Jacques Brel far from moribund and melancholic.

Jacques Brel THE Dead Belgian

Electric Palace Cinema features the Belgian star for a night soon. John Knowles reminds us of the talented Jacques Brel.

I am constantly surprised that many people ‘have never heard’ of Jacques Brel, and yet they know him by default. For Jacques Brel’s songs have been covered by a whole plethora of singers: David Bowie, Joan Baez, Leonard Cohen, Neil Diamond, Marlene Dietrich, Alex Harvey, Scott Walker, Dusty Springfield, Frank Sinatra, Nirvana, Marc Almond, to name but  a few. In short you may not know the name, but you have heard his songs. In France and Belgium, Jacques is considered to be one of the masters of chanson, that very French style of solo singing.

Jacques mixes, love, death and scathing criticism of the bourgeoisie; he weaves together melancholy and the ridiculous and he sweats, trembles and evokes throughout his performances. Jacques Brel sings of suicide and death, love and death, and heroic brave valiant death. And yet for all that Jacques is far from moribund and melancholic; his songs are even in death, full of ripe, full passion. His sex is raw and sometimes rank, he mingles fish heads with giving head and he delves where lesser hearts fear to tread.

Dead Belgian - an act to follow.

On 8 November, you have a chance to see  Brel on film in: L’Emmerdeur (The Pain in the Arse) in which Mr Brel plays a suicidal man, racked by a lost love, whose annoying attempts at taking his own life, hinder the would-be assassin who has taken the hotel room next to him. L’Emmerdeur is a black comedy which moves along  apace. Followed by live music from Liverpool’s, ‘Dead Belgian’ with their own brilliant take on Brel’s songs. Their version of Jo Jo is quite frankly stunning and when they played the Rooms last year (a venue not known for peace and quiet) you could have heard a pin drop. They also have their own unique Gypsy klezmer folk-feel and this is as far from being a tribute act as you could get.

“Dead Belgian’s deliciously ramshackle approach deconstructs Brel the myth and icon to reclaim him as a street musician, chanson maestro and people’s champion. The Band have their very own Piaf in Fionnuala Dorrity, delivering passion and intensity in bundles over arrangements that hit exactly the right levels of throwaway charm, joy, sorrow, frenzy and fraught desperation” Colin Irwin – MOJO 

L’Emmerdeur – The Pain in the Arse – plus Dead Belgian live (YES!), Saturday 8 November 7.00pm at the Electric Palace, 39a High Street Hastings TN34 3ER. Tickets £10 (includes film and live music) and are available from The Electric Palace Hastings (booking fees apply).

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