This concert belongs to the timeless ◄◄ REWIND series created by AB in 2007. Central to this series are Belgian artists who play their classic in its entirety. Call it a milestone in their career or, even more so, a key album in Belgium’s history of pop music. These are often – but not always - albums that are etched into collective memory. Each pièce de résistance is played in its entirety, in the exact order that the artist wanted to tell their tale at the time (or still does).

YEVGUENI CELEBRATES25 YEARS
On 9 February 2000, Klaas Delrue, Geert Noppe and Maarten Van Mieghem won the Interfaculty Song Contest at KU Leuven. Then still known as Evguenie Sokolov, after the slightly hilarious instrumental song of the same name by Serge Gainsbourg. First prize was a support act spot at Student Welcome on the Oude Markt. They all looked at each other and thought the same thing: “Here we go!”
The sequel is nothing less than a boyhood dream that has lasted for a quarter century. On their CV: seven studio albums. Three gold. Around 100,000 copies sold. Four MIA nominations. One Flemish Culture Prize for Music. 750 concerts. And too many singles for a ‘Best Of’-album.
To celebrate a quarter century of Yevgueni, you are offered a diptych. It will be an evening no Yevgueni fan should miss.
 8:00 pm: ◄◄ REWIND: Yevgueni plays ‘Kannibaal’ (2005)
Kannibaal, Yevgueni’s debut album, can now blow out 20 candles. With quite some pride even, as the album breathed new life into the cabaret genre twenty years ago. In no small way either! Think: songs like the fragile Robbie or Eenzaam Met Jou (Will Tura, but then the other way around), the Suzanne Vega-derived and unbelievably beautifully arranged In Deze Stad (In Liverpool), that has since also been approved of by Vega herself. And think: Sara, one of the live classics right up to this day. And of course there’s Als Ze Lacht – now having had around eight million streams, and a spot in the Top 15 of the famous Lage Landenlijst and a 21st spot in the Belpop 100 of Radio 1.
At the time, Kannibaal – an album that nestled itself in the album charts for 24 weeks – was lavishly bestowed with extra arrangements by Andrew Powell, was recorded at Abbey Road and was performed by the not unnoteworthy London Chamber Orchestra. The production was provided by Wouter Van Belle, a name that has popped up many times in this ◄◄ REWIND series.
The reviews at the time weren’t lying. De Standaard: “Anyone who takes an honest listen to Kannibaal can only bow down to these compelling songs and the excellent production, and be happy that this sort of enthusiastic, well-developed pop is possible”. De Morgen: “It’s been a long time since a Dutch-language band has so entranced us”. Indeed!

9:00 pm:
YEVGUENI: BEST OF
Because celebrating a quarter century of Yevgueni can never be elaborate enough, the band also smacks a true ‘Best Of’ into the mix. Klaas Delrue: “It is definitely possible that the encores with ‘the best of the rest’ take just as long as the album Kannibaal and it might also be that a number of colleagues want to come and celebrate on stage with us.” Duly noted!
And because we’re suckers for details: 9 February 2025 is the very exact same day that Yevgueni first performed and won the Interfaculty Song Contest at KU Leuven 25 years ago. Coincidence? That doesn’t exist.