The Maureens live. JVC De Schuit, Katwijk Saturday 18 January 2018

Acoustic: photo Wo.

A new album is coming soon. In four weeks time, 15 February, The Maureens will present 'Something In The Air' in Tivoli and I can tell from visiting two of the four shows The Maureens gave in De Schuit the album at a minimum must be promising. One beautiful popsong after another was presented to me in a venue I did not recognise at all.

Although it is somewhere in the previous decade I think I visited Katwijk for a pop show last. Cracker, travelling in a dreamliner the size bands filling stadiums travel in, filled everything in front of De Schuit. There's a whole new stage nowadays. Quite nice for a village the size of Katwijk.

The Maureens played here as part of a festival called Warm Winter Fest. A, quite smelly, oil drum fire provided the heat on a real winter evening. Three acoustic shows were played in the bar area of which I saw the final one. New songs and old favourites were played. An acoustic guitar, one electric and only small percussive instruments. Three voices looking for every harmony possible within a tune and finding them, with such ease.

Electric: Photo Wo.

Something has changed between previous album 'Bang The Drum' (2015) and now. Three members of the band left and were replaced only by bass player and co-singer Wouter Zijlstra. This obviously changed the whole dynamics within the band. The Jayhawks' standard of the Louris - Olsen tandem in singing has been left behind. Now there is one voice main voice, Hendrik-Jan de Wolff's. Also the role of guitarist Martijn Vink has totally changed. With a Peter Visser enthusiasm he now plays for three: filling the spaces of a guitar, the keyboard and himself. This allows him to explore songs near endlessly with melodies, fills and effects, while enjoying himself and thus the audience, tremendously. At the same time The Maureens has become more direct. A dynamic accent in a song is easier to reach with four than with six men playing. The at times three piece harmonies are still in place and are so enjoyable.

The Maureens mach 3 is a band to go and see for everyone who likes perfect pop music. The Beatles influenced, with U.S. elements like the already mentioned The Jayhawks thrown in for good measure and with Dutch pop from the 60s onwards to top things off. Together with Maggie Brown this is my favourite Dutch pop band.

Photo Wo.

I felt truly honoured that after the show I was presented an album in person. So it is time to stop writing and start listening. If the show is anything to go by, it is going to be a pleasure.

Wo.

You can listen to and buy The Maureens' music here:

https://themaureens.bandcamp.com/


or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g