Here’s how it happened. I was at the gym, mid-set, when Smash Into Pieces came through my earphones. I liked what I heard – so I did what anyone would do and checked whether they had any concerts planned near Brussels. They did. In Antwerp.
One quick message to my significant other. She agreed, though in hindsight, she was probably less excited about a small Swedish rock band than about the prospect of a night in Antwerp. Worth noting: this would be our first overnight trip in Belgium outside of Brussels.
Two concert tickets at €64, train tickets at €19, and a hotel near the station. Was it worth it? I can say with confidence it was worth it for Antwerp alone – especially with my Fujifilm 56mm lens in hand, since my previous visit was shot entirely on an old iPhone 13 mini. The difference in photo quality speaks for itself. The concert, however, is a different story.
But let’s start with food. No fine dining or full English breakfasts – just a proper smash burger, Pierre Marcolini ice cream, and eggs Benedict.
Remember my recent photo walk in Brussels, where I kept telling you to look up? I did much the same in Antwerp. No grand tour of the central square or obligatory church visits – just a leisurely walk, camera in hand, snapping the tops of beautiful buildings.
I’ll admit, I didn’t manage a shot from inside the train station this time. Fortunately, I’d done exactly that on my previous visit.
A few words about the concert. As I mentioned, Smash Into Pieces is a small Swedish rock band with Eurovision ambitions. When they failed to secure a spot this year with Hollow, I was genuinely shocked. Having now heard them live, I completely understand why.
I’ll give them the closing performance of Hollow – the last song of the night, and the one moment where the lead singer delivered clearly enough that you could actually follow the lyrics. The rest, though? Damn.
For the first half of the show, I blamed the sound engineer. I’ll freely admit I know little about sound engineering, but I’m fairly confident the vocals shouldn’t be buried under the bass and guitar to the point where the lyrics become inaudible. Then it clicked – it wasn’t the mix. It was the lead singer. His nasal delivery is the problem. When he sings straight, you catch the words; the moment he shifts into that nasal register, they’re gone. Or at least they were for me. I won’t even get into the audience participation segment.
Live performance doesn’t always match the recordings – I know that. Linkin Park is spectacular live; the same goes for GIMS and Lost Frequencies, my three favourite live acts to date. Where does Smash Into Pieces land? Firmly in the memory box.
Let’s end on a high note – no pun intended.
A beautiful black Mercedes-AMG GT caught my eye. My wife’s Seiko looked stunning in the Antwerp sun. And my Red Bull Racing cap proved itself the perfect companion for a sunny day. I’m completely sold on caps now.
What’s the verdict? Antwerp is a worthy city for a photo walk. Smash Into Pieces is a small Swedish band whose lead singer should approach every song as if Eurovision depended on it.
Kindly,
Olaaf
