Giant Rooks Concert Review: How Have You Been? European Tour and New Album Release

© CPU – Nathan Dobbelaere (archive)

After their small tour of conquest at Pukkelpop last summer, Giant Rooks were back in our country yesterday. The quintet from the German town of Hamm has been on the road since the beginning of the month and is crossing Europe to release their new album How Have You Been? to propose. Especially since the band found a following on TikTok, Giant Rooks’ star has shined and sparkled like never before and sold-out venues are a logical consequence. Fortunately, the five do not let themselves be fooled by their success and remain close to their audience. In Brussels they concluded the first part of their extensive tour with an entertaining concert in a sold-out Ancienne Belgique Box where the focus on new and old material was well divided.

Austria is not immediately known as a musical export country, although Sharktank could perhaps change that. The trio from the capital Vienna may have already released two albums, but yesterday they radiated a certain urgency as the support act for Giant Rooks. Two inflatable figures colored the stage, while Sharktank did the same with their music. Their split between indie and hip-hop sounded like a funky fusion of blackwave. and Wolf Alice. In any case, in terms of energy it fit perfectly within Giant Rooks’ vein and, even though not every song was a direct hit, the whole thing was well put together. In any case, their latest single “Boogieman” came out well and showed a promising new direction for the band. By the way, they can make it happen at Eurosonic on Friday, so who knows, we might see them again in the near future.

They attach great importance to German punctuality, because at a quarter to nine the five crossed the smoke dressed in red light. The smoke hadn’t even subsided before Giant Rooks started playing the first notes of “For You”. As a melodramatic opener, sparks figuratively flew into the red room and that spark spread fairly easily to the audience. The timid attitude of the fans quickly gave way to enthusiasm and that was exactly what a song like “Heat Up” needed. While it was icy cold outside, it was nice and warm inside, even without a campfire. An intimate version of “Bright Lies” would certainly not have been out of place at that campfire, but even in full splendor the song did what it had to do. Front singer Fred Rabe carried the song on his shoulders, but he allowed the audience to join in during the chorus.

A new album meant a lot of new songs and the most recent single “Pink Skies” could not be left out. As a summer hit in the winter, we were already looking forward to the festival summer and the carefree atmosphere that goes with it. A generous fan from the front row was happy to give the band extra attention, literally and figuratively, and that gesture was returned with a lot of love. Fred Rabe frolicked over the audience like a butterfly during the subsequent “Bedroom Exile”, a song that, just like at Pukkelpop, stood out with its frivolous atmosphere. There was little of that frivolity in “Cold Wars”, although the mood switch worked very well. The song started very small, but eventually blossomed more and more, while the AB was enveloped in a sea of ​​lights. In other words, the other side of Giant Rooks was also there.

About four years ago Giant Rooks already played in the same building, but in the slightly smaller club hall. The production they had at the time just barely fit on stage, a ‘mistake’ that they did not make again this time. They deliberately kept the stage bare and sober with the aim of letting the music speak. A song like “What I Know Is All Quicksand” needed little show and spoke for itself. Especially in the last part of the song, the band dared to color outside the lines, culminating in an a cappella improvisation by front singer Rabe. The room became silent and that made the moment just that little bit stronger. From silent to exuberant; the step was sometimes taken very quickly and yet it did not feel like an overwhelm. Breakthrough hit “New Estate” yesterday made fans of the early days happy, but also those who only became fans later.

The band sought perfection more often than not and that is the only criticism we can give. The urge for the perfect sometimes took some of the magic out of the song and with some spontaneity a “Morning Blue” (ignoring the disco outro) could certainly have made it shine even more. Don’t get us wrong, the song got everyone excited, but it all stayed neatly within the drawn lines. “Somebody Like You” also lacked some power yesterday and perhaps fell just a little short as a whole. Then the single “Fight Club” just before did slightly better. The apotheosis of the song was quite rocking and was quite a heavy blast for an indie band like Giant Rooks. Luckily we didn’t go KO, otherwise we wouldn’t have made it to the obligatory bis round.

In the encore, fan favorite “Mia & Keira (Days To Come)” was the big absentee and yet the concert did not end in a minor key. On the contrary. “Wild Stare” sent even more euphoria through the room and was again its compelling self. Front singer Fred couldn’t resist going into the audience himself to jump along with everyone. The final straight line finally started “Watershed”. Everyone was very enthusiastic and the collective song was given extra strength with some cheerful clapping and a sitdown. The fans couldn’t get enough and Fred Rabe sang the chorus again, while his band members had already disappeared into the wings.

Giant Rooks’ performance ended on a soft note, offering a good balance between euphoria and conviviality. In recent years, as a band and, as musicians tout court, the Germans have undergone an undeniable progression that reached its peak for the time being in the Ancienne Belgique Box. The (impending) release of How Have You Been? will only increase our Belgian country’s appreciation for Giant Rooks. We very much hope that we can see them at work again next summer at a festival, because they will undoubtedly create a nice atmosphere there.

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Setlist:

Intro
For You
Heat Up
Bright Lies
Pink Skies
Bedroom Exile
Cold Wars
What I Know Is All Quicksand
New Estate
Fight Club
Morning Blue
Somebody Like You

Wild Stare
Watershed

2024-01-16 23:20:23
#Giant #Rooks #Ancienne #Belgique #Box #Duitse #grondigheid