Belgian rock

Belgian rock is rock music from Belgium. It was originally inspired by rock and roll music from America and the United Kingdom in the 1960s, but later evolved to be influenced by other genres including alternative rock and electronic music.

Rock and roll began emerging in Belgium as in many other European countries in the sixties, a few years after the commercial breakthrough of Elvis Presley. Many ballroom orchestras were then to find in the whole country, mostly covering or mimicking international rock bands like The Shadows or The Beatles. Some of them became famous after releasing original (although strongly inspired) compositions, like "The Cousins" (Kiliwatch, 1960), "The Jokers" (Cecilia, 1963), "The Shakespears" (Shake it over, 1965), "The Pebbles" (Seven horses in the sky, 1968), "The Wallace Collection" (Daydream, 1969). Other noticeable artist have evolved from previously well established musical genres, including blues and folk like the Antwerps protest singer "Ferre Grignard" (Ring Ring, Drunken Sailor, 1966).

After this "mimicing" rock and roll era, indie rock band like TC Matic or De Kreuners, and many punk rock-dark wave like "Nacht und Nebel", "The Paranoiacs" and Siglo XX meet significant audience, starting to release songs in their mother language. Some (like the "eurorock" band Machiavel and the pop/punk singer Plastic Bertrand) were also managed in a more commercial approach.

Raised in 1981 in the noise genre Antwerp houses the pioneer band Club Moral. As in most northern Europe countries, the hard rock–metal scene has its first icons with "Kleptomania" and "Irish Coffee".

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