped off the stage to try to uproot a fence post. But the head of security, Frank Gall , and his sidekick Philippe Plusquin , a robust professional soldier, sent him back to the stage where he went and smashed his nose against a microphone stand. He finished his performance, however, before going to be treated at the Bilzen hospital.

Success was not there.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 2 p.m.: POP FESTIVAL ( Dell )

• Ted Easton Jazz Band • Albion Dance Band • Ted Nugent • Graham Parker & The Rumour • Uriah Heep • Colosseum II

RAIN AND SLUDGE INVITE THEMSELVES TO THE PROGRAM The deluge © Coerten

The big star of Friday, this year, was the rain. It had been a long time since that had happened at Bilzen . One has to go back to 1971 on the old festival site. But this time, it was a real deluge.

The Organ Contest van cannot access the back of the stage. Lou Bennett , in a white suit, must call on the members of the festival organization to bring his equipment by jeep © jeanschoubs

From 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., it did not stop raining for a moment. The plain soon transformed into an immense quagmire. This had the effect of considerably delaying the passage of the groups. Equipment trucks got bogged down one after another in the narrow access path leading to the stage.

It was with Ted Easton that the torrents of water had begun to fall on the site. Fortunately for the organizers, the pre-sale had worked well, which meant that no fewer than six thousand brave spectators, draped in their raincoats, plastic bags, or under the summary shelter of an umbrella, remained, stoic, until night to wait for Jon Hiseman's drum solo.

TED NUGENT

Apart from OM and TED EASTON JAZZ BAND , very traditional jazz groups, one should also note a "pleasant" (ah! if only the weather had been nice!) performance by the ALBION DANCE BAND . An English folk-rock ensemble in the lineage of Lindisfarne , with music that is pretty, pleasant, and varied. To be seen again in better conditions.

As for TED NUGENT , louder than ever, he may have definitively ridiculed the law on sound limitation to 90 decibels.

If this guy can perform without the police intervening (and they are numerous in a ten-kilometer radius around the festival, a radius in which one must hear Ted without problem), there must be a weighty argument for anyone who would henceforth have trouble with the law.

Or else justice is not the same for everyone. No big difference from his performance in Brussels anyway.

GRAHAM PARKER AND THE RUMOUR

The atmosphere of the festival obviously suffered from these foul weather conditions. How can one appreciate a good group when one is soaked to the bone and covered in mud?

But that was not to stop the number of spectators from increasing significantly in the evening.

GRAHAM PARKER and, in the early night, COLOSSEUM nevertheless sparked some favorable reactions. The former, accompanied not only by THE RUMOUR but also for the occasion by a section of four brass musicians, showed himself to be much more dynamic than during his passage in Brussels . But his music continues to lack relief.

COLOSSEUM

As for COLOSSEUM , which is on, I believe, its third replacement at Bilzen (it is never on the program at first, but is called upon in extremis to replace someone who doesn't come), it enchants the lovers of technique, with the inevitable and impressive drum solo by Jon Hiseman , always assured of cheers.

URIAH HEEP

The only group that finally managed to make people forget the bad weather was... URIAH HEEP .

Yes, these “dinosaurs of rock” put all their veteran experience into the balance to demonstrate that professionalism sometimes serves a purpose.

Using without complexes the most worn-out but most effective show recipes, they even managed to make the audience sing twice, not deviating, for the rest, from the repertoire they presented in Brussels a few weeks ago.

Hats off!

SATURDAY, AUGUST 13 2 p.m.: POP FESTIVAL ( Dell )

• Stella Marrs and Tony Scott • Blue • Organ Contest ( Lou Bennett , Mike Carr , and Art Taylor ) • Stanley Clarke Band • Ian Gillan Band • Aerosmith • The Small Faces

Fortunately, on Saturday, it didn't rain. The mud from the day before was still there, but finally, having one's head dry already raised everyone's morale. Only a few members of the organization were somewhat reluctant to rejoice.

Just think: in addition to the problems of bogged-down equipment trucks, they had just learned that the only thing concerning the festival that the BRT had managed to say was that there had been violent fights the day before and several arrests.

Now, if there was indeed a fight, it was not at the festival, but in the village itself, where gangs of “ Hell's Angels ” (there are reportedly a few in Flanders and Holland ) had made an appointment to hit each other.

This is not the first time this has happened at Bilzen .

While on the festival site there are no alcoholic beverages, in the village, the cafes are open twenty-four hours a day and there are people who only come to Bilzen to offer themselves a monster “bender.”

One sometimes finds them sleeping off their beer in the middle of the sidewalks, or asleep in their vomit. This does not seem to be considered “serious” by the law enforcement agencies. On the other hand, those who have the misfortune of being caught smoking a “joint” expose themselves to the worst trouble... That's the consumer society.

That's justice...

STELLA MARS AND TONY SCOTT • BLUE

Stella Marrs and Tony Scott © jeanschoubs

As on the previous day, it was the “jazz” groups that began the afternoon with, to start, STELLA MARRS (on sax) and TONY SCOTT (on clarinet). Both accompanied by the Belgian trio of Roger Van Haverbeke , who brought them back from the USA .

Then, BLUE , a solid little British group of four musicians practicing a very melodic style close to America . Pleasant and effective, but nothing exceptional.

ORGAN CONTEST

Then ORGAN CONTEST climbs onto the stage. We are going to witness a duel between two organ “monsters.” LOU BENNETT and MIKE CARR , supported on drums by ART TAYLOR , another great name in jazz.

STANLEY CLARKE BAND

The passage of STANLEY CLARKE , virtuoso bassist, as comfortable alongside Chick Corea as Jeff Beck , will serve as a perfect transition between genres.

His performance served as a link between jazz and rock by demonstrating that he has not stolen his reputation as the best current bassist with a brilliant technical demonstration.

IAN GILLAN BAND

And if he is more jazz than rock, the IAN GILLAN BAND which followed was more rock than jazz, without however disowning the latter.

Unfortunately, IAN GILLAN himself is no more than a caricature of the star he once was.

Incredibly clumsy on stage, and pathetic in his prima donna poses, he was bound to disappoint almost everyone.

Even if he tried to save face with versions of Child In Time and Smoke On The Water recalling the time when he was the singer of Deep Purple .

Alas for him, that time is over.

He hasn't understood that only humor can counterbalance nostalgia.

AEROSMITH

AEROSMITH hasn't either. But I believe the problem with that group is that it still imagines itself to be current. Yet its performance proved to be at most a bad caricature of Heavy-Metal .

The group's music is a monotonous hard-rock that appears considerably more laborious on stage than on its records, with musicians of a distressing banality.

One would wonder if this was truly the real AEROSMITH that some make such a fuss about, if there weren't Steven Tyler , the singer who (and it's the group's only asset) truly has “a look.” A piece of advice: you can settle for his photo, because once you've seen the three different poses that comprise his stage acting, you've seen it all.

Groups like that, there are thousands of them.

For the record, the work dedicated to the history of the Bilzen festivals informs us that: their manager had initially demanded a fee of $32,000 which, after many discussions, was brought down to $20,000.

Aerosmith © Coerten

According to them, the group barely covered its costs. That said, they wanted to “do” Bilzen at all costs.

Few spectators were truly impressed by Aerosmith , except for those responsible for the stage who saw three trucks packed with equipment arrive. There was already no more room on the stage after the first one was unloaded.

THE SMALL FACES

Steve Marriott and Kenney Jones - Small Faces © jazzbilzen

On the other hand, humor can counterbalance nostalgia. The SMALL FACES understood this well. They, at least, admit that they belong to the past ( Steve Marriott : “Watch out, punks, I’m the original model” ) and play the game to the full.

They enjoy resurrecting their “hits” from ten years ago like kids who suddenly find an exciting old toy. And they amuse everyone.

No joke, after three days of the festival, they were the first to achieve unanimity and rather than launching into an enumeration of superlatives concerning Marriott’s vocal and stage qualities in particular, I have only one wish to make: that they return to us quickly in a good venue.

Small Faces © Coerten

SUNDAY, AUGUST 14 2 p.m.: POP FESTIVAL ( Dell )

• Yvan Guilini • Horslips • John Miles • Thin Lizzy • Crazy Cat • Sensational Alex Harvey Band

Sunday in Bilzen © Coerten

HORSLIPS

Horslips Bilzen 1977 Horslips © Coerten

On Sunday, the two jazz groups that were to open the afternoon withdrew for obscure technical reasons and the disappearance of a drummer.

Around 1:30 p.m., we have the surprise of seeing THIN LIZZY climb onto the stage to do a soundcheck and rehearse three songs. It is the first time, to my knowledge, that a group has come to do this without complex while the public is already admitted to the grounds.

But the following events were going to prove that professional conscience pays off.

It is finally HORSLIPS who begin the day quite late. This Irish group, dressed in a uniform composed of black leather jackets and jeans, seems to combine multiple influences: esotericism, folklore, and rock. We are not far from Gryphon or the ex- Incredible String Band , but it is only the violinist's jigs that will make the audience react.

JOHN MILES

JOHN MILES follows and impresses everyone. Very self-assured, the frail blond guitarist with short hair who did not move much on stage during his first visit to our country, has become a solid "performer" whose vocal capacities will captivate the audience.

Smiling, relaxed, mobile, he lines up the compositions from his two albums like so many proofs that he must be reckoned with and is warmly recalled.

He finishes with a dazzling version of Roll Over Beethoven , and at that moment, it seems that after the Small Faces , he is the best moment of the festival.

THIN LIZZY

Thin Lizzy © Coerten

With the three groups that are going to succeed one another, a real deluge of electric riffs descends on the public. First of all with THIN LIZZY and its bassist/singer, Phil Lynott , assisted by Brian Robertson on guitar.

Phil Lynott , that tall tanned Irishman who makes all the girls swoon as soon as he looks them in the white of the eyes. With his acolytes, he is truly going to be a hit.

And it’s quite normal: his musicians are good and coherent. Their compositions are catchy, the voice is warm, the rocks swing.

The slows are full of feeling, and this guy has a crazy magnetism.

It is joy, some roll with pleasure in the mud, a guy carried at arm's length in a bathtub suddenly appears above the heads of the crowd...

No mistake, we're having fun! There are two encores, but we'd want more, and the usual idiots begin to throw cans on stage.

In a crowd of ten thousand people, there is always a certain percentage of idiots, it's inevitable.

KRAZY KAT

Krazy Kat © Coerten

The thankless task of passing between THIN LIZZY and ALEX HARVEY'S band falls to KRAZY KAT , the unfortunate ex- Capability Brown , who replace Pat Travers and surely didn't ask for so much.

Let's say they'll get out safe and sound. We didn't assassinate them. They were so harmless that most will have believed it was records playing while some roadies polished guitars.

They even played "some Beatles ": very original, as you see.

Krazy Kats Belgium 77 Graham White and Tony Ferguson © jeanschoubs

SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND

Alex Harvey Bilzen 77 Sensational Alex Harvey Band © Coerten

With the arrival on stage of ALEX HARVEY in the full uniform of a captain of the S.A.H.B. , we say to ourselves that this is definitely the best day of the festival and that we're surely going to enjoy ourselves once more. It's the inevitable Faith Healer , but Alex doesn't seem to be in his element, he drags his feet moving to the next piece.

He's playing guitar now, and he doesn't look comfortable with this instrument. He presents quite a few new compositions, including a fairly long King Kong which is not very convincing at first listen.

Then he announces: The Hoochi-Cootcha! or something like that and tries to get the audience to repeat, but they don't follow. It becomes painful. Then comes a trio of dancers. Two female dancers and one male dancer to be precise. As in London , these people have bare backs, but there, there were three female dancers, period, which was better in my opinion (one is a phallocrat or one is not).

After a certain time, here they are throwing bananas at the audience. Some only moderately appreciate this charming attention and throw the bananas back immediately (well, figuratively speaking, because it was still damp). A few boos are heard. Fortunately Alex begins his Framed act which always has its little effect. He has dropped the Hitler parody and he corrects the situation a little. He finishes without conviction with Delilah .

The encore is meager. Alex returns first alone and begins Shake Rattle And Roll . The group follows him, but already the majority of the spectators are heading toward the exit. Bilzen '77 ends in an anticlimax...

Not surprising, mind you, with all this water!

Alex Harvey © jazzbilzen Bilzen 77 - the end © Coerten

IN BULK

• The various press organs headlined: " Bilzen Festival 1977 - Rain, rain, but unique!" "Punk, plastic, and umbrella." " Jazz Bilzen had everything except exceptional moments." The Melody Maker even headlined: "Festival of Mudstock ."

• After the '76 edition, Het Belang van Limburg conducted a survey among spectators to determine the various reasons the public comes to the festival: Responses: 45%: for the music - 35%: for the atmosphere and/or the pilgrimage - 10%: out of curiosity or to live the experience once in their life - 7%: no opinion.

• Estimated number of spectators for the 4 days: 25,000

Produced and laid out by: Jean Jième with the collaboration of Jazz Bilzen and Bilisium Excerpts from the book Jazz Bilzen translated by Emeric Rezsöhazy

Jazz Bilzen Book 1965-1981 Jazz Bilzen Book 1965-1981 1965-1981 (420 pages)

The book on Jazz Bilzen is currently still for sale at the Tourism service of the city of Bilzen in Alden Biesen , at the Town Hall on the Market Square in Bilzen and at the De Kimpel cultural center, Eikenlaan 25 in Bilzen . The selling price is 39.50 euros. The book can also be sent.

Account number 001-4574210-57 IBAN: BE 09 00145742 1057 T. 089 51 95 33 - 0478 57 21 10 - jeanpierre.poesen@bilzen.be

LES GRANDS FESTIVALS POP EN BELGIQUE

JAZZ-BILZEN FESTIVAL

11-12-13-14 AOÛT 1977

TREIZIÈME ÉDITION

Lors de la tumultueuse (une fois encore) assemblée générale qui se déroula le 17/12/76, Theo Boelen fut élu Président de l'asbl Jazz Bilzen . De ce fait, il hérita de la délicate mission de superviser l'organisation de la treizième édition du plus ancien festival de rock belge. Un record sur le plan européen !

Mais tout ne se déroula pas aussi facilement qu'escompté. En effet, le quorum des 2/3 n'étant pas atteint, il fallu, en urgence, téléphoner à plusieurs membres et même aller en chercher certains chez eux pour les amener à la table des votants. Ce soir-là, les choses durèrent jusque 22 heures.

A cette occasion, Boelen en profita pour mettre l'accent sur la fonction réelle de membres-collaborateurs et décréta que s'ils voulaient le rester, chacun devrait y mettre du sien tout au long de l'année et pas seulement lors des trois ou quatre journées consacrées au festival.

La première mesure administrative prise par le nouveau Président fut de revoir en profondeur le fonctionnement de l'asbl qui, à ce moment-là, comptait cinquante-huit membres.

Theo Boelen : « En examinant la liste des présences des réunions précédentes, je constate que ce sont toujours les mêmes qui bossent ».

Il annonça donc que tout absent, sans excuse valable, lors de la prochaine assemblée générale, serait automatiquement « démissionné ».

Sur le plan de l'organisation artistique, l'assemblée décida de revoir sa copie à propos de la compétition des groupes amateurs. Désormais une présélection sera orchestrée à partir de la Belgique , de l' Allemagne et des Pays-Bas .

Quant au nombre de groupes professionnels à se produire sur le grand podium, il fut fixé à maximum huit par jours. Et finalement, le dimanche ne fut plus réservé exclusivement au jazz, mais plutôt à un mélange des genres.

« Les notions d'entractes, de rock ou de jazz ne sont désormais plus de mise. Nous allons apporter aux festivaliers une musique universelle. Donnons un coup de jeune à Bilzen en gommant son côté un peu trop traditionnel ».

LA CONSTITUTION DU PLATEAU …

« Cette année nous n'aurons toujours pas les Rolling Stones , ni Bob Dylan , ni Elvis Presley sur le podium. Quant à Led Zeppelin ou aux Who , ils sont bookés ailleurs. Mais leur présence est-elle vraiment indispensable ? Les vrais amateurs de bonne musique savent que notre programme sera à la hauteur de leurs espérances. »

L'ÉPOQUE PUNKS

Theo Boelen : « Pour la fête annuelle des membres de Jazz Bilzen , inutile de trop fouiller dans votre garde-robe. Une simple tenue de ville suffira, agrémentée, si possible, de l'un ou l'autre accessoire tel qu'un collier de chien, une épingle à sûreté à travers la lèvre ou le lobe de l'oreille. Comme Bilzen 77 sera en partie axé sur le mouvement punk, leurs crêtes de coq ou leurs accessoires ne risquent plus de choquer grand monde ».

Pour Info :

Pour couvrir l'événement, Theo Boelen tenta d'intéresser la BRT3 via son émission « Jazz magazine » mais sans succès. La 13 ème édition démarra avec un avoir en caisse de 3.977.183 francs belges (cent mille euros), somme résultant des bénéfices des deux années précédents et d'un emprunt de 650.000 francs.

AIE, LES PUNKS !

Grosse frayeur jeudi dans la population bourgeoise de Bilzen en voyant débarquer des dizaines d'hurluberlus équipés de clous, de chaînes, de colliers pour chien et d'épingles de nourrice.

En effet, c'est à la dernière minute que furent annoncées pour le jeudi les prestations d' Elvis Costello , de Damned et de the Clash .

À part les conditions atmosphériques assez caractéristiques de l'année, on ne peut pas dire que le festival de Bilzen ait été, en 1977, très représentatif de son époque.

Sur plus de trente groupes à défiler sur le podium, quatre seulement étaient plus ou moins new wave : Graham Parker , Elvis Costello , Damned et Clash .

Deux d'entre eux, les plus énergiques, se sont fait chahuter par une partie du public qui se croyait encore en 1969 (et à Woodstock probablement).

Ceux qui eurent le plus de succès furent des valeurs établies comme Thin Lizzy ou Uriah Heep , si pas des ancêtres revenant, comme les Small Faces .

Pourtant s'il n'y avait pas eu cet esprit passéiste et le sale temps c'aurait pu être un très bon festival. Pensez donc quatre jours cette fois, et il y avait des progrès d'organisation à mettre au crédit du comité...

Mais n'anticipons pas...

JEUDI 11 AOÛT

COMPTE RENDU DE PIERO KENROLL (Articles parus dans Télémoustique N° 2692-2693-2694)

14 Hr : CONCOURS GROUPES AMATEURS • Vainqueur du concours des groupes amateurs : TRAIN

Johan Verminnen , Roland , Big Bill • Elvis Costello • The Damned • The Clash

DES AMÉLIORATIONS DE TAILLE

Cette journée débuta sous un ciel sombre avec neuf excellents groupes d'amateurs. Même le magazine Humo ne fut pas avare de compliments.

Cette année : grande amélioration dans l'organisation de la finale du concours de groupes amateurs. Grâce à un système de présélection, de collaboration avec le festival de Geleen et d'éliminatoires durant les semaines précédentes, les neuf groupes qu'on a vus défiler l'après-midi sur un grand podium (jusqu'à l'année passée, le concours amateur se faisait en ville sur un petit podium indépendant, et l'accès était gratuit pour le public) étaient tous convenables à défaut d'être originaux ou particulièrement enthousiasmants pour une raison ou l'autre.

Sachez que c'est Train , un groupe allemand jazz-rock, qui a gagné, que Frisbee , un groupe hard de Roulers a eu le prix du public, et que Cataract , encore du jazz-rock allemand, a reçu celui de la presse. Ces prix se résument à quelques long-playings et il est probable que l'on n'entendra plus jamais parler d'eux. Ils ont donc bien du mérite de s'être, donné tant de mal pour si peu.

Le seul capable d'aller un peu plus loin, à mon avis, n'a rien gagné du tout. C'est encore un groupe allemand baptisé Phoenix , aux compositions très riches mélodiquement.

Une autre amélioration de taille : la scène a été agrandie et divisée en deux, ce qui permet à un groupe d'installer son matériel pendant que l'autre joue, et réduit considérablement les « vides » entre le passage des groupes. Il aura fallu treize éditions de « Bilzen » pour en arriver, enfin, à cette solution qui est celle du bon sens (l'idéal serait cependant une triple scène pour parer à un éventuel imprévu).

Ensuite la All Flemisch Session vit défiler Johan Verminnen , Big Bill et Jean Blaute , qui ne remportèrent qu'un succès d'estime.

PUNK POWER IN "MUDSTOCK" allusion à Woodstock et à mud (boue)

Des rivières de boue... partout © jazzbilzen

ELVIS COSTELLO

Le plus étonnant est sans doute le relativement petit nombre de « punks » dans le public, alors que le programme du jour était essentiellement new wave et surtout la présence d'un grand nombre de « hippies » (ou « lourds » ou « Woodstock », appelez-les comme vous le voudrez) qui, manifestement, avaient un fort préjugé anti-punk.

Le seul artiste new wave dont le passage se fit quasiment sans problème fut ELVIS COSTELLO , qui, s'il détient quelques bonnes chansons dans son répertoire, ressemble un peu trop à Graham Parker , autant musicalement que par son manque de présence en scène que pour impressionner vraiment.

ELVIS COSTELLO , personnage énigmatique, nous est connu par deux simples que l'on retrouve dans son tout récent premier album, une des perles vinyliques du moment. Son groupe s'appelle THE ATTRACTIONS et se compose de Steve Manson aux claviers, Pete Thomas à la batterie, Bruce Thomas à la basse et, of course, de Elvis à la guitare et au chant.

On ne peut s'empêcher de le comparer à Graham Parker ou à Van Morrison .

Elvis Costello : « Ces histoires d'influences sont irritantes : les gens essaient toujours de vous comparer à quelqu'un d'autre. J'apprécie la comparaison avec Graham Parker : je crois qu'il est la seule personne à faire quelque chose qui se rapproche de ce que je fais. »

THE DAMNED Dave Vanian , chanteur des Dawned © jazzbilzen

Lors de la montée sur scène de Damned , une partie du public devint hystérique. Sur le podium, le chanteur Dave Vanian clama dès son entrée : « this is Bilzen , not Belsen-Belsen » en faisant allusion au camp de concentration nazi de Bergen-Belsen en voyant les vigiles de la sécurité déambuler avec leurs chiens et la présence de barbelés au dessus de la clôture séparant la scène du public.

« Allez-y, continuez ! Vous ne pourrez pas m'atteindre ».

DAMNED et CLASH furent les seuls groupes victimes de problèmes de distorsion, alors que tout s'était bien passé avant eux.

Eh oui, ils se sont faits copieusement huer et, ma foi, il faut dire que ce qui sortait des baffles au moment, de leur passage n'était pas de la meilleure qualité.

Tout proviendrait, paraît-il de ce que le technicien du festival, chargé de régler l'amplification générale, était un de ces « vieux hippies-à-cheveux-longs » qui refusait obstinément de baisser le volume.

Tout le long de leur prestation, des boites de bière et de cola volèrent en direction de la scène, la plupart ne l'atteignant pas d'ailleurs, mais blessant des gens aux premiers rangs.

Il en faut toutefois plus que ça pour faire peur aux musiciens de ces groupes. Dave Vanian , le chanteur des DAMNED alla même jusqu'à se moquer des lanceurs en disant : « Allez-y, continuez ! Vous ne pourrez pas m'atteindre ».

Dave Vanian est le chanteur, image noire, grande cape, rappelle Dracula , le visage très blanc ; sa manière de se mouvoir sur scène est absolument unique, plutôt fascinant.

Dave Vanian et Captain Sensible © Coerten

Le guitariste, Brian James , qui vécut et fit partie de quelques éphémères groupes en Belgique , est plus calme sur scène et, vu son physique — genre Keith —, est sans doute le seul membre du groupe qui ne pourrait pas faire croire qu'il est une quelconque réincarnation démoniaque ou le fruit de je ne sais quelle idylle extra-terrestre... son jeu de guitare est incisif, rapide, puissant, tout ce qu'il faut, quoi !

CLASH Clash © jazzbilzen

Clash est constitué de Joe Strummer à la guitare et au chant, de Paul Simonon à la basse, de Micky Jones à la guitare et de Topper Headon à la batterie. Leurs prestations scéniques sont toujours des plus mouvementées. Le répertoire du groupe se compose de courts morceaux interprétés à la suite les uns des autres à un rythme effréné.

Après la musique tonitruante et le show provocateur de Damned , The Clash eut la dure tâche de faire mieux encore.

Tandis que les spectateurs des premiers rangs recevaient des masses de cannettes sur la tête, Joe Strummer sauta de la scène pour essayer de déraciner un piquet de la clôture. Mais le chef de la sécurité, Frank Gall et son compère Philippe Plusquin , robuste militaire de profession, le renvoyèrent sur scène où il alla se fracasser le nez contre un pied de micro. Il termina cependant sa prestation avant d'aller se faire soigner à l'hôpital de Bilzen .

Le succès ne fut pas au rendez-vous.

VENDREDI 12 AOÛT 14 Hr : FESTIVAL POP ( Dell )

• Ted Easton Jazz Band • Albion Dance Band • Ted Nugent • Graham Parker & The Rumour • Uriah Heep • Colosseum II

PLUIE ET GADOUE S'INVITENT AU PROGRAMME Le déluge © Coerten

La grande vedette du vendredi, cette année, aura été la pluie. Il y avait longtemps que ce n'était plus arrivé à Bilzen . Il faut remonter à 1971 sur l'ancien site du festival). Mais, cette fois, ce fut un véritable déluge.

Le van d' Organ Contest ne peut accéder à l'arrière du podium. Lou Bennett , en costume blanc, doit faire appel aux membres de l'organisation du festival pour amener son matériel par jeep © jeanschoubs

De 11 à 23 heures, il n'arrêta pas un instant de pleuvoir. La plaine se transformant bientôt en un immense bourbier. Ce qui devait avoir pour effet de retarder considérablement le passage des groupes. Les camions de matériel s'enlisaient les uns après les autres dans l'exigu chemin d'accès menant à la scène.

C'est avec Ted Easton , que les trombes d'eau avaient commencé à s'abattre sur le site. Heureusement pour les organisateurs, la prévente avait bien fonctionné, ce qui fait que ce n'est pas moins de six mille courageux spectateurs, drapés dans leurs imperméables, sacs en plastique ou à l'abri sommaire d'un parapluie qui restèrent, stoïques, jusqu'à la nuit à attendre le solo de batterie de Jon Hiseman .

TED NUGENT

À part OM et TED EASTON JAZZ BAND , groupes de jazz très traditionnels, il faut signaler aussi une "agréable" (ah ! s'il avait fait beau !) prestation de l' ALBION DANCE BAND . Ensemble folk-rock anglais dans la lignée de Lindisfarne , à la musique jolie, plaisante et variée. À revoir dans de meilleures conditions.

Quant à TED NUGENT , plus bruyant que jamais, il a peut-être définitivement tourné en ridicule la loi sur la limitation sonore à 90 décibels.

Si ce type peut se produire sans que la police intervienne (et elle est nombreuse dans un rayon de dix kilomètres autour du festival, rayon dans lequel on doit entendre Ted sans problème) il doit y avoir là un argument de poids pour quiconque aurait dorénavant des démêlés avec la loi.

Ou alors la justice n'est pas la même pour tout le monde. Pas de grande différence avec sa prestation à Bruxelles en tout cas.

GRAHAM PARKER AND THE RUMOUR

L'atmosphère du festival se ressentit évidemment de ces conditions climatiques infectes. Comment apprécier un bon groupe alors qu'on est trempé jusqu'aux os et couvert de boue ?

Mais cela ne devait pourtant pas empêcher le nombre de spectateurs de s'accroître sensiblement dans la soirée.

GRAHAM PARKER et en début de nuit COLOSSEUM suscitèrent pourtant quelques réactions favorables. Le premier accompagné non seulement par THE RUMOUR , mais aussi pour l'occasion par une section de quatre musiciens aux cuivres, se montra beaucoup plus dynamique que lors de son passage à Bruxelles . Mais sa musique continue à manquer de relief.

COLOSSEUM

Quant à COLOSSEUM qui en est, je crois, à son troisième remplacement à Bilzen (il n'est jamais au programme du premier coup, mais on fait appel à lui in extremis pour remplacer quelqu'un qui ne vient pas), il enchante les amateurs de technique, avec l' inévitable et impressionnant solo de batterie de Jon Hiseman , toujours assuré d'acclamations.

URIAH HEEP

Le seul groupe qui réussit finalement à faire oublier le sale temps fut ... URIAH HEEP .

Eh oui, ces « dinosaures du rock » mirent toute leur expérience de vétérans dans la balance pour démontrer que le professionnalisme sert parfois à quelque chose.

Utilisant sans complexes les recettes du show les plus éculées, mais les plus efficaces, ils réussirent même à faire chanter le public par deux fois, ne s'éloignant pas, pour le reste, du répertoire qu'ils présentèrent à Bruxelles il y a quelques semaines.

Chapeau !

SAMEDI 13 AOÛT 14 Hr : FESTIVAL POP ( Dell )

• Stella Marrs and Tony Scott • Blue • Organ Contest ( Lou Bennett , Mike Carr and Art Taylor ) • Stanley Clarke Band • Ian Gillan Band • Aerosmith • The Small Faces

Heureusement, le samedi, il n'a pas plu. La boue de la veille était toujours là, mais enfin, avoir la tête au sec remontait déjà le moral de tout le monde. Seuls quelques membres de l'organisation étaient quelque peu réticents à se réjouir.

Pensez donc : en plus des problèmes de camions de matériel embourbés, ils venaient d'apprendre que la seule chose concernant le festival que la BRT avait trouvée à dire était qu'il y avait eu la veille de violentes bagarres et plusieurs arrestations.

Or s'il y a effectivement eu une bagarre, ce n'était pas au festival, mais au village même, où des bandes de « Hell's Angels » (il y en aurait quelques-unes en Flandre et en Hollande ) s'étaient donné rendez-vous pour se taper dessus.

Ce n'est pas la première fois que cela arrive à Bilzen .

Alors que sur le site du festival il n'y a pas de boissons alcoolisées, dans le village, les cafés sont ouverts vingt-quatre heures sur vingt-quatre et il y a des gens qui ne viennent à Bilzen que pour s'offrir une « biture » monstre.

On en trouve parfois cuvant leur bière au milieu des trottoirs, ou endormis dans leur vomissure. Cela n'a pas l'air d'être considéré comme « grave » par les forces de l'ordre. Par contre, ceux qui ont le malheur d'être pris en train de fumer un « joint » s'exposent aux pires ennuis... C'est ça la société de consommation

C'est ça la justice...

STELLA MARS AND TONY SCOTT • BLUE

Stella Marrs et Tony Scott © jeanschoubs

Comme la veille, ce furent les groupes « jazz » qui commencèrent l'après-midi avec, pour commencer, STELLA MARRS (au sax) et TONY SCOTT (à la clarinette). Tous les deux accompagnés par le trio belge de Roger Van Haverbeke , qui les ont ramenés des USA .

Ensuite, BLUE , un solide petit groupe britannique de quatre musiciens pratiquant un style très mélodieux voisin d' America . Plaisant et efficace, mais rien d'exceptionnel.

ORGAN CONTEST

Ensuite ORGAN CONTEST monte sur le podium. On va assister à un duel entre deux « monstres » de l'orgue. LOU BENNETT et MIKE CARR , soutenus à la batterie par ART TAYLOR , un autre grand nom du jazz.

STANLEY CLARKE BAND

Le passage de STANLEY CLARKE , bassiste virtuose, aussi à l'aise aux côtés de Chick Coréa que de Jeff Beck , servira on ne peut mieux de transition entre les genres.

Sa prestation servit de trait d'union entre le jazz et le rock en démontrant qu'il n'a pas volé sa réputation de meilleur bassiste actuel par une brillante démonstration technique.

IAN GILLAN BAND

Et s'il est plus jazz que rock, le IAN GILLAN BAND qui venait ensuite était lui plus rock que jazz sans renier ce dernier toutefois.

Malheureusement IAN GILLAN lui-même n'est plus qu'une caricature de la star qu'il a été.

Incroyablement lourdaud sur scène, et pathétique dans ses poses de prima donna, il devait décevoir quasiment tout le monde.

Même s'il essaya de sauver les meubles avec des versions de Child In Time et Smoke On The Water rappelant le temps où il était chanteur de Deep Purple .

Hélas pour lui, ce temps-là est révolu.

Il n'a pas compris que seul l'humour peut contrebalancer la nostalgie.

AEROSMITH

AEROSMITH non plus. Mais je crois que le problème avec ce groupe-là, c'est qu'il s'imagine encore être actuel. Or sa prestation se révéla tout au plus une mauvaise caricature d' Heavy-Metal .

La musique du groupe est un hard-rock monotone qui apparaît sur scène considérablement plus laborieux que sur ses disques, avec des musiciens d'une banalité affligeante.

On se serait demandé si c'était bien là le vrai AEROSMITH dont certains font tout un foin, s'il n'y avait Steve Tyler , le chanteur qui (et c'est le seul atout du groupe) a effectivement « une gueule ». Un conseil : vous pouvez vous contenter de sa photo, car une fois que vous avez vu les trois poses différentes que comprend son jeu de scène, vous avez tout vu.

Des groupes comme ça, il y en a des milliers.

Pour la petite histoire, l'ouvrage consacré à l'histoire des festivals de Bilzen , nous apprend que : leur manager avait initialement exigé un cachet de 32.000 $ qui, après multes palabres, fut ramené à 20.000.

Aerosmith © Coerten

À ses dires, le groupe rentra à peine dans ses frais. Cela dit, celui-ci voulait à tout prix « faire » Bilzen .

Peu de spectateurs furent vraiment impressionnés par Aerosmith , si ce n'est les responsables du podium qui virent arriver trois camions bourrés de matériel. Il n'y avait déjà plus de place sur la scène après que le premier fut déchargé.

THE SMALL FACES

Steve Mariott et Kenny Jones - Small Faces © jazzbilzen

Par contre, l'humour peut contrebalancer la nostalgie. Les SMALL FACES l'ont bien compris. Eux, au moins, ils admettent qu'ils appartiennent au passé ( Steve Marriott : « Faites gaffe, les punks, je suis le modèle original » ) et jouent le jeu à fond.

Ils s'amusent à ressusciter leurs « hits » d'il y a dix ans comme des gosses qui retrouveraient soudain un vieux jouet passionnant. Et ils amusent tout le monde.

Sans blague, après trois jours de festival, ils furent les premiers à faire l'unanimité et plutôt que de me lancer dans une énumération de superlatifs concernant les qualités vocales et scéniques de Mariott en particulier, je n'ai qu'un souhait à émettre : qu'ils nous reviennent rapidement dans une bonne salle.

Small Faces © Coerten

DIMANCHE 14 AOÛT 14 Hr : FESTIVAL POP ( Dell )

• Yvan Guilini • Horslips • John Miles • Thin Lizzy • Crazy Cat • Sensational Alex Harvey Band

Dimanche à Bilzen © Coerten

HORSLIPS

Horslips Bilzen 1977 Horslips © Coerten

Le dimanche, les deux groupes de jazz qui devaient ouvrir l'après-midi déclarent forfait pour d'obscures raisons techniques et de disparition de batteur.

Vers 13 h 30, on a la surprise de voir THIN LIZZY monter sur scène pour faire une balance et répéter trois morceaux. C'est la première fois, à ma connaissance, qu'un groupe vient faire cela sans complexe alors que le public est déjà admis sur le terrain.

Mais la suite des événements allait prouver que la conscience professionnelle paie.

C'est finalement les HORSLIPS qui commencent la journée assez tard. Ce groupe irlandais, vêtu d'un uniforme composé de vestes de cuir noir et de jeans, semble réunir de multiples influences : ésotérisme, folklore et rock. On n'est pas loin de Gryphon ou de l'ex- Incredible String Band , mais ce ne sont que les jigs du violoniste qui feront réagir le public.

JOHN MILES

JOHN MILES suit et impressionne tout le monde. Très sûr de lui, le frêle guitariste blond aux cheveux courts qui ne bougeait pas beaucoup sur scène lors de son premier passage chez nous, est devenu un solide "performer" dont les capacités vocales vont captiver le public.

Souriant, détendu, mobile, il aligne les compositions de ses deux albums comme autant de preuves qu'il faut compter avec lui et est chaudement rappelé.

Il achève avec une éblouissante version de Roll Over Beethoven , et à ce moment-là, il semble qu'après les Small Faces , il soit le meilleur moment du festival.

THIN LIZZY

Thin Lizzy © Coerten

Avec les trois groupes qui vont se succéder, s'abat sur le public un véritable déluge de rifts électriques. Tout d'abord avec THIN LIZZY et son bassiste/chanteur, Phil Lynott , assisté de Brian Robertson à la guitare.

Phil Lynnott , ce grand Irlandais basané qui fait se pâmer toutes les filles dès qu'il les regarde dans le blanc des yeux. Avec ses acolythes, il va véritablement faire un malheur.

Et c'est bien normal : ses musiciens sont bons et cohérents. Leurs compositions accrochent, la voix est chaude, les rocks balancent.

Les slows sont pleins de feeling, et ce type a un magnétisme fou.

C'est l'allégresse, certains se roulent de plaisir dans la boue, un type porté à bout de bras dans une baignoire apparaît soudain au-dessus des têtes de la foule...

Pas d'erreur, on s'amuse ! Il y a deux rappels, mais on en voudrait encore, et les imbéciles de service commencent à lancer des boites sur scène.

Dans une foule de dix mille personnes, il y a toujours un certain pourcentage de cons, c'est fatal.

KRAZY KAT

Krazy Kat © Coerten

La tâche ingrate de passer entre THIN LIZZY et le band d' ALEX HARVEY échoit à KRAZY KAT , les malheureux ex- Capability Brown , qui remplacent Pat Travers n'en ont sûrement pas demandé autant.

Disons qu'ils s'en tireront sains et saufs. On ne les a pas assassinés. Ils étaient tellement anodins que la plupart auront cru que c'était des disques qui passaient pendant que quelques roadies astiquaient des guitares.

Z'ont même joué « du Beatles » : très original, comme vous voyez.

Krazy Kats Belgium 77 Graham White et Tony Ferguson © jeanschoubs

SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND

Alex Harvey Bilzen 77 Sensational Alex Harvey Band © Coerten

Avec l'arrivée sur scène d' ALEX HARVEY en grand uniforme de capitaine du S.A.H.B. , on se dit que décidément c'est la meilleure journée du festival et qu'on va sûrement prendre son pied encore une fois. C'est l'inévitable Faith Healer , mais Alex n'a pas l'air d'être dans son assiette, il traîne pour passer au morceau suivant.

Il joue de la guitare maintenant, et il n'a pas l'air à l'aise avec cet instrument. Il présente pas mal de nouvelles compositions dont une assez longue King Kong n'est pas très convaincante à première écoute.

Puis il annonce : The Hoochi-Cootcha ! ou quelque chose comme ça et essaie de faire répéter le public, mais celui-ci ne suit pas. Ça devient pénible. Vient alors un trio de danseurs. Deux danseuses et un danseur pour être précis. Comme à Londres , ces gens ont le dos nu, mais là, il y avait trois danseuses, un point, c'est tout, ce qui était mieux à mon avis (on est phallocrate ou on ne l'est pas).

Après un certain temps, les voilà qui lancent des bananes au public. Certains n'apprécient que modérément cette charmante attention et renvoient les bananes aussi sec (enfin façon de parler, car il faisait toujours humide). Quelques huées se font entendre. Heureusement Alex entame son numéro de Framed qui fait toujours son petit effet. Il a laissé tomber la parodie d' Hitler et il redresse un peu la situation. Il termine sans conviction avec Delilah .

Le rappel est maigre. Alex revient d'abord seul et entame Shake Rattle And Roll . Le groupe le suit, mais déjà la plus grande partie des spectateurs se dirigent vers la sortie. Bilzen '77 se termine en queue de poisson...

Pas étonnant, notez, avec toute cette flotte !

Alex Harvey © jazzbilzen Bilzen 77 - the end © Coerten

EN VRAC

• Les différents organes de presse titrèrent : " Festival de Bilzen 1977 - Pluie, pluie, mais unique !" " Punk, plastique et parapluie". " Jazz Bilzen a tout eu sauf des moments d'exception". Le Melody Maker titra même : "Festival de Mudstock ".

• Après l'édition 76, Het Belang van Limburg a fait une enquête auprès des spectateurs afin de déterminer les diverses raisons du public à venir au festival : Réponses : 45% : pour la musique - 35% : pour l'ambiance et/ou le pèlerinage - 10% : par curiosité ou pour vivre l'expérience une fois dans sa vie - 7% : sans opinion

• Estimation du nombre de spectateurs pour les 4 jours : 25. 000

Réalisation et mise en page : Jean Jième avec la collaboration de Jazz Bilzen et Bilisium Extraits du livre Jazz Bilzen traduits par Emeric Rezsöhazy

Jazz Bilzen Book 1965-1981 Jazz Bilzen Book 1965-1981 1965- 1981 (420 bladzijden)

Le livre sur Jazz Bilzen est actuellement encore en vente auprès du service Tourisme de la ville de Bilzen à Alden Biesen , à l'Hôtel de Ville sur la Place du Marché à Bilzen et au centre culturel De Kimpel , Eikenlaan 25 à Bilzen . Le prix de vente est de 39,50 euros. Le livre peut également être envoyé.

Compte bancaire 001-4574210-57 IBAN: BE 09 00145742 1057 T. 089 51 95 33 - 0478 57 21 10 - jeanpierre.poesen@bilzen.be