This is a Covid Safe Ticket concert! What do you need?

Calling Thurston Moore an (underground) icon is a major understatement. What’s more, his work ethic parallels that of that other icon – Nick Cave – who conscientiously clocks on six days out of seven, from 9am to 6pm. Moore even opened a pop-up record store in London during the lockdown, named Ecstatic Peace Library after the publishing company of the same name, that he runs with his life partner Eva Prinz. He released an ode to the French chansonnier Boris Vian and worked with Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream) on the ultimate tribute to The Velvet Underground, ‘I’ll Be Your Mirror’. With ‘By The Fire’, this ex-Sonic Youth-er has just released his 7th “rather regular” album.

Only: due to Covid, Thurston Moore was never able to perform this album live. All of a sudden, that is about to change. Rightly so too, as the album was received with excellent reviews. Mojo: “The result isn't just his best album post-Sonic Youth, but some of the best music he's ever released.” Line Of Best Fit also endorsed this: “This is some of the most remarkable music he’s ever been involved in.”

Moore is surrounded by excellent people: My Bloody Valentine bassist Debbie Googe, guitarist James Sedwards, and drummer Jem Doulton (Róisin Murphy). And those excellent people are you too. Because this evening will actually be recorded with a view to later releasing a live album.

FARIDA AMADOU (BE, solo)

Farida Amadou is a self taught bass player based in Liège, Belgium. The electric bass is her main instrument since 2011. In 2013, she has started to play a lot of different musical genres, including blues, jazz and hip-hop. The same year, she had a big interest on improvised music when she met L’Oeil Kollectif members and started to play with percusionnist/ drummer Tom Malmendier. Nystagmus duo was born in late 2014. Since 2014, she has performed with many musicians all over Europe: Linda Sharrock, Mario Rechtern, Balasz Pandi, Karl H. Bjora, Jasper Stadhouders, Onno Govaert, Eve Risser, Morgane Carnet, Philippe Lemoine, Timothée Quost, Julien Desprez, Olivier Benoit, Anil Eraslan, Mette Rasmussen, Basile Naudet, Chris Pitsiokos, Alex Ward, Thurston Moore, Steve Noble, Floris Vanhoof, Peter Brötzman, etc.

Concert pictures © Carlo Verfaille