TaxiWars – dEUS front man is coming back to Pohoda with a jazz project
You’ll get dragged into the club from street by groove and sound of a cool sax solo. Cutting through the clouds of thick cigarette smoke, in front of you, you’ll see virtuoso Robin Verheyen in the middle of a battle with a front man of the legendary Belgian band dEUS, Tom Barman, and other fantastic musicians. Barman already won our visitors’ hearts back in 2011 when his band dEUS put on one of the most memorable shows of that festival edition. His current project TaxiWars has been praised by music historian Ashley Kahn, Clash or The Independent and is highly recommended by Pohoda Festival as well.
17. February 2017
Tom Barman has been the front man of Belgian band dEUS since 1989. In total, the band sold more than a million copies of their albums. As a long-time fan of jazz, he formed a band with an indeed top class lineup: bassist Nicolas Thys (he played with the likes of Lee Konitz, Mal Waldron, Toots Thielemans), drummer Antoinne Pierre (Sabam Jazz Award winner) and, last but not least, saxophonist Robin Verheyen, who founded a jazz quartet in New York with esteemed musicians Marc Copland, Ravi Coltrane or Gary Peacock. The band formed just a few years ago, but has already been praised by one of the most influential music historians and journalists, Ashley Kahn, who wrote: “I love TaxiWars. They combine lyrics, poetry and jazz with a rock intensity.” After Eurosonic, we ranked each concert that we saw through 1 to 10 system. Our Production Manager, Michal Sládek gave TaxiWars 10 out of 10 without hesitation.
Barman, known for his eccentric performance in dEUS concerts, has transferred distinct gestures and facial expressions to the new band as well. When playing, he electrifies and drives other members with vigorous gestures: pointing fingers, nodding, blinking or clenching fists while Robin Verheyen, bassist Nicolas Thys and drummed Antoinne Pierre play music exceeding their “conductor’s” expectations. For example, the fantastic sax link and incredible bass and drum groove in song “Death Ride Through Wet Snow” keep on culminating so you expect Barman’s insistent voice/recital to break into a rock roar… but it doesn’t. This is not dEUS, this is jazz where what roars in the end are musical instruments of four top class musicians. Their catchy tunes acquire an amazing atmosphere of jam-session played by well-coordinated friends. Barman himself also looks for specific atmosphere: “The clubs and jazz fests have been great, but we feel most at home at seriously alternative rock festivals.” We hope that Pohoda 2017 will be a perfect fit for him…