By Rick Slagter, Rock At Night Groningen
Live Review: Theater Ossterwijtwerd, Groningen, The Netherlands-August 8, 2020
After a five-month Corona virus break the band, Cochon Bleu, had their first performance at a pop-up theater, Theater Oosterwijtwerd. The theater, which is actually located at a farm, is near Groningen, a city located at the north of The Netherlands.
The Dutch band Cochon Bleu, which was formed near the area in 1994, brings a mix of cajun, zydeco, swamp blues and Americana. Cajun and swamp related music is a little under the surface in the Dutch scene, but it’s flourishing well, probably because of the popularity of the accordion in Dutch folk music. An interesting note on Cochon Bleu is they do not play the traditional cajun repertoire, but actually write original material in the genre, and with their own recognizable spin.
The band released a couple of albums over the years, which have received good reviews by both the press and loyal Cajun fans. Through the years, Cochon Blue has become fan favorites at many Dutch hotspot venues and festivals, like Paradiso Amsterdam and Oerol Terschelling, as well as gaining recognition abroad.
At the moment the band is making a new album, which will be released later in the year. During the Covid lockdown, the band started a project called ‘Cochon Bleu en Quarantaine’. Between March and July, the band released eight home-recorded songs on YouTube.
The show at the farm was in a large barn, Corona-proofed, and equipped with furniture borrowed from the second hand shops nearby. Though there was no option for dancing, Cochon Bleu put on a great performance, and at the end the band said, “This was the best gig and the most remarkable place we have been at in the last five months!”
Rock At Night was there and you can see the photo highlights below:
PHOTO GALLERY
Cochon Bleu is: André Gubbels (drums, triangle, vocals), Henk Gubbels (guitars, mandoline, vocals), Hette Gubbels (guitars, mandoline, vocals), Jeroen de Jong (accordeon, mandoline, vocals).
SPOTIFY
YouTube: Cochon Bleu en Quarantaine
Photographer (concerts, documentary), musician (rock, blues), writer (fiction), straight edger (sober in any sense), dwells underground (alt scene).
Living in the North of The Netherlands, the independent creative area of the country (hotspots are Groningen and Leeuwarden).
- Groningen welcomes back live concerts with cajun band Cochon Bleu - August 18, 2020
- Rock At Night’s first live review since COVID-19 lockdown: Dutch band Avery Plains in Groningen, The Netherlands - August 11, 2020
- Dutch band The Kittyhawk Bomber Billies release debut album after 30 years - February 2, 2020
