People Overreacting To My Behaviour. Bongloard

A message that reached me recently cut short at Bongl. Has Bongley Dead released a new record after five years?, I thought and did it manage to have it announced through Mattan Records? I felt glad for the talented Italian band. Now what are chances that another band starts its name with five letters forming Bongl? Enter Utrecht's Bongloard.

With its recently released debut album People Overreacting To My Behaviour of POTMB Bongloard stirred up my ears and mind no little. A place on this blog was secured near immediately. This is no overreaction but well deserved.

On POTMB Bongloard presents a well-balanced mix of grunge and alternative (psychedelic) rock with a good feel for pop melodies. You will have heard this kind of music before, of course. The blasé however are bound to miss out on the fun. The Utrecht band is enthusiastic as contemporary Belgian band Ramkot and timeless at the same time as fellow Utrechters Beachdog.

The enthusiasm is what caught my attention first. Bongloard knows how to catch its energy in a recording. I can imagine them going all out like this on a stage. Is it possible to survive more bursts of energy than already on the record? At the same time I noticed that the band builds that energy around songs. Effect and quality are fully in balance. When the foot does go off the pedal, like in 'Dream', Bongloard presents a perfect mix between 'Polly' and 'Pinball Wizard' and convinces no little in this resting point on POTMB.

Bongloard is a trio, Jannes van Kaam, Ties Bogers en Jan van Asch. It presented itself on a wider stage during the 'Popronde' of 2019, where it was widely booked. Not much longer the band was two years older and wiser, like most of the world. The time was well used as POTMB shows. The songs are from two different periods and writing sessions. The music has a few sides to itself. You can here a song in the best Canshaker Pi tradition, another rocks like Beachdog does, psychedelic rock like Pornographic Porn Crumpets is good at can be found but also Jan Akkerman in The Hunters style guitar playing, without the Russian gimmick. Bongloard certainly dips a careful toe into the 60s but in general the influences do not go back further than 1991 and 'Nervermind'. Add some of the better Britpop and all that Dutch alternative rock bands are good at, some dissonance, and you have the first part of Bongloard. The second is that enormous amount of energy. The combination is unbeatable. A festival organisation not booking this band better start opening its ears.

Seen from this angle, People Overreacting To My Behaviour serves up nothing new. I can only conclude that with the album Bongloard presents itself in an ideal way. People Overreacting To My Behaviour is an exciting album from beginning to end. My only remaining questions is: what happened to Bongley Dead?

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