All about this artist
Biography:
Formed in Antwerp, Belgium, in the early 90s, eclectic alternative rock band dEUS originally comprised Tom Barman (born 1 January 1972; vocals/guitar), Stef Kamil Carlens (b. 1970, Belgium; bass), Jules De Borgher (drums), Klaas Janzoons (violin) and Rudy Trouvé (b.
28 January 1967, Wilrijk, Belgium; guitar). Barman only really became interested in music in his late teens when he discovered the Velvet Underground and Violent Femmes. The first incarnation of dEUS, indeed, specialized in cover versions of those groups' material.
Their earliest performances were at the Music Box in Antwerp, a regular haunt of actors, musicians and artists, from whom the band subsequently took much of its bohemian bent. At this time Barman had been joined by Carlens and the duo embarked on writing songs together.
One of their first demos reached the finals of the domestic RockRally competition and afterwards they set out on an ill-fated tour. On their return to Antwerp they recruited De Borgher (previously their van driver), established painter Trouvé (the band's only "real" musician), and Janzoons to cement the line-up.
Sharing a mutual affection for the works of Captain Beefheart and Tom Waits, as well as jazz musicians including John Coltrane, the band set about writing a wide-ranging set of songs that zigzagged between a number of musical traditions.
The first single to achieve widespread recognition was "Suds & Soda", which was followed by the similarly bracing "Via". Signed to Island Records, the band embarked on work on their 1994 debut album, the well-received and stylistically diverse Worst Case Scenario.
However, touring to promote it was delayed when De Borgher broke his ankle in Berlin. Instead, the band members concentrated on their array of solo and collaborative projects (Barman in General Electric, Carlens in Moondog Jnr. , and Carlens and Trouvé in Kiss My Jazz).
In the interim, dEUS issued a mail-order-only album, titled My Sister = My Clock. Trouvé and Carlens subsequently departed, although both continued to collaborate with the band. Danny Mommens (b. 20 April 1973; bass) and Craig Ward (guitar) were brought in as replacements.
1996's In A Bar, Under The Sea opened with what initially sounded like a reworking of the Velvet Underground's "The Murder Mystery". Other tracks (such as "Gimme The Heat") hinted at Smiley Smile-period Beach Boys, yet these influences failed to detract from the startling originality of the band's sound.
dEUS returned in 1999 with The Ideal Crash, another superbly imaginative collection, which suffered from poor promotion as Island was in the process of being swallowed up by the Universal Group. Guitarist Tim Vanhamel, who had already toured with the band, replaced Ward early the following year.
Apart from the singles collection No More Loud Music, little was heard from dEUS in the next few years as the individual members concentrated on their own projects. The band reunited in 2004 but Ward and Mommens left during the recording of a new album, with Stéphane Misseghers (drums, ex-Soulwax), Alan Gevaert (bass) and Mauro Pawlowski (b.
24 April 1971, Loersel, Belgium; guitar) brought in to help complete the sessions. The long-awaited Pocket Revolution, which was released at the end of 2005, showed no sign of the band's creativity waning. Remarkably, after such a long lay off, the album also became the most successful dEUS release in their native Belgium.
Suitably emboldened, they built a new studio to facilitate the recording of the follow-up, Vantage Point (2008).
