N°103 HOOVERPHONIC - 2 WICKY

Normally it takes a band a few good songs to be promoted as a movie’s title track but not so for Hooverphonic. Founded as just plain ‘Hoover’ they produced their first album in 1995 with a spinning title like A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular. 2 Wicky, one of the singles became a hit and got promoted as main theme for Bernardo Bertolucci’s movie Stealing Beauty. Right after the release of this album Hoover needed to change their name into Hooverphonic because of author rights on the name Hoover. Since then their climb up the international music ladder began.

At the moment Hooverphonic exists of musical genius and fifties and sixties lover Alex Callier, guitar player Raymond Geerts and a stunning Noémie Wolfs on vocals. Noémie is actually the band’s fifth female vocalist. After short periods with three singers Hooverphonic performed with Geike Arnaert between 1997 and 2008. She started with the band after auditioning at the age of seventeen. Later she’d say she had a great time with Alex and Hooverphonic but after ten intense years of success in the business she wanted to go her own way and went solo. It took Alex almost two whole years to find a decent replacement in the person of Noémie Wolfs. With the change Hooverphonic becomes less static on stage with the more extravert Noémie instead of the introvert performances of Geike.

In 2000 the band stands before it’s international breakthrough with the album The Magnificent Tree. It became successful throughout Europe and the USA also helped a hand with their performance during the opening ceremony at the European Football championships in Belgium and the Netherlands that summer. Best known song from that album is ‘Mad About You’. The Magnificent Tree got a pretty good follow up with Jackie Cane in 2002. The title track is also the biggest hit from that record and the album still is my favourite.

Since Alex always tries to re-invent himself their 2005 album (No) More Sweet Music was a bit special. This double album had the same songs twice on each CD but each with a different music style. From this moment on troubles began when they break up with their music company. Alex finds he’s being held ransom when Sony/BMG only wants to release the double CD if they sign up for two more albums. Alex refuses and the international release of No More Sweet Music is being stopped by Sony/BMG. Hooverphonic signs with PIAS and Alex keeps full creative autonomy about the band.

Again a style change for the band in 2007 with the album ‘President Of The LSD Club’ which is a more psychedelic pop album. It would be the last with Geike as lead vocalist. On this one I also have a favourite song called ‘Bohemian Laughter’. After the break up with Geike, Hooverphonic is silenced for quite a while until the release of a new single in October 2010. ‘The Night Before’ with Noémie Wolfs becomes a hit and so does Noémie who skyrockets to stardom. It took Alex two years he said because he wanted a vocalist as strong as Geike and someone who could reach the limit he always sets when performing or producing. It must be said that Noémie easily caries the old songs as well as the new ones into a new Hooverphonic era. Let’s hope she also stays with the band for at least 10 years so Hooverphonic remains a big band as it is now with appearances on CSI Miami, La Femme Nikita or Sex And The City.

If you read the text carefully then you'll know that 2 Wicky is not sung by Geike Arnaert or Noémie Wolfs. This song features one of the three elder vocalists Liesje Sadonius. Wicky by the way is the link with the Wickie The Viking song.