BLIMEY!
On cd Blimey! is a one-man-project by Martien van Bergen; The Dutch hometaper takes care of all instruments, vocals and mixdown. His music was described by the press as eclectic superlo-fi pop, magical soundexperiments and arty indie. Names like Moldy Peaches, dEUS, Ween, Syd Barret and The Velvet Underground were mentioned.
In 1998 the Belgian record company 62 TV records released his album Contradictory nature and the struggle within and an EP called Mike and Johnny(Exhibit A) .The songs were recorded on 4 and 8-track in van Bergen's homestudio 'Favourite Room'. The extremely diverse tracks make them courageous and highly interesting pieces of work. Reactions of press and public were quite overwhelming and van Bergen played with his band at several prestigious clubs and festivals in Europe. Soon radio and television appearances followed and Blimey! got national airplay in Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Sweden, France and Canada.
His second full length album Less summer than some (2002) was again difficult to define: van Bergen is influenced by a few decades of popmusic and he is against the grain as far as arrangement and sound are concerned. Despite the diversity, the album was not seen as a mere mishmash; everything is well considered, resulting in a tempting mosaic of sound. Again some tracks got international airplay e.g. in Holland, Belgium, France, Germany and Scotland.
The reviews on the latest album 'When she's in your head' are again great. So be seduced, lying in your favourite armchair, and experience this crazy pop adventure.
Then, Blimey! on stage: Blimey! changes its line-up almost every year, van Bergen being the only constant. One played on big festivals like Lowlands, Crossing Border and Noorderslag. In clubs the band mainly headlined but also supported acts like 22 Pistepirkko, Pere Ubu, Calexico and Zita Swoon. Blimey! played in many European countries. The shows are accompanied by short films made by ESTHER VAN WAALWIJK AND MAUREEN PRINS. An example:
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A SIDE PROJECT OF MARTIEN IS CALLED: THE PET PROJECT. CHECK IT OUT BELOW (CLICK ON PICTURE)...
