One of the city's great hidden treasures, the Brussels music scene hosts some of the biggest and best up-and-coming artists and bands in the international, European and Belgian scene.
Every month, Europe's capital has no shortage of thrilling concerts – and picking out the best gigs can be tough. This is why we have put together a monthly guide to discover the best live acts in the city, perfect for new and old Brussels folk alike.
Carefully selected by music journalist Simon Taylor, here are The Brussels Times' choices for the concerts and gigs that you and your friends should not miss throughout December.
Best gigs this month:
2 December
Valerie June
Botanique
Valerie June is a singer-songwriter originally from Jackson, Tennessee who moved to Memphis to pursue her musical career. Her music has mixed up different styles ranging from country to psychedelia and folk during her fifteen-year career while retaining a core of soul, blues and R’n’B.
Valerie June
Her latest album Owls, Omens and Oracles leans heavily into late 50s/early 60s southern soul of classic labels like Atlantic and Stax. June’s voice, a high soprano, puts one in mind of other women singers such as Macy Gray while the retro feel of her songs will appeal to fans of Amy Winehouse and even Welsh singer Duffy. June’s lyrics have always been inspired by her sensitivity to the natural world and the metaphysical. Check out arguably her most famous song, Astral Plane from 2017. Standout tracks on her new album include the single Joy, Joy! and All I Really Want to Do.
8 December
Ouri
Botanique
Ouri is a female musician from French Guiana with Canadian nationality who moved to France in the late 2010s. She is classically trained on the cello, harp and piano and the music she makes mixes electronic instruments and textures with classical arrangements.
Ouri
The song titles, Daisy Cutter, (a type of bomb used in the Vietnam war to destroy forests providing cover for Vietnamese forces) and Death Row, bely the delicacy of her music.
Lambrini Girls
Ancienne Belgique (sold out)
Normally this guide avoids sold-out gigs because it’s annoying for readers to read rave previews of shows that they can’t attend because they can’t get tickets. But my editor and I have agreed that we can’t miss a chance to write about the Lambrini Girls. The whole band concept is a loud and defiant "fuck you" to the patriarchy, male dominance and every day sexism. The duo, who formed as a trio in Brighton in 2019, take their name from the cheap sparkling pear wine. The lyrics and attitude of members, Phoebe Lunny and Selin Macieira-Boşgelmez, follow the path trodden by feminist rebels of Riot Grrrl bands such as Bikini Kill, L7 and Hole.
Lambrini Girls
Almost everything the Girls do takes routine sexism, turns it on its head and throws it back at its perpetrators with extra vim and vinegar. For me, the four-letter swear word starting with a "c", was the worst curse term you could use to describe anyone. But las Lambrinas enthusiastically embrace the word’s repurposed meaning, an ultra-provocative version of sassy, in the song Cuntology, which is a list of "I’m-not-going-to take-shit behaviours". It comes from their album, "Who Let the Dogs Out", where, you guessed it, the common sexist insult is reappropriated. The final example, in case you haven’t yet understood their schtick, is Big Dick Energy in which they verbally humiliate a chauvinistic music journalist who tries to seduce one of the band because "he supports their struggle" by questioning the size of his genitalia.
9 December
Portland
Ancienne Belqique
Portland band
Portland is the musical project of frontman Jente Pironet. Their music is a mixture of melancholic tasteful electronic pop. They brought out their first album, Your Colours Will Stain in 2019 and their latest album, Champain, was released this year. Pironet is a talented songwriter and his music will appeal to fans of Oscar and the Wolf and other Belgian purveyors of quality pop.
11 December
Glass Museum
Botanique
Glass Museum started life as a piano/synth/drums duo of Antoine Flipo and Martin Grégoire in 2018. Their music is a mixture of jazz and classical piano that plows the same musical vein as Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan with uptempo rhythms and driving piano-led lines.
Glass Museum
The duo, who often add a third musician for their live shows, are another example of the highly trained musicians emerging from Belgium’s music conservatories who seek their own distinctive musical path, rather than staying in the world of orchestras and the classical repertoire. For fans of Penguin Café Orchestra and Mammal Hands.
14 December
Sheila
Cirque Royal
In case you were wondering, yes, it is "Sheila" of Sheila B. Devotion fame. Sheila, born Annie Chancel, had a major international hit with Spacer in 1979. Before turning to disco in the late 70s, Sheila was a popular French pop singer. Spacer was produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rogers of Chic in New York and features Rogers’ trademark funky guitar.
French disco singer Sheila
The track brought her international acclaim, selling five million copies to date, and lives on, having been sampled for Alcazar’s Crying at the Discotheque from 2000, which was later covered by Sophie Ellis-Bextor in 2020. "Fun" fact: the B in Sheila B Devotion stood for "black" and referred to the three black male dancers who performed with her live. But she dropped "B Devotion" around 1981.
17 December
Soulwax
Les Halles de Schaerbeek
Soulwax, the stage name of brother David and Stephen Dewaele, started making music together in Ghent in 1995, firstly as DJs. They have performed DJ sets as 2manydjs or sometimes the Flying Dewaele Brothers. Soulwax is their electronic band that delivers stunning powerful live performances. At one stage, they used two live drummers, including a former member of Brazilian metal legends Sepultura.
Soulwax
This year, they released their seventh studio album, All Systems are Lying, after a five-year break. To celebrate their return, the brothers are embarking on a European tour, including three nights at the Halles de Schaerbeek. Soulwax are one of the few Belgian acts that has broken out and achieved international success. They should be on every music fan’s bucket list to see live at least once. Although all three shows are sold out, tickets will become available on Ticketswap nearer the dates of the concerts.
