Before we started with the main act, we were treated to a show by the band from Toulouse, BRUIT≤. This group focused heavily on ambient electronica and atmosphere in their sounds. Eerie intros and very heavy drops in their rhythm put you in a trance with their melody. In the background, you could see that their theme was about the world today and disasters such as forest fires or technology destroying our society. In short, it was melodically compelling.

What was most surprising was that it wasn’t just the basic instruments like guitar and bass, but Luc Blanchot on the cello, who made your body vibrate with his breakdowns, and Clément Libes, who switched from bass guitar to violin. Add to this the beautiful interplay with Julien Aoufi, who plays the drums like a monster, and you have a group that ensures you will never experience anything like this again in your life. It’s also something you can’t really listen to anywhere online, which makes it even more unique and shows that the band members of BRUIT ≤ are deadly serious about their messages. A once in a lifetime opportunity, in other words.

After BRUIT ≤ had already blown away a full house, Psychonaut entered the darkness with their intro, one by one, onto the stage. And then there was no escape, in the sense that it was packed. These guys have phenomenally expanded their fan base in recent years. Their setlist is largely from their latest album, where they have further mastered their own sound through distorted melodies, epic rhythms, and breakdowns that make the whole venue explode with excitement. Crowdsurfing here and there and chanting along to songs like “The Fall of Consciousness” were clearly present.

With Stefan De Graef and Thomas Michiels telling you that music is the answer to everything and expressing their gratitude to the fans for selling out the venue, it felt like a family gathering. As an outro, Anthe came on stage to show off her beautiful voice in “You Are the Sky…” and “… Everything else is just The weather.” to put the audience into a trance once more with their beautiful guitar skills and ambient feeling. With a shoutout to the crew and record label, they left the stage to well-deserved and loud applause.