For most bands, it is not easy to arrange a gig in the Netherlands. Especially for bands in the progressive rock genre as there are not many opportunities to present their music on stage. This is mainly because most venues do not promote this genre. And even when it does succeed, it is usually bands from Great Britain or the USA that come to the Netherlands and get a spot on their stages. It is becoming increasingly difficult for Dutch bands to arrange a performance. But sometimes they receive help from organizations that promote the genre and also think of our own bands. Serious Music Alphen is one of them. And they were able to organize a mini prog festival where only Dutch prog acts took the stage. Four of our own acts were able to be heard and seen by their own audience. On Saturday, May 9, the beautiful Parkvilla opened its doors to Deflexion, The Ceres Phenomenon, Leap Day, and Profuna Ocean. Naturally, Background Magazine was present at Mini-festival 'Prog-NL' to promote the Dutch progressive rock scene as well.

 

Deflexion

The festival was opened by Deflexion, the brainchild of composer and musician Lex Bekkernens, known as the highly driven drummer of various prog rock bands (Mangrove, Genesis Project, Yesshows). They released their debut EP in 2018 and currently they are working on their first full album. I must confess that I only knew the band by name and was therefore curious to see what the musicians on stage would present to us. Actually, I

Lex Bekkernens (►more photos)

had expected music that would be close to that of the bands in which Lex plays drums. Especially because the band also consists of the 2 keyboard players Tony van Stel and Ebert Zwart.
However, this ultimately turned out not to be the case. The music certainly has various prog influences but is more song-oriented and contains few solos in their compositions. Every now and then, guitarist Marc Faber showed that he definitely had something to offer. It was mainly the three vocalists Omar van Lookeen, Katinka van der Harst and Laura ten Hoedt who drew attention during this performance. They each took turns performing solo parts, but were also frequently present to handle the background vocals. In the first part of the performance, they drew from material from the aforementioned EP. Afterwards, the audience was able to get a preview of what will be on the new album. These songs proved to offer more musically than the work from their debut. The Observer and Connected, in particular, sounded promising. Furthermore, I would also like to mention that the photo and video contributions in the background were perfectly done and contributed to the atmosphere on stage. Overall, the 8 band members who stood on stage can look back on a successful performance. A performance that was certainly appreciated by the audience present.
 

The Ceres Phenomenon

The band that followed is a promising new Dutch band, most of whose musicians have already built substantial musical careers in bands such as Ywis, The Last Detail, Dreamcarnation, For Absent Friends, and Timelock. Last year they released their first impressive eponymous concept album (see review). An album

Ruud Stoker (►more photos)

that tells a true sci-fi story. It was therefore not surprising that I was very curious to see how they would perform this beautiful album live. Because the music on the album is frequently quite complex, the original lineup, consisting of Ruud Stoker (vocals), Julian Driessen (keyboards), Mike Boekhout (drums), and Ron Koel (guitars), was expanded with bassist Noud Maas. Together, they ensured that the material was performed quite well. With sci-fi imagery in the background and Stoker explaining the story in between songs, the whole thing came across quite well. Of course, it didn't sound exactly like the studio version. But that doesn't really matter, because I like it when it sounds a bit different on stage than at home through your headphones. Unfortunately, the entire album wasn't performed because the agreed-upon time on stage was less than the total length of the album (over seventy minutes). Additionally, three songs from the Timelock repertoire were performed at the end that was somewhat catchier and allowed for clapping along at times. It was certainly difficult to name highlights from their well-played set. But I can tell you that, especially from the Timelock section, an impressive performance of the song The Seance was delivered. Which certainly ensured that the audience said goodbye to the 4 musicians on stage with a good feeling.  

LeapDay

After a break to give the visitors a chance to eat something the festival continued with Leap Day. A band that knows what it feels like to organize a festival, as they have already successfully brought the Northern Prog Festival to a close 12 times. A festival that was in their hands for the last time last year and will take place at a new location with a new organization starting in 2026. The program was not yet fully known in the media and was announced

Roelof Beeftink (►more photos)

on stage after Leap Day's performance. This resulted in a very surprising line-up featuring two bands present (The Ceres Phenomenon and Leap Day), as well as the Ukrainian Karfagen and Chilean Aisles. But naturally, this part of the concert report is about Leap Day's performance. A performance that was surprisingly good, but that is something we have come to expect from them. This time, the focus was almost entirely on the beautiful new album When Gravity Wins (2025, see review). As virtually the entire album was played, with the exception of the two songs VOID and Winter. They included the beautiful epic Pride Before The Fall. A song over 22 minutes long, inspired by the legend of Stavoren. Perhaps a very difficult song to perform, but one that was executed exceptionally well. It was simply a joy to see how well the musicians are attuned to one another. Even their new singer Roelof Beeftink joined in as if he had been singing in the band for years. Here too, it was difficult to single out highlights, partly because I mentioned earlier that the band is well-rehearsed. Particularly impressive was Falling Star, which opened with the sound of a circling airplane. But the more sensitive opener Wrinkles did not leave me unmoved either. The Leap Day Classics Sandgrains and Amathia, as well as the amazing instrumental Viral Cage, sounded impressive as well. So, once again, a great Leap Day concert. But as mentioned before, I expected nothing less from these 6 musicians. Top marks, gentlemen!  

ProfunaOcean

It has been almost ten years since I saw the band that closed the festival. In 2017 Profuna Ocean was the support act for the Italian band RanestRane. They played in the same hall where this festival was held now. The reason it has been so long may have to do with the fact that the band performs infrequently and, above all, releases few albums to promote. Their last achievement dates back to 2020 with the release of the EP Continuation.

Raoul Ptters and Arjan Visser(►more photos)

The band, which draws its musical influences from the music of Porcupine Tree, Anathema, and The Pineapple Thief, is certainly working on new compositions. Some of these compositions were already performed during the closing of the festival. The audience could listen for the first time to Behind The Clouds and Walls. It was primarily these pieces of music that impressed me, and perhaps the audience present as well, judging by the reactions after the songs were played. The sometimes-beautiful guitar and keyboard parts in these tracks showed that a new album can be looked forward to with confidence. Furthermore, they naturally drew from previously released albums. With songs such as Lost Inside (The Landscape), Clean Slate, Black Train and I'm Glad You Survived. It is perhaps worth mentioning that guitarist Raoul Potters occasionally did not know which guitar to pick up to play. Especially since he had various models standing in his guitar rack. This sometimes led to comical scenes. Overall, it can be said that the 4 musicians on stage left a very good impression and were a worthy closing act for this successful festival.

Naturally, we must be grateful to Serious Music Alphen for giving four Dutch prog acts the opportunity to perform their music on stage. All bands can undoubtedly look back on a successful performance, and compliments must also be given to the sound engineer, who once again ensured that every band had excellent sound. Hopefully, this mini-festival can have a sequel next year. If it is up to the organizers, perhaps it will. Maybe with four international acts or with four more well-known names from the genre. But first, of course, there will be an evaluation at the organization level. But for now, everyone can look back with satisfaction, myself included.

Henri Strik (edited by Dave Smith)