dEUS

dEUS is an alternative rock band from Antwerp, Belgium, formed in 1989. The group’s sound sits within alternative rock, art rock, indie rock and rock, and its songs are mainly sung in English. The band begins with Tom Barman and Klaas Janzoons as the only members from the original line-up still present in later incarnations, and its membership changes frequently over time.

Line-up

The current line-up includes Tom Barman, Klaas Janzoons, Mauro Pawlowski, Alan Gevaert and Stéphane Misseghers. Other members who appear in the band’s history include Kris Dane, Marc Meyers, Stef Kamil Carlens, Oliver Defossez, Mark Willems, Jules De Borgher, Rudy Trouvé, Craig Ward, Danny Mommens, Tim Vanhamel and Bruno De Groote.

Several former members go on to other projects and bands, including Stef-Kamil Carlens with Moondog Jr. and Zita Swoon, Rudy Trouvé with Kiss My Jazz, Danny Mommens with Vive La Fête, Craig Ward with The Love Substitutes, and Jules de Borgher and Tim Vanhamel with Millionaire and solo work. Mauro Pawlowski is also known for solo work and for his earlier band Evil Superstars.

Style and influences

The band draws on a wide range of influences, including Can, Captain Beefheart, Mingus-style jazz, J.J. Cale, Leonard Cohen and the Velvet Underground. Those references feed into a varied catalogue that moves across different forms of rock and experimental music.

Releases

dEUS releases eight studio albums: Worst Case Scenario, In a Bar, Under the Sea, The Ideal Crash, Pocket Revolution, Vantage Point, Keep You Close, Following Sea and How to Replace It. Other releases include My Sister = My Clock and the singles compilation No More Loud Music - The Singles. Erik Drew Feldman and David Bottrill work as producers on the band’s recordings.

Activity and side projects

The band plays its first concert on 20 November 1989. Before Pocket Revolution, dEUS takes a break of more than six years. During that period, Tom Barman focuses on film and writes and directs Anyway the Wind Blows. He also works with CJ Bolland in the project Magnus, which contributes Summer’s Here to the film’s soundtrack.

Place in Belgian rock

dEUS becomes one of the best-known and most influential Belgian rock bands. Its long-running presence, changing membership and broad stylistic range place it as a significant Belgian group within alternative and indie rock.