dEUS . Belgium's finest jazz-grunge-art-rock collective. I suppose it's a sign of aging, favoured bands from your younger days reforming and pulling a comeback. This might well be the first of many such events for me, as time marches relentlessly by. It felt like a peculiar novelty at the time.

I first encountered dEUS on a stage, as the support act for P.J. Harvey and John Parish . I was terrifically impressed. Stretching the then still-current quiet/loud alterna-rock template into surprising new forms, with counter-vocals, and violins, noise freakouts and obvious, but not too obvious musicianship. Searching to find points of comparison I was hearing Pixies , Velvets , Magic Band , Tom Waits and strains of other delightfully challenging jazz-styled wank-rock. Love at first sight really. I ran out the next day and bought their first album -" Worst Case Scenario ". And played it to death.

The second " In A Bar Under The Sea " was released shortly afterwards, and extended the palette a little further, amidst changes in lineup. Perhaps a little of the harder, wilful oddness from the first CD had been smoothed away. Some of the tracks verge towards ballads, usually injected with surprising instrumentation. Singles were released, and bothered the UK charts a little. I saw them at least twice touring this CD, and all my misgivings were annihilated; they were at least as exciting on a stage as before. Maybe more so.

More of a wait before their next release, " The Ideal Crash" . Personnel changes again. This time I saw them playing the set before I'd had a chance to buy the CD, and they were powerful and exhilerating again, the new material fitting in place alongside the old . The CD was a shock. Mellowed further, very clean, almost AOR production with conventional sounding hooky song structures. Programmed percussion and more prominent synths than before. I probably only listened to it a half-hearted handful of times before consigning it to the bottom of the stack.

And then the band split. No more dEUS. A good innings. I find myself giving 'Ideal Crash' one more try, more and more often. As I paid it more attention I realised that most of the elements I looked for in dEUS were entirely present; dissonance, counterpoint, surprises in rhythm and harmony, all blended skillfully into a mix that seems to proportionally reward careful listening. Today, it's maybe my favourite dEUS CD, depending on the day of the week. A real grower.

After sensibly allowing me all this time to appreciate their legacy work, they suddenly reform, with a suitably amended line-up There's a handful of festival gigs I can't make, and an internet-only single that's incompatible with my computer-lifestyle-choice. Then a full European tour is announced, preceding a new album. No way I can avoid this, even though it's another trip to London to the Empire.

New CD " Pocket Revolution " seems to continue with the now-predictable streamlining of the dEUS sound. I've learnt not to be too hasty this time, I'm reserving judgement till I've had a good time to let it stew. Arriving at the concert was a little ominous. Not much of a queue. Touts outside selling at lower than face. European accents predominante in the scant queue.

Concert is a blinder though. Support from " Red Organ Serpent Sound " - who came across as a good glam blend with interesting visual appeal. Shades of Manics and Ziggy, they had one of the best t-shirt designs I've seen, amusingly only available in kids sizes. Trepidition before the main act. I really don't want this to suck. All my fears are misplaced, they're as strong as ever. It's an enormously successful set. They present most of the new CD, with a generous sampling of older material. The crowd, obviously partisan, surprisingly young, love it all. dEUS are back, it would seem. Predictably, unpredictable; pretty much exactly where they left off. 

posted by cms on 2006-02-11 16:02:28