Tom Barman - vocals, guitar Craig Ward - guitar, vocals Danny Mommens - bass Julle De Borgher - drums Klaas Janzoons - violin
dEUS, founded in '91 by Tom Barman en Stef Kamil Carlens, only shapes up a few months after the Rock Rally finale '92. The band tours twice through Spain, and there they build the foundations for een ontypically own sound. In their own country Belgium they get a lot of gigs among which a few remarkable preshows: Walkabouts, Père Ubu, X-Legged Sally, twice Bettie Serveert, The Ex, Tom Cora, Freedy Johnston and a shared gig whit Burma Shave in Namur. In the beginning of '93 dEUS records the Maxi CD "Zea" in own management but assisted in production by topmusicians Peter Vermeersch and Pierre Vervloesem (known from a.o. X-Legged Sally, Maximalist!, Bill Laswell, Flat Earth Society and others).
"Zea" is received enthoustiastically by the national press and has regular airplay at Update and the Waalse Radio 21. A month after the release of the Maxi CD dEUS signs a contract with Waalse independent BANG! which immediately presses a second relesae (sold out) Maxi CD's. The policy of BANG! aims specially at the international market. In november the group dives back into the studio , agin with Vermeersch and Vervloese, for the recordings of their first full lenght CD. Abroad the reactions are positive, a couple of live-recordings for the show Villa 65 (VPRO - Dutch), but the interest from England where dEUS has a lot of airplay at the BBC (a.o. een live-session with Steve Lemacq) and around 15 gigs at The Garage, The Marquee and the Glastonbury-festival. In February they have the Belgian release of their first CD: "Worst Case Scenario".
In the middle of JunedEUS signs with the English Island to take care of the European release of "Suds & Soda" (2nd maxi) in the middle of July, WCS follows 10th Octobre. In the summer of '94 dEUS plays at the campingfestival of T/W, Dour, Pukkelpop, Reading and Lowlands.
A sold-out Dutch Tour in Octobre '94 and an enthousiastic response to WCS of several foreing magazines follows.
"Suds & Soda" gets a 'buzzbin' at MTV and also "Via" receives regelar airplay, besides it held the Number 1 spot for 10 weeks in Studio Brussels Afrekening. Four ZAMU Awards and an MTV-nomination for 'breakthrough' close '94 together with Julle's fractured heel.
In '95 dEUS releases "My Sister = My Clock", a collage of individual projects of the five members. dEus also tours throughout Europa for 6 months, and in this period they visit seventeen countries for all the big European festivals. After the last concert at Lowlands August '95, dEUS will stay of the stage for 8 months.
Tom recently directed the videoclip Arno's "Les Yeux de Ma Märe", after he did 3 clips of dEUS and the clip of Axelle Red "Le Monde Tourne Mal".
In the meantime Tom continues on "General Electrique". He has already finished a studioproject with this group and with them he has already maked the music for a short movie of Frank Devos in '94. Their first gig was in the Brussels Beursschouwburg, together with Peter Vermeersch en Pierre Vervloesem.
Recently they released In a Bar, Under the Sea on the Bang/Island label. They got 3 stars for this CD in the Belgian magazine Panorama. The critic writes:
"dEUS makes the kind of records that you immediately think of "But listen and judge for yourself" as the final sentence of your review. Personnally I can make as much positive as negative remarks with each track from the second album of the Antwerp rock-pride. They don't care for the unwritten rules, they implant annoying bits in their songs, they recut lyrics and compositions in a deconstructive way: an se it deserves all credit. The only thing I miss is the carrying-away, penetrating magic that made Sonic Youth one of the Big Experimentals in the eighties. Just like the dEUS-debut Worst Case Scenario this record hangs loose with good findings, exciting moments and catchy atmospheres, while you search in vain for real catchy songs.
Source: http://users.compaqnet.be/antwerpmusic/deus/bioeng.htm
