The Names (with strings), The Wake, Biting Tongues, Section 25 (with Beth Cassidy) and A Certain Ratio (without Denise Johnson) tore it up late into the Brussels night at Plan K (La Raffinerie) the former sugar refinery in the wilds of Molenbeek on Saturday night.

A hitch with the lighting meant that the doors opened late. Fortunately those waiting outside were eventually let at least into the lobby so they didn't freeze to death in the creeping Brussels winter. Once inside everyone warmed up with James Nice's "black and white art film", Umbrellas in the Sun, turned monochrome specially for the evening.

The main bands were ably supported by the Kevin Cummins / Graham Massey A/V presentation of Manchester Looking for the Light through the Pouring Rain, Re:Order, and DJs Graham Massey, Tom Moderne, plus much more.

Copious (rather too much in some cases) amounts of beer were purchased quite literally with (yellow) beer tokens and drunk with abandon. Various stalls plyed their wares including James Nice's LTM, Parklife, gig posters, and second hand records.

Big Cerysmatic shouts to Caesar, Philippe Carly, Vin Cassidy, Kevin Cummins & Susan Ferguson, DoJo, Frédéric Cotton, Jez Kerr, Marc and Michel from The Names, Mark Rutter, Graham Massey, (The Real) Mathieu, Bruce Mitchell, Mr Moscrop, Liam Mullan, Norbert Dewender, James Nice, Paul Pledger & Ameta, Tony Quigley, Iain Smedley, Ronald & Anya klein Tank and Hans Joerg Zopp (and anyone else who knows me).

And finally, a big apology to the lovely lady in the upstairs bar for taking those tasty sandwiches. However, seeing as this was the only thing we ate all night it turned out to be a good move!

The event page will be updated idc but in the meantime:

- discuss on the Cerysmatic Factory Message Board

- check out my photos on Facebook (viewable even if you don't have a Facebook account).

- read Paul Pledger's review at allgigs.co.uk.

- read Caroline Dunski of LeSoir.be's review (in French) of the night featuring photographs by Philippe Carly.

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ACR setlist: Choir/Waterline, Do The Du, Wild Party, And then again, Flight, Mind Made Up, Heart and Soul, Forced Laugh, Feel Light / Fox, Wonder Y, Knife Slits Water, Shack Up, Si Fir Mir

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Biting_Tongues, Factory_Records, Graham_Massey, Kevin_Cummins, poster, Section_25, The_Names, The_Wake

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