#5 CAPTAIN's NOISELETTER
Big love to everyone who showed up at Pukkelpop to watch this fine orchestra do its thing. That gig was just the foreplay though. The real thing happens on October 17 at Ancienne Belgique.
Yo yo yo, guess who’s back? That’s right, after 8 months of glorious laziness we finally crawled back on stage. And DAMN this felt so good! Big love to everyone who showed up at Pukkelpop to watch this fine orchestra do its thing. That gig was just the foreplay though. The real thing happens on October 17 at Ancienne Belgique, where we’ll unleash Belgian Boy. That one’s already more than halfway sold out… just saying. You might wanna grab a ticket before you’re too late.
https://www.abconcerts.be/nl/agenda/captain-kaiser/
For now, welcome to newsletter #5, where we reward our loyal readers with a brand new banger.
TRACK TALK : WILLIAM
Each edition, we shine a light on one track from our new album Belgian Boy. Lyrics, memories, mistakes, and magic. Track Talk gives you the full backstage pass to how the song came to be (or almost didn’t).
2023 was a bittersweet year, our brother Maarten decided to step away from Captain Kaiser. No drama, just love, he’s still family & will always be. But the show must go on and we got lucky, Quinten joined the gang. Belgian Boy is his first CK album and he totally nailed it. Coming straight from the Emo circuit (where his band Spare Kid is killing it right now), he brought new influences to the record which are most noticeable on the Track William we think.
The track itself? It’s about the voice in my head, a destructive imaginary friend who keeps messing with my life. We wanted it to feel manic, unstable, even schizophrenic. Did we pull it off? Probably… Anyway, no teasers this time: here’s William, start to finish.
Do you also love Seeb's drum lines in this song as much as he does?
ROAD TO AB
The road to AB wasn’t smooth, but it was loud, sweaty, and totally worth it. In this series, we dive into past shows that helped define CAPTAIN KAISER. From chaotic club nights to unexpected magic, we’re digging up every riff and memory that’s bringing us to October 17.
RHYME & REASON is already two years old, but that release show still feels fresh in our memory. A sold-out Trix, an album we were (and still are) damn proud of, and a crowd that went completely mental. All the ingredients were there for a legendary night, and guess what? It was. Release shows are always unpredictable, half the songs you never played live before, and you’re basically guessing if people will love them or not. That night, fans sang along like the record had been out for months, even though it was barely a week old. It felt unreal. Add to that the fact Trix apparently had never tapped so many barrels in one evening, and you know it was special. That’s what Captain Kaiser fans do. Let’s do it all over again October 17 at AB? Challenge accepted.
BETTER THAN KISS : (Sebastiaan’s pick)
Welcome to Better Than KISS, the part of the newsletter where we yell about amazing Belgian artists you might’ve missed. One of us picks a Belgian artist he loves. No face paint, just good music. Go listen.
Pickles is a narrative band from Ghent. Dreamy, a little punky, a little strange. But above all, with a keen ear and eye for storytelling, with a playful nod to the reality we find ourselves in as human beings.
All of this is brought to life by drummer/guitarist Jonas, bassist/guitarist/backing vocals Brecht, and keyboardist/lead singer Sofie.
One of my good friends, Brecht Vissers, is part of the band. That’s how I discovered them. Their first single Rubber Boots is awesome, but the music video might be even better! Instead of humans buying horses, it’s the horses buying humans. I love this concept. Go check it out!
Alright, that’s the end of this newsletter. Hope you enjoyed the fresh tune. We’re buzzing about it ourselves, and there’s more coming very soon. Next single? Let’s just say it’s the one that’ll make us filthy rich and famous. In the meantime, we’ll be sweating in the rehearsal room so you can sweat twice as hard at AB. Bring your best voices, your worst dance moves, and let’s make that place explode.
XOXO
CK