Loose but tight

- Bas Luijten -


The Haarlem-based progressive rock band 5bridgeS has been operating with the current line-up since the autumn of 2005. The name refers to the impressive body of work created by Keith Emerson. Five men use five staves to build a bridge to the nineteen seventies, the decade in which craftsmanship was still permitted to be warm, original and somewhat frayed at the edges. 5bridgeS creates that sound, with Hammond organ grooves, a driving rhythm section, a guitarist who knows that less is more and a vocalist/multi-intrumentalist with a voice infused with nostalgia and bel canto.

‘Fun is paramount,’ says singer Piet Roelofsen. ‘It is fantastic to arrange the music collectively. It is even cooler to get on stage and rock the audience. And be honest. How can you expect the audience to enjoy itself if you are not absolutely into what you are doing?’ We love performing, and it shows!

Photograpy: Willem Klopper (www.willemklopper.nl)

Piet, guitarist Enzo Gallo and keyboard player Luke d’Araceno are firmly rooted in classical music. The rhythmic duo of Martin Thoolen – a total symphomaniac – and the rocker Rob van der Linden lay a solidly groovy foundation for the soloists. ‘Layered music with rough edges is my thing,’ says Enzo. ‘Those who want to dance can get down and boogie, and those who like to listen are more than happy,’ clarifies Luke.

Party
5bridgeS does more than just perform its repertoire. It is also working on the concept album The Thomas tracks, based on Rob’s new novel – De handelingen van Thomas – which will be published by the Querido publishing house. ‘That is not a new experiment,’ explains the author/drummer. ‘I wrote the libretto for an operetta on the basis of my second novel Het logboek van Brandaan: The Brendan notes. It was recorded on CD and enclosed with the book. The fact that the composer used a great many studio musicians meant that it was impossible to play the piece live. With The Thomas Tracks we have control of everything.’

‘The progress that we are making gives me a real kick says,’ says Martin, ‘and the best thing about it is that playing generates more energy than it consumes. We really made a party of it with the audience at the annual Yes fan club day in Eindhoven. Fantastic!’

The guys are ready. Four compositions from The Thomas tracks are on the demo, the live repertoire is finished and the studio beckons.

Contact
For reservations and more information, call Enzo Gallo (+31 23 542 6983) or Martin Thoolen (+31 72 509 0705) or e-mail to info@5bridges.nl. You can also find current information, photos and audio clips on our web site.