The lead singer of the Belgian indie band Balthazar becomes a dark melancholic with his solo project Warhaus.
Marten Devoldere performs his songs plaintively as Warhaus. The singer has now lowered his voice by half an octave. The comparison with Leonard Cohen or Nick Cave is unavoidable. Also in terms of the sluggish and haunting sound. His duet partner Sylvie Kreusch sings in the background. She left the successful Belgian electropop band Soldier's Heart for him.
Eroticism is in the air. Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin would have enjoyed the electrifying duet. Sexual coquetry, interpersonal encounters and decadence are the themes of the debut album. The album title "We Fucked a Flame into Being" is taken from the romance novel "Lady Chatterley's Lover". The book by D. H. Lawrence from the 1920s is notorious for its erotic permissiveness.
Marten and Sylvie are supported live by two other musicians. They complete Warhaus to form a great whole. The current tour takes the band from Belgium to Holland, France, England and finally Switzerland. The plan to do their own thing after three successful Balthazar records at home seems to be working.
