So it was with great anticipation that I travelled to Rotterdam, to visit the intimate theatre Walhalla in the old red light district Katendrecht.
Walhalla was new to me, and I had to look for it. But as my search took me past the Fenix loods, with a new food market, I didn't mind at all. What a nice venue. And they do wonderful fresh organic potato chips.
Walhalla turned out to be tiny. As singer Digna Janssen remarked: she was almost in my lap (she said 'on my lip', which is a Dutch expression meaning the same).
It was sold out, and chilly. But the atmosphere quickly turned to pretty hot, from the enthusiasm of the public.
Jodymoon, with new addition Annelieke Marselje on violin, started with a song from their new album. They played quite a few of the new songs, but many of my old favourites as well.
And... was I disappointed? Not at all! Digna Janssen is very sure of her voice, and has the ability to make it whisper or soar at will. And Johan Smeets, accomplished guitar player that he is, oozed fun and made his solos breathtakingly moving. Add Marie-José Didderen's cello and the violin for drama and you have a heady mix.
It's hard to catch the feel of Jodymoon's music into words. Quality pop music comes close, but the word 'pop' is far too shallow in my opinion. This is nowhere and never close to any middle of the road pop music. But not heavy, either.
I heard a man behind me (by the way: there was a very large women content in the audience; could it be that Jodymoon appeals to women more?) remark that he was surprised that it wasn't sombre. Due to the use of a cello he had expected heavy stuff, apparently.
The concert set me alight, and I left Walhalla glowing with delight. And vowing that I would start practicing the guitar again, straight away.
What a pity that Maastricht is 3 hours driving from my hometown!
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