Subterranean Street Society released their new album ‘Out Of Skin, Into Bloom’, and are celebrating with a headline tour through their home country of the Netherlands. It made for the perfect excuse for me to plan a trip home.
Their show at Paard, Den Haag, aligned with my schedule, so I flew over and giddy with excitement arrived at a venue I’d made many many memories in over the years. The room, the people, the energy in the air, I soaked it all in, and it left me with a beaming smile throughout the evening.
We’ve been working together for 4,5 years, since the release of their single ‘One And A Half Man Tent’, and we’ve been growing together ever since. They are a big part of the professional I am today. And because I believe that you only truly know what you’re working with until you’ve seen a band live, I will always make the effort to be at a show at least once a year. With Subterranean Street Society one show a year is nowhere near enough, and their set is never ever long enough either.
They went through the motions, exploding into guitar-driven frenzies, carrying parts of the drumkit into the audience, performing on soapboxes, fully unplugged, and baring their soul on and off stage. It’s an out of body experience, not just to the band. For me, as someone in the audience, it was a roller coaster, an open heart operation, a revelation, a surprise from beginning until the end, and I’ve seen the band before.
Throughout the night I kept thinking “this is my life, how bloody lucky am I?!”. Subterranean Street Society are part of the reason I am still here, running LLIVELY Music, to shout about the music I know is worth believing in. Not just because of the musicality, but the message, the heart, the soul, and the people behind it. This is what life is about, to connect through music, kindness, and above all else, love.
Photos by Rene Rosierse
