Records With History And Future

In March 1978 there was a Punk contest in Belgium. The winner would have the chance to record their work and release a record. So it happened. Many bands had the chance to display their performance and play their music during a contest of two days. Their performance was judged and given a score by several members of a jury. Contest organizer was Jan Cabooter.

The Punk and or New Wave bands needed to fill out an application form and write a motivation letter. Based on this application form the organizer allowed or refused the bands. Twenty-one bands joined the competition and five bands were refused. There was made up a list of conditions. Reasons for refusal could be that the band couldn’t bring their own instruments to play. Or that they were too late to apply. Or that they did not want to pay the money to enter the contest. Or they couldn’t attend one of the two days.

Refused bands:

• KEFS (Jambes)
• Stage Beast (Oostende)
• The Breakers (Hoeilaart)
• The Guts (Brussel)
• Huguette et ses rats volants (aka Thrills) (Bruxelles)

All those who did enter signed a contract with conditions. Several conditions were added to the contract. Not being signed to another label, agreeing that their live performance recording would be released on the live compilation distributed in Belgium and international countries, that their rights would be validated by SABAM, that their songs needed to be original and no covers, …

On Saturday 18 March there were ten bands that played every half hour:

• Trampolino (Gent)
• Stress (Liège)
• The Passengers (Bruxelles)
• Doctor Dada & The Containers (Hoboken)
• The Safety (Mons)
• Cell 609 (Liège)
• Back Lavatory (Namur)
• Dachau Dollies (Gent – Brussel)
• Ablasnief Kruxzz (Bruxelles)
• Juiceheads (Ellezelles)

On Sunday 19 March there were eleven bands that played every half hour:

• Belgium (Leuven)
• Heavy Capucino & The Flying Stucas (Marchin)
• Streets (Bruxelles)
• Spermicide (Bruxelles)
• Les Tueurs de la Lune De Miel (Bruxelles)
• Burk (Doornik)
• BOF (Kettenis)
• The Razors (Namur)
• Modern World (Bruxelles)
• Mad Virgins (Bruxelles)
• The P.I.G.Z. (Kortrijk)

The jury had the following members; Ann Aerts, Jan Theys, Bert Betrand, Gilles Verlant, Peter de Groot, Elizabeth Van der Wielen and some Marc, who’s family name I can’t read. Five of them gave a score from zero to ten for each band on each day. So scores are out of fifty points maximally.

Contest ranking results:

1. P.I.G.Z.
2. Passengers
3. Mad Virgins
4. Cell 609
5. Modern World
6. Heavy Capucino and the Flying Stucas
7. Doctor Dada & The Containers
8. Stress
9. Trampolino
10. Dachau Dollies
11. Juiceheads
12. Les Tueurs De La Lune De Miel
13. Streets
14. Black Lavatory
15. Belgium
16. The Safety
17. Burk
18. The Razors
19. BOF
20. Ablasnief Kruxzz
21. Spermicide

The highest score was for the P.I.G.Z. from Kortrijk. So they got to enter the studio and release a twelve inch ep later in 1978. JW’s Records released this P.I.G.Z. record⁽²⁾.

Also a compilation LP was created with the live performances played during the contest also on the label of the promotor; JW’s Records⁽²⁾.

The archives of the First Belgian Punk Contest are publicly available. We choose not to display all of it. But we display only the written sources⁽¹⁾. It’s the intent to show the scale and the level of activity of the Belgian Punk scene in the late seventies. And to give some leads concerning a part of the actual bands that made up this scene. The twenty-one contesters are estimated on half of the total of active bands in 1978 approximately⁽³⁾. I suggest you check Discogs or YouTube if you want to learn more about the discography or hear their music.

Further facts, details and actual anecdotes will be published in a book in the future… Is in the making. The book will have hundreds of photo’s and tons of interviews with all people involved in the contest. The work in progress title for the book is; “Bloody Belgium – De Punkexplosie In België 1976 – 1979”. Already ten years in the making.

It’s also meant to stress the fact that the eighties and nineties scenes that followed, with bands like Zyklome A, Rise Above, Congress and Liar (to name only a few) found their foundations in this first wave of Belgian Punk. The combination of the particular message, criticism and this type of music were never before seen on this scale and ignited the spark for future bands and generations.

And now B64 Records released three P.I.G.Z. songs of the 12 inch ep. Together with the previously unreleased soundboard recordings of the contest performance and the also previously unreleased demo recordings from 1977, before the contest. This extended reissue record exists on four vinyl colours; pink, clear, black and white. The white vinyl has got a screen printed die hard sleeve. Each colourway is out of hundred copies. There are also twenty-five test pressings.

Be sure to read the article of Cell 609 as well and get to know the view upon the contest of this band as well… it’s on the cover of their reissue. There was chaos as well.

Sources:
⁽¹⁾ The content of this post is based on the actual analogue archives of the show organizer; Jan Cabooter. From which we don’t show all scans. Archives are kept safe by Dirk Michiels of Punk Etc.
⁽²⁾ Discogs .com
⁽³⁾ Ronny Wijnant