Back in 2011 Brian de Graeve, lead singer of Silhouette had an idea to create some music together with his girlfriend. Now nine years later this has resulted in Brian de Graeve's Realisea and the soon to be released debut album Mantelpeace. In the meantime, they also got married and his girlfriend became Marjolein de Graeve. The happy couple recently got together for the first time on a stage to give a sneak preview of what to expect on their first musical baby. But before they could present their music in an acoustic setting another rather new band was ready to hit the stage at 't Blok in Nieuwerkerk aan de Ijssel. Namely Morgendust. They were ready to present their debut EP Storm Will Come.
 

Morgendust

The band comes from the Zwolle area and was formed in 2018. They label their music as modern 80's style dark-edged indie rock or even midlife rock because the average age of the band members is forty six. The band certainly has a progressive rock background, because several of their members did a European tour with PTS as a support for Marillion in the late 90s. For me it was my first encounter with the band. And a pleasant one it certainly was. The band has a rather modern progressive rock sound, mainly thanks to the cool sounds provided by keyboard player Iwan Blokzijl. Also, their guitar player Ron van Kruistum knows how to play a cool solo or

L to R: Ron van Kruistum, Marco de Haan and Dario Pozderski (►more pics)

some strong riffs. Sometimes reminding me of U2. But that's not all this band has to offer. With Marco de Haan they have an excellent lead singer who can entertain an audience perfectly. But the rhythm tandem is also something to take into account. Take for example bass player Dario Pozderski. This musician from Bosnia-Herzegovina is not only a master on his instrument, but also someone who is always making funny faces and jumping around. Job Noordmans is the one who hits the drums. He does this very tightly.

As for the songs they performed, it was obvious the main part was coming from their debut EP Storm Will Come. All of the six songs on it were played. Next to those excellent compositions I also enjoyed strong songs such as Dream Of Eden and Racing The Clouds. To celebrate Peter Gabriel's 70s birthday they also did a song of one of their musical heroes. It was nice to hear a good version of Sledgehammer. Even the moves of this former Genesis lead singer were perfectly imitated by de Haan. Next to the fine instrumental parts on their compositions I also enjoyed the bands strong harmony vocals on them. Every musician in the band, except for the band's drummer, comes up with fine backing vocals. This is certainly a strong assist for the band and lifts the music of this band certainly to a higher level. Hopefully I can see them more often, because the bands strong performance gave me a taste for much more. Much more!
 

RealiSea

With a member in the line up of Silhouette, this meant that a lot of people were willing to attend this semi-acoustic Sunday afternoon concert. This band has a very loyal following. Therefore, a lot of same faces could be seen as

Brian and Marjolein de Graeve (►more pics)

earlier this year when I saw Silhouette doing a show at the Gigant in Apeldoorn (see review). It was obvious that Realisea would play a mix of songs taken from their soon to be released debut album and songs from the back catalogue of Brian de Graeve's other band. However, if you were expecting to hear the songs performed the same way as the album versions you were at the wrong venue. Even if you have in the line up Silhouette's drummer Rob van Nieuwenhuijzen and the bands keyboard player Erik Laan as a special guest, it doesn't mean the music is the same. Mainly because Rob left his drum kit at the rehearsal room and only brought with him some percussion instruments. And Erik didn't stay on stage during the whole concert, because he had to catch a plane later on that day.

Suzan van den Engel (►more pics)

The Silhouette songs certainly sounded different because of the use of a harp played by Skylake's vocalist Suzan van den Engel. However, the guitar parts stayed mainly intact because of the electric guitar that was used by Novatia's guitarist Rindert Bul. Those parts done on this instrument certainly reminded me of the parts done on the original studio versions. It was of course nice to hear different versions of Where Are You Now, March Of Peace, Devils Island, Wings To Fly, Across The Rubicon and the encore When Snow's Falling Down. It was so nice to hear the oldie Where Are You Now once again. A song taken from their debut A Maze, which was put out in 2007. But also, the other oldie Across The Rubicon, the title track of the album released in 2012, came out fine. As for the songs which are going to released on Mantelpeace, they were the musical pieces which didn't ring any bells for most people. Mainly because the album is released later on this year, in April to be precise. Only some album teasers (the single Strong Enough) on YouTube revealed a bit of what to expect from this new musical project which contains next to the earlier mentioned Silhouette founder and his wife Marjolein de Graeve, Brian's own son Geoffrey de Graeve on bass guitar. Certainly, a special occasion for father and son to share the same stage together. Only too bad that their keyboard player Christophe Rapenne didn't joined them on stage, even if he was at the venue to support them.

However, without him the musicians on stage can look back at a rather successful performance. A performance which will get a sequel at the W2 in Den Bosch. On April 17, a complete electric band will celebrate the release of Mantelpeace. I guess it will certainly attract a lot of people again. Because the die-hard Silhouette fans will follow their members everywhere.

Once again, the people of ProgFrog managed to get a good line up on their stage to make sure a pleasant afternoon was spent at another Sunday afternoon concert. Thanks guys!

Henri Strik (edited by Dave Smith)