COALESCAREMONIUM

Le Bouche à Oreille is a converted monastery in the heart of Etterbeek, Brussels. I suppose it is commonly used for high society events for European officials and associates*. But once a year the place is a gathering of dark people. And what kind of people... Everyone is magnificently dressed in lavish costumes, lots of feathers, masks, make-up and all possible attributes to look as original as possible. Shall we have a nice evening beyond our means? Because that's what Coalescaremonium offers us. A super-luxurious location with plenty of fantastic activities, a beautifully dressed-up public and numerous magnificent whims.

We are walking in when the burlesque show of Candy Coated Circus is underway. The concert room is properly packed and the atmosphere is great. The ladies come on stage one by one, draped in beautiful gowns and corsets, and end... well, we leave that to your imagination. The acting is sometimes clumsy, but the audience loves it, as we can hear by the many whistles and numerous whoehoes that echo from the crowd.

After a wonderful introduction by the Coalescaremonium team - they are so beautifully dressed in red and black feathers - it's time for the first performance: Herrschaft. We knew in advance that this was going to be loud. And so it was. We are overwhelmed by the sound from the first notes. The four Frenchmen play electro metal, and you can guess what that means: rattling beats, noisy guitars and screaming vocals. The band was not really dressed for the occasion - the guitarist even dared to play in blue jeans - but this is a detail we can easily forgive.

Schwarzblut, on the contrary, is very careful about its appearance. The intro with a gothic belly dancer is only a beginning. Once the band members appears on stage - in their fabulous costumes and with background images by VJ Sturm - everything goes full speed. No, not just beats, but a variety of quiet, orchestral and merciless hard pieces. We were already fans after we heard their latest CD - Gebeyn aller Verdammten - but now we are completely sold. These Dutchmen are excellent and deserve your attention!

And what else... Actually too much to mention. In addition to the concert hall, there is a dance hall where DJs vary every hour to play all possible styles of black music styles. There is a duel between the fashion designers Oh, Marisha and Cadavre Exquis. There is a hall with exhibited paintings and photographs, and film screenings, including one of the Japanese Visual Key gods Malice Mizer. A market with jewelry and CDs. A night beyond our means? Not really. But it was an intense delight.

* Well, not really. Our reporter was too fast again. Le Bouche à Oreille seems to be used mainly for salsa-lessons, (same sex) marriages, blues concerts and teambuilding excercises.

Pictures by Xavier Marquis: People, Opening Ceremony, Candy Coated Circus, More Candy Coated Circus, Herrschaft, Schwarzblut, Fashion Show, DJ Alchemy

Read the interview with Schwarzblut

Read the interview with the organizers of Coalescaremonium

Xavier KRUTH
14/04/2015