Interview breakfast at midnight.
How many performances have you done this year and how many more are planned for 2024? Are there also shows outside Belgium?
We have already had quite a few shows this year. It’s actually been a really good spring so far. In the summer we have slightly less. We still have 2,3, or possibly even four shows in August. And we are now fully booking for the autumn. Abroad, if the Netherlands counts, then yes, one in the Netherlands too. We hope to widen the circuit a bit in the future. Rockwood, for example, is still coming and the rest remains to be seen.
Jakes on air will also be fun. We will probably see each other there again. So there is still something to come.
Your music is difficult to describe or categorize. How do you actually describe the music?
That’s true. It’s always difficult to put a genre on it. We’ve always said in the past, we’re just going to call it alternative rock. But in the end that sounded a bit boring. So we actually gave it its own
name and our own twist, because we mix a little bit of everything together. A lot of lyrics are about human schizophrenia and the like and that’s why we just called it schizo rock. Because we do
a lot of different genres in it. Just like schizophrenia does to a person: a mix of different identities. While we have a mix of different styles. So thats why.
Who or what inspired you to start working as a musician?
gosh, that was a lot. I think it was somewhat along the same lines for us. We started playing together there since junior high school. Some favorite bands and stuff. A little inspiration taken from everything. This
also means that over the years we have learned to discover so many new things and that has ensured that we have also evolved in the meantime.
How should I say it? For me it’s actually been from a young age, this may sound very stupid and very cliché, but my first big idol was Kurt Cobain. Everything that person did on a stage, just without boundaries, without filter, … That kind of performance. That has always inspired me. Nirvana
were my first real big idols for me.
We also started a bit grunge earlier and played a bit more punk for a while and you could hear that in our music; a bit more punk. Or Tool. Tool has been around for a while and we have experimented with it a bit. So we appreciated all those bands we got to know. A bit of the 90’s with a spoonful of salt, with a spoonful of crack, as they mainly did at that time.
Where do you get inspiration from to write songs? Do you write about certain themes?
When I Write Songs. I write very much in the moment. That could be about anything, but what I mainly do for Breakfast at Midnight; I give it all a slightly psychotic twist. So if I just sing about a simple subject like love, that love will take a psychotic turn in the lyrics. So that everything seems a little bit unfiltered.
Yeah plus, we don’t really have a writing process. We’re like: You’re doing that now. Usually, 80% of a song is just: We play something once, make something out of our thumb and so it evolves into a song. By the way, we also have that live. We also make it a sport sometimes to just give one song our own twist live on the go, which is what we did today. Just improvise, on the spot. That’s simply us.
BAM: Is that image or not? No? Isn’t that for the radio?
AMC: No. Yes, I’m going, I’m a flag, right? I have no picture.
BAM: You have no image. Yes, image is everything. Yes, then we are at the End. Yes, sorry, can I catch up on everything here?
No, where had we gone?
Yes, we always make it a sport, live, to improvise something in a song. If we have the time for that. When we play a long set… And whatever it is, we record it and then they become songs afterwards. Yeah, and then we come back home and we say ah yeah, that was cool and that’s how it evolves into a song. So it’s not like some bands, like okay here are the parts or we’re going to repairs. For us, this simply happens on the spot Ordinary. That is the advantage that there are only two of us at any given time, and also because we have been playing together for 15 years, we feel that there is something really musically mysterious about it and at the same time very good.
How did you two end up together? How did you actually meet each other?
Um, I… With school, huh. First secondary school in Westerlo. And um, in the beginning we were actually… In the beginning we couldn’t handle each other. And eventually we found out from each other, “ah you play the drums, ah you play the guitar?” And suddenly it clicked.
Yeah, and then it was like okay let’s just play something. And then, agreed and no real rehearsal yet, because that wasn’t necessary yet, and then we start jamming, oh, oh, oh that clicks well. And then let’s try this and that and then the question came from, uh, what’s the name of the camp, an annual school camp. Say, would you like to play there?
And that’s how it started. First we started with some covers, with one of our own songs, but then we went to: Oh no, we’re not going to do covers anymore. And that’s how it evolved. And that’s how it went. But then we have also had other formations over the years. We still made a choice, so we had a bass player with us. Another extra guitarist. And that was it,
half covers, half original songs. And then in the end we ended up with two again and decided: we will stay with two.
Well chosen we think, right?
Well. everything for fifteen years now.
Yeah, so… That’s crazy actually.
Time flies. Who are you actually? (Laughs) Time flies.
What is your opinion of the music world about the current rock/metal scene?
Yes, I love the modern rock/metal scene. I’m actually secretly a bigger fan of modern metal compared to classic, 80’s rock
and metal. But that is very personal. I know a lot of people are probably going to look at me strangely when I say that. such
a prayer of metal from the 90’s to now is more my thing than actually real classic metal. That is very personal.
Yes, I think the same. And I also like those more modern sounds and stuff. Now everything is more polished and tighter. And what I am technically also, is that you just look at that. LOL, licked tight and all, keep it tight, I like chaos. Together it becomes one thing, right? Yes, voilà, voilà.
Do you have any other musical projects or activities outside of this band?
I have another solo project under my own name Sten Veiths. I will hopefully record my first single with it in August. Suddenly three songs and then releasing a first single. So that’s a little bit… I don’t know when it’s going to be there, but I hope soon.
And I am also currently writing and working on projects with various musicians. But I’m not going to say too much about that yet. There are many other things going on, none of which have a name yet, so… You’ll see, you’ll see. But I am… I can never stop writing and I also like being able to just generally write different styles, different ideas, different concepts,
different projects,…. But of course, Breakfast at Midnight is what it’s all about. That’s the core.
I don’t have time for it. When I’m not playing, I’m mixing so…
It’s a pretty good one. Yes Yes Yes Yes.
Yes. the guilty pleasures. Oh fuck here we go.
Wow, that counts. Imagine Dragons is good. I think Imagine Dragons is a film that is very dign… For me, those are really the classics of the 80s and 90s. Phill Collins, Aha,… I love it.
Aha! Yes, those things.
Yes Yes, those are not guilty pleasures. I don’t think Disco and new are guilty pleasures. A real guilty pleasure, I would say that I secretly don’t think it’s that bad. Sia. I actually don’t think Sia is that bad. I think that’s crazy, but that’s from
Chandelier and all… That is a very well-known song, but I went through what he has already written and then you will find out something… That is quite a crazy artist.
So yeah, nothing is a guilty pleasure for me. The music is good, the music is not good, that is of course personal.
That’s a personal appeal.
You see that he plays a lot and adjusts a lot.
Does the artist life actually appeal to you?
That is a difficult question. If you have had the hope of earning, you should not become an artist.
I can say that.
It also goes in degrees. It depends a bit on where you stand. It’s just important that you enjoy doing it and then everything will work out fine. But you certainly shouldn’t expect to actually earn a living from it. Because the music world is not the place to be these days to really earn big. That’s very difficult. But you do it for the passion.
Also. Exactly. So, basically take whatever you can get. And for the rest, just play the best show you can. That you are now standing in front of five people. Five thousand men. You just put your heart and soul into the show. And what comes, comes. And that’s kind of how we are set up. We can play in a café one day and at a festival like here the next. And we give three hundred percent. We play in sweat and then you know: That was a good show. Even though there were five people. We come off stage and then I see them leave with a satisfied look.
Nice. That was a good one. And that’s just the key to the music world. Just throw passion and your soul into it, and what comes, comes and then you’ll see.
That’s spoken. Nothing to add.
Do you have any specific rituals before you go on stage?
Light stress I really think so. Yes, I really think so.
For me it is just mild stress for a few days, but it remains very controlled and underlying.
For me that is not stress. No stress until two hours before a show. And then it begins. Then you really start wandering around the backstage. Every corner of the room. But actually that’s not a bad thing to think about rituals for once. We have those stresses. Thinking about rituals? Like
candles in a pentagram then?
Yeah right. No, that’s not necessary at all!
You never know, but we’re not going to venture into that yet.
And what future plans do you all have for the band? For this year or next year?
As much as possible. Do not give up. The dreams are simply that the festivals become a little bigger every year. In the last three years we have actually felt a growth. It’s slow growth But it’s growth. So we just hope to keep this growth going. just see where we get. A Little addition to the strangest times We give everything we have and we’ll see what comes.
But with a healthy drive we want to get there within as much time as possible. And we’ll see. So we won’t pass it up. But we’re like, okay, those are goals. And we’ll see what comes. Exactly. So for the short term we are looking to just keep writing new music, keep releasing it. Just keep promoting. Appreciating a show. And just go.
What if you could choose a certain artist or band to play with on tour?
That won’t be much then. We have to be realistic in terms of genre, otherwise I would say Tool. But that’s not going to happen for a while. No, that’s a good question. Oh well. I don’t know, do you?
What we have said a few times already. Which might be feasible one day. That’s a John Coffey, for example. From The Netherlands. John Coffey indeed leans fairly hard on our genre.
Yes and when we talk about a big band. Then what we also covered today. Queens of the Stone Age. Would also be very nice. Yes. Also just a band that has that raw element to it. For example The Foo Fighters Why the f not. Just here in Europe, would also be very nice. Big dreams man. Big dreams.
And finally we would also like to congratulate you on your new CD. Can you tell us something about that?
Merci.Thank you. Thank you. The CD is called Tragic Familiar Happiness. He actually mainly works with subjects. Yes the theme is lust. In which we are actually going to look at lust in which I glorify myself in lust. In another song I break lust. And yet another song is lust. It kind of turns me into a psychopath. It’s always about lust. And then you are the tragic, Recognizable, kind of happiness. But a kind of happiness that you sometimes dare to get from the bad. Whatever it could be. And I think that’s something that people. Dare to act in both big ways and small ways. Glorifying evil in their daily lives. And keep ramming.And sometimes it takes the bad to really realize the good. And actually being able to see better. If you don’t dare to embrace the bad, then sometimes it is the difference between what is good and what is bad. So it’s good that you embrace that sometimes. Forge while the iron is hot. Yes. It is that. And if I drink a little less.
Is that the target for 2025?
Of course not!
No, 2025 Just keep on blasting.
Sure, sure. Trying to maintain an upward trend and just hoping for connections or opportunities after next year to try to get into the festival environment. For example, Rockwood.
We had a good chance there because we also know someone from there. Who has been supporting us since Humo’s Rockrally that we had back then. The Roland Sporen He came to see us during the preliminary rounds and since then he has continued to follow and support us and he is now part of it, and he said, men, look here is the opportunity. He has really given us a lot of chances.
People like that embrace it and see what comes next. So now a Rockwood or something, those are the next steps, and then live with hope. Today we heard: “Hey, aren’t you playing at Graspop yet!?” That’s the dream. I wish it was true. Graspop is the dream But yes. Maybe one day an Alcatraz or something…
Just the festival environment. We are happy with a smaller festival, but of course the higher you can aim, the cleaner. For example, we also think of Rock Herk. Correct! And Retie rock, or a Clamotte rock, all from around here. These are the slightly smaller festivals. And then of course the bigger one. A Pukkelpop. A Grass Doll. Still the craziest dream for me. Because I have the feeling that I partly grew up at Graspop. So uh. I would want that. Fact What that is equal to a home match that we could play at Graspop. We’ve been going to Graspop for about 14 years, so after 14, 15 years that would be absolutely insane. Plus, being on the other
side of the stage.
Every year we go we meet people who we meet and who know us or have already seen us, and then we get the comment: “Come on, isn’t that true this year?” That is frustrating because we always have to say: “Sorry, but not this year.” And we encounter that every year.
And we’re like, that’s good to hear, but we say: “Okay, what if that couldn’t work? to grow. And we’ll see.
Voila. I’m through all the questions. Anything else you would like to say or share?
That everyone is beautiful. And be sure to check us out at the next show.
