Tramhaus live with Neighbours Burning Neighbours and Texoprint. Paradiso Amsterdam, Wednesday 2 October 2024

Photo: Wout de Natris

"Rotterdam, make it happen", Tramhaus singer Lukas Jansen sang triumphantly and the whole of Amsterdam's pop temple Paradiso sang along with him. "Love's, not a competition but I'm winning", Ricky Wilson of Kaiser Chiefs sang on the band's debut album. Neither music is, but it was veni, vidi, vici, the whole of the way for Tramhaus, and for the two Rotterdam bands supporting also by the way.

It is one and a half year ago I saw Tramhaus live for the first time. From what I remember, what I saw, was a band aspiring to become bigger but with a lot to learn where stage presence, self-confidence and swagger were concerned. Drawing out an intro, for effect and building up the tension, is only done by bands that know they will pull it off. Take one guess. Presently all that and more is there, complemented by even stronger songs, recently released on debut album 'The First Exit'. In other words, Tramhaus is ready to take on Europe and it will in the coming months.

This Paradiso show, the launch of the album and the kick off of the tour, was one I really wanted to be present at. For one, I wanted to see for myself how good the band has become through playing in the past year and because the band is not on view in NL until the spring of 2025. If this does not show the ambition of the band, what does? For fans and professionals, this was the show to be. Tramhaus delivered. The band gave a perfect show to match expectations and in my humble opinion more so. 

Lukas Jansen for an ex-drummer has transformed himself not only into a singer but also in a charismatic frontman. He really fronts the band, doses the use of his voice and gets the crowd going at the right moments. The two guitarists weave and weave and weave their parts. No matter how against the grain some notes may be, they always complement each other or even taking over parts and musically end at the opposite of where they started. They truly compliment each other. There is no lead or rhythm guitarist in Tramhaus, they are both and sometimes both at the same time. Nadya van Osnabrugge and Micha Zaat are well on their way to become one of the great guitar duos of The Netherlands ever.

Photo: Wout de Natris

The rhythm section stands ready to play complex rhythms in support of the weirder guitar notes. A look is enough to start Julia Vroegh and Jim Luijten off. When I read recently that Vroegh had never played a bass before joining the band, I was truly in awe. She must be a natural alright.

Based on 'The First Exit', an album that is a truly great debut album, showing that all the songs released before were exercises towards the big push, my expectations were high. Tramhaus showed so much progress in all ways, that my expectations were not only met but totally surpassed. If music were a competition, the only Dutch band in their league in 2024 is Personal Trainer. Tramhaus, where post punk is concerned, whatever that really means, is near the top if not on it.

Photo: Wout de Natris

Texoprint was a new name to me. It was exactly the right band to open the evening. Climb on stage, rummage around a little, kick in the fuzz pedal or something resembling it of the bass guitar and go. All enthusiasm, no holding back, perhaps a little in awe of an already well-filled Paradiso but bluffing their way out of it by playing a good show. With a singing drummer, a huge bass and a guitar that was shredding the venue to pieces regularly, the band did well and caught the ear of the listeners in the right sense. (Literally, there was no escaping the noise, which says nothing about audience participation.) Texoprint is a junior version of A Place To Bury Strangers. The kind that doesn't nail me to the wall to cover me with the wall paper and stomp on my ears without stopping. Not every song was good in my ears, but most were and certainly the softer song near the end worked well, making the storm that came before and ended it all the more impressive. Yes, a good show.

Photo: Wout de Natris

I'm sorry to say that I was disappointed by Neighbours Burning Neighbours and impressed at the same time. Unfortunately, I found that the music did not touch me. The music did not make me want to move. Next to that I found the band extremely confrontational and non-compromising musically. It was more in my face than I could handle live. On the other hand, as I wrote I was impressed. The way the band played the most outlandish rhythms and executed them fully in sync, while all sorts of notes were played on top, below, in between and where not in response to each other, all patted by accents on drums and bass, left me almost panic stricken remembering how much trouble I had playing the 'Radar Love' intro riff in sync with bass and drum the night before. And that's just counting from 1 to 8 each time. How do you practice something Neighbours Burning Neighbours seems to pull off with ease? I saw the concentration it takes. It doesn't come by itself. So, in the end, I came out of the show in a positive way. What surprised me, is the fact that the music did not get to me. The album did and I looked forward to hear it live.

Just one comment on the side. This is a music blog and not about politics. We are totally in agreement on Gaza, but mentioning 7 October and not reference the 1200 people slaughtered that day at a festival and in their homes, which when all is said and done started the extreme catastrophe in Gaza, is wrong.

That said, Rotterdam came and won this Wednesday and when Feyenoord won in the Champions League as well, all was well. To sum up, if Tramhaus manages to set the next step in the next months, the world will be their oyster. The band is that good.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

You can order the music at Subroutine Records' website:

https://subroutine.nl/