hcmorethanmusic: Belgium - Flemish Brabant

I'm from Zichem in the Flemish part of Belgium somewhere between Leuven and Hasselt. In Zichem itself, there isn't a real "scene". We used to have some crappy metalcore-acts but they all broke up. Actually me and my sister are pretty much the only ones who still go to hardcoreshows. During the week I live in Leuven but almost everything about that town is already told in your blog (I added a few things).

In the past me and a friend did some shows ourselves in JH t'Perron in Testelt (small village next to where we live) but they were not much of a success. Zichem is near Diest, Aarschot & Tessenderlo and all three have a lot more to offer to the hardcorekids.

Diest is home of one of the best Belgian bands ever. Officer Jones & His Patrol Car Problems (it's already named in your blog but here is some extra information and bands related) played mathcore in the vein of Botch, Dillinger Escape Plan and Breather Resist and they mostly we're dressed up as police officers.

It consisted of members of the legendary bands Cast-Down & Reply. They split up in 2006. Their vocalist joined The Setup, other members formed We'rewolves & Moroccan. The drummer is also recently a member of Rise And Fall.

Ruins was another promising hardcoreband which also is already dead. They haven't formed a new hardcoreband yet (as far as I know). They're really cool guys btw (the ones I know). One of their guitarplayers is now singer in an Indie band called The Pilot Light but honestly I'm not really a fan.

A lot of kids in Diest we're edge around 2005-2006, but now only a few remain. The Diest-Tessenderlo area also has a pretty big skate community.

The best known venue in Diest is JH Tijl. There haven't been a lot of hardcoreshows lately. A Little bit of punkrock, but that's it.

Tessenderlo is a good place to live when you like hardcore. It's the home of booking agency Deviant Projects. They have brought bands such as Baroness, The Chariot & The Ghost Of A Thousand to Tessenderlo. A lot of metalcore and emocore tough.

The Venue JC Tessloo also frequently organises cool shows; coming up: Cloak/Dagger in October and Lords in November.

Every year in September, Tessenderlo also has a big skatehappening in Venues The Box & JC 't Muuzaaike (which are next to eachother). I don't know who is responsible for it but they manage to get a cool lineup every year. This year: Blacklisted, Sunpower, Reproach etc...

The best known band in Tessenderlo is called Campus and they make some kind of Underoath-ish emocore (or whatever it's called). I'm not really a fan but it's one of the first bands you think of when there is some big event in the area.

Another new band is called Deadender (I haven't found a myspace) and it might be promising.

Teenage Lust (also already in your blog) was also from the area.

Aarschot (near Leuven) is being called the punkrock capital of Belgium. Big (Belgian) punkrockbands are from there such as...

Five Days Off

Sixtoys

Homer

I don't really like punkrock but the Aarschot/Leuven area always has had a pretty big punkrockscene. There aren't any hardcorebands in Aarschot at this time.

Versa is a postrock/sludgecoreband you really have to check out, they're good friends of mine.

The best known Venue is called JC De Klinker. It's a really good venue and it's known all over the country. Heartbreaktunes (Belgium's biggest promoter) and Deviant Projects frequently use it to do shows. Some bands who have played there: Polar Bear Club, This Is Hell, Daughters, Demented Are Go... (even Kittie haha)

Aarschot also has 2 festivals worth mentioning:

Hageland Festival: a free 2-day festival in August. It used to be a 2-day hardcorefest, but now there is a day with all genres and one with hardcore & punk. This year they had ea. Cro-Mags and This Is A Standoff. Other big bands who played the festival in the past are Nine, Satanic Surfers, Death By Stereo (2X), Neuva Etica, The Adolescents, Far From Finished, The Kids...

Funtime Records & Festival: Funtime Records from Leuven is one of the biggest independent labels in the country. Most of their bands are punkrockbands, but bands such as Cast-Down and The Sedan Vault (it's not hardcore but it is really good) are a must to check out.

Funtime Records has a small fest every year called Funtime Fest. It used to be pretty big with ea. Converge and Himsa in 2002 (some old flyers). Now it's mostly bands who are (to be) signed to the label, some exclusive reunions (Circle and Reply last year!) and 1 or 2 "bigger" names.

In Leuven Perspective bookings (already mentioned in your blog) does a few shows every year. Some student (Leuven has a big university) tried to do a few shows (one with The Legacy and Daggers) but he has lost a lot of money. Funtime records also does a few shows a year.

There is also a pretty big squatting-community. and they sometimes do Crust/Punk shows. The venue is called "Plan Z", I haven't been there yet because it's quite new. Down To Agony plays there in a few weeks so that will be my first time.

Some Venues are The SOJO (in Kessel-lo), Het Klokhuys, Het Rock Café and Der Machine (closed a few weeks ago).

You have a few zines, but they're all summed up in your blog. There still is RMP e-zine. It containes a few interviews with bands (not only hardcorebands), CD-reviews...but it's mostly in dutch (except for the interviews).