Personal highlight was when this guy came up to me and said "hope you have a good gig tonight". I looked quizzically at him, and he said "you are the singer of Crispy Ambulance, aren't you?". Oh the irony, being mistaken for an Ian Curtis impersonator 
Dates
· UTC
Factory Night (Again) @ Plan K, Brussels, Saturday 15th December
Archived90 replies · 11,766 views
This is an archived legacy thread. Replies are closed, but the discussion is preserved.
← Back to Ceremony
Showing posts 61–90 of 91
↑ First post
Latest post ↓
Great weekend all round (re-order/Brussels) - now need to try and recover from those and this damn cold... :\ohwell:
I must say there were a LOT more people at Plan K than I thought there was - jam packed, and nigh-on impossible to move within the venue... Also, it was bloomin' sweltering - had to keep going out to cool down...
If it happens again, could you turn on the air conditioning/open some doors? Ta.. :)
Nick King wrote: Also, it was bloomin' sweltering - had to keep going out to cool down...
Not for a cigarette then 
Sounds like a great night 
Really excellent - an atmospheric and historic venue, great 'side projects' such as Red Zebra's collection of rareties (what was that 'Disorder' flag?) and the exhibits of photos from the Fotoreportage Ian Curtis book and from Phillippe Carly, nice beer. Top sets from all performers, too.
Missy Jem wrote:
Nick King wrote: Also, it was bloomin' sweltering - had to keep going out to cool down...
Not for a cigarette then
Sounds like a great night
Well, there was that excuse too! 
We had a lot of fun. It was nice to see the well known faces, again, and new faces, too. Superb night!
mrgreen71 wrote:
BIGINOIL wrote: Some good texts from our men in Brussels last night.
Section 25 did a good version of No Love Lost, and Hooky joined then on Bass for Temptation.
A great night indeed !
Saw someone with a "Confusion" and "kNOledge destroyed" shirt. I suppose that was you, confusion ?
Yes, it was me.
Great gig.
Totally amazed at how many people showed up for this. Fred promoted this superbly. The place was completely mobbed, uncomfortably so at times. Was like a gig for a band about to break through, a real event. Would like to know how many tickets were sold. You wouldn't see half that number of punters turn up for a gig like this in London.
Mooching around Plan K, it was easy to feel like you were attending some international music convention. Alongside Die Bundes Order and huge local Belgian interest (our old mate Thierry Martens) we met Gilles from France (last seen at the Paris ACR gig) and Mario of the Netherlands, so Benelux well represented off stage and on. Hans of Koln (big ACR nut) was also seen loitering around and Manc Berliner Mark Reeder (Shark Vegas) was in das haus.
The numbers were probably at their peak during The Names. It had thinned out a little by the time Hooky came on but there was still a big crowd there. Poor old Martin Moscrop came on after Hooky, around 2am, and people were streaming out of the place.
During The Names set it was so stifling we left the venue and found a local boozer for a bit of R&R. Needed a break from the heat and overcrowding of the place. Returned in time to see Section 25s set and Hooky DJ all his usual faves to leave the crowd too exhausted to appreciate the more esoteric angle of Moscrop's tastes.
The evenings highlights included Hooky playing Temptation with Section 25, chatting with Kevin Hewick "so you're The Vikings?!", members of Section 25 and Crispy Ambulance and finally meeting Annik Honore.
Thanks everyone for coming !
Initially, we expected about 500 visitors but we finally had about 1500 ! (not at the same time: about 300-400 came for the afterparty only). Sadly, we had to refuse many people but it was too hard when they were from the South of France or Italy...
People came from all over Europe and even from USA. We made a lot of promo in Belgium and had very good reactions in the media.
It's the greatest event I've promoted so far (at least the most important to me) and it was so great to meet all these artists I admire and listen to for so many years.
My only regret is that I had not the time nor the opportunity to meet any of the Vikings 
For good quality recordings, wait for the release of the forthcoming DVD by LTM :)
I'm totally exhausted but happy and almost ready to do it again next year...
Johnny Giles wrote: Poor old Martin Moscrop came on after Hooky, around 2am, and people were streaming out of the place.
2am GMT. 
It was 3am local time when Hooky finished!
Absolute blinder of a night. Very well put together and extremely well attended. Let's face it, if that kind of event had been staged on this side of the channel we'd have been lucky with a quarter of those numbers. Very impressive.
Hilite has to be Hooky on Temptation, natch. We'd given Hewick the benefit of the doubt (he played Haystack!) and then saw the temperature rise for Crispy Ambulance but a dozen of us then fuct off to a boozer up the road for the Names and didn't slope back till midway through Section XXV in time for No Love Lost.
Hooky started his DJ set slowly (Cap'n & Tenile then Grace Jones anyone?) and then got his dancehead on for a bit but it was the guitar classics the majority of the audience wanted most: lots of New Order, natch, Joy Division, Pistols, Clash, Killers (tsk!), Libertines, etc.
Great to see everyone again: especailly the GO! Team and all the Benelux Boys (Jan, Mario, Thierry).
Looks like a good time was had by all. Still gutted I couldnae afford it and even more jealous when all the texts came through about No Love Lost / Temptation and various Vikings bumping into Annik.
Maybe the next time
No Love Lost and Temptation can be downloaded here: http://www.section25.co.uk/downloads.php
Nick King wrote: Nice photos - plenty of Vikings in those photos!
Bottom right hand corner of image 11
LeggyD wrote:
Nick King wrote: Nice photos - plenty of Vikings in those photos!
Bottom right hand corner of image 11
At least they got your face in!
They got my best side - back of my head!!!
These are the best foties though -
Gordie (with Peter Saville!!!)
And Bernd, just as I remembered him all night long!!!
Tim and Don seem to be in the back of every other pic too!!!
A loooong blog covering the events of the weekend is now up on the Vikings Myspace page, written by Mr Kevin Hewick!....
Further blog by Ian Butterworth of Section 25 (ex Tunnelvision).
PLAN K - Brussels - Belgium, 15/12/07
Heading off from Blackpool in our 16-seater bus, our journey took a short break when we stopped off at Alan Hempsall's gaff to pick up the Crispie's and then we continued our traipse down this Isle's motorways to catch the ferry from Dover......Stopping off at Watford Gap to pick up Leicester's very own Kevin Hewick....Everybody got on well and as in most of the Ealing comedies,the miles just flew by.....
Upon arriving in Calais we found our 'Travel-Lodge' and after sussing out the mysterious two,(or was it three bed?) chalets we encamped n the hotel bar to sample some damn fine 'Xmas Beer'....That subsequently ran out after an hour or so....Oh well,onto the next brew...and the next.....ad infinitum...*hic!*
The next afternoon we rendezvous with Fred Cotton,one of the main organisers of the Factory Night,and head off toward Brussels and Plan K....It is ruddy cold by the way....
We arrive at the venue and it is mightily impressive....It hasn't seen a gig since 1984,so we better do it justice....
The Names are playing as we walk in, and later we all get a reasonable amount of time for our own individual soundchecks.....The Names guitarist kindly lends me and Crispy Ambulance's Rob their guitar amp as the one supplied is an olde Fender Twin with no gain/distortion....Thanks again...!
Singer/Songwriter Kevin Hewick finally opens the proceedings with a set of superb songs that connect instantly with the audience...They move closer toward the stage as the second song begins and I can tell Kevin is visibly moved.....The best that I have seen him play sums his performance up.....I love the 'interaction' with the crowd that he is so adept at doing......A great start...!
I must admit that I hadn't heard much Crispy Ambulance stuff before the gig but after witnessing this performance I am now a 'believer'...Praise the Lord!...(and Alan Hempsall..)They immediately sounded like they were 'going for it' and had an edge to their sound that surprised me....!...They seemed a little taken aback when they got an encore but they thoroughly deserved it...Personally,I just hope that they carry on after this gig...
Unfortunately,I missed most of The Names set because I was getting my 'shit-together' but what I heard sounded good also....They even did one of our choice of covers....'The Light Pours Out of Me'...Coincidence or what...?....
We hit the stage stumbling just like last time at Botanique in Belgium and cocked-up our first song....BUT we carried on until the end of the song, just like the troopers we are....Again, the set flew by and for the last song we were joined by Hooky for New Order's 'Temptation'.....It could have gone on for ever!....When it ended, we decided that it would be foolish to attempt to follow that, so we humbly declined an encore and let the night proceed until the early hours........!
Well done to everyone involved... I, for one, will never forget this night and the friends I made, and also the feeling of being part of something special......Thanks.
Had the chance to meet Ian after the Section 25 set and was great to listen to him chat about his early experiences with Factory. Nice fella too.
Has anybody got this yet?
My copy arrived this week and in the usual LTM way it's a very professionally produced piece.
Included...shots of LeggyD in front of Hooky about to play with Section 25, visibly encouraging other Vikings to join him down the front in a football casual stylee. Watch it 
An interesting extra is a Belgian TV interview with Annik Honore from 1981. The interview focuses on the Crespecule label, which AH ran with Michel Duval, and its involvement with the emerging arts scene in Brussels. Through interviews like this and other recent media generated by interest in Control/Plan K etc, it's becoming much clearer what an important role AH played out in that scene.
Maybe her dignified silence over the last 28 years has allowed others (like me) to form a false view and her contribution to remain understated. This interview helps to address this.
Also included on the DVD are shots of the many posters from early 80s gigs which lined the inner-walls of Plan K last December.
Oh, and the music's not bad either
All round, highly recommended.
