"Black Monsoon knows how to inspire and is a band to keep on your radar"-ROCKTRIBUNE (BE)
"The Dutch have their own Sonic Youth"-DANSENDE BEREN (BE)
"Reminding of the raw and slower Bleach period of Nirvana"-3VOOR12 (NL)
"Sludgy pervading guitar riffs mixed with the melodic voices of the two vocalists"-THE DAILY INDIE
"Imagine The Stooges and MC5 having a blasting jam"-TURN UP THE VOLUME (BE)
"Gigging heavily on the festival circuit in Holland and elsewhere, they will bring their beautiful grungey noise to London for our listening pleasure"-CIVIL WAR LONDON (UK)
Jacquelien Kwast (guitars/vocals), Teun Guichelaar (guitars/vocals), Marjolijn Dokter (drums/backing vocals)
Photo: Ab Al-tamimi
BLACK MONSOON BIOGRAPHY(English)
Exploring to escape from Today’s suffocating conventions, Black Monsoon finds ultimate comfort in improvising their raw and haunting guitar-and-drums-driven sound with the lights switched out. Inspired by the early nineties-grunge and alternative indie-rock scenes, Dutch rockers Jacky (guitars, vocals), Marjolijn (drums, vocals), and Teun (guitars, vocals), express their vision of going against the grain by creating music that is authentic, diverse, dark, and experimental. While the band took its moniker from their favourite PJ Harvey song Meet Ze Monsta, media and venues describing the band’s music would refer to early-days Nirvana, The Stooges, and Sonic Youth after hearing the band play.
In 2018, Black Monsoon debuted with a self-titled EP, recorded with Joes Brands at Sputnik studio in Antwerp, Belgium. Along with their hauntingly powerful sound, unusual guitar tunings and drill-machine solos on the live stage, this soon put the trio in the spotlights of underground venues across the country and abroad. The band opened for artists such as Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth), L.A. Witch, and Whispering Sons, and has been invited for the acclaimed touring festival Popronde for up-and-coming talented bands in The Netherlands. In the summer of 2019, the well-received singles and music videos ‘Jabberwocky’, ‘ Losing’, and ‘Pantomime’ anticipated the release of debut full length album Pantomime (2020), recorded with Jan Schenk in Amsterdam. Since then, the trio has been crossing the Dutch borders by setting foot to Germany and touring The United Kingdom, being empowered by London-based label Civil War, while stretching the boundaries of their musical experimentations. In the meantime, a first series of new songs is being recorded and ready for release in january 2024.
Their creative attitude has urged them to be booker, tour manager, artist director, music video-maker, feminist, and musician to enjoy inclusive and artistic freedom. During winter 2020/2021 the band attracted attention by delivering a unique album-release tour. To celebrate the release of Pantomime and capture the vibe of the band performing live, the trio organised an innovative video release tour, composed of live-videos for all songs of the album. Each song was recorded at a unique location (including an art exhibition hall and skate park) to present the tracks in their most appropriate atmosphere. These videos were premiered by collaborating music media and can be found on the band’s YouTube channel.
