Doomed Confessionary: Nic Placklé (Your Highness)
Antwerp, Belgium based mud-driven stoner punks Your Highness are ready to release their fourth full-length »Fire To The Storm« on October 11th, 2024 via Polderrecords.
Since 2009 these sludge berserkers released 3 full-lengths, 4 EP’s, a horror-movie title track and their own beer! They’ve been touring Belgium and western Europe several times they supported the likes of Corrosion Of Conformity, High On Fire, Crowbar, The Sword, Weedeater, Torche and played festivals like Pukkelpop, Graspop, Desertfest, Roadburn, Alcatraz, Into The Void, Groezrock and more. Known for their intense live shows and a high dose of DIY, they’re ready to take the future by the horns. 15 years of heavy riffage and shivering blues, smoke ‘em if you got ‘em!
Your Highness are Ben Baert (vocals), Bart Struyf (guitar), Nic Placklé (guitar), Jan Rammelloo (bass) and Joachim Cols (drums).
Can you say a few words about your band?
Your Highness is a sludgy stoner metal band from Antwerp (Belgium) with a wide range of influences from punk to country, blues,… and we’re celebrating our 15 year of existence with a a big party the 9th of November in Zappa Antwerp (BE). This is also the release show for our latest full-length album »Under The Weight«, released through Polder Records.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Like for so many bands Covid was a real bummer. We had just released our previous full length, had a tour booked and several festival shows across Europe.
What can you be most proud of so far?
We’ve played big festivals and did support for big bands but the thing I’m most proud of is that we’re all still friends who hang out and have a few beers together besides band rehearsals.
What was your biggest regret?
I think I speak for the rest of us when I say having to turn down tour offers as a support for big bands, just because of practical reasons.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
The big festivals are cool but small shows in our hometown Antwerp are always a lot of fun. It’s been a while but when we play Music City, the Belgian CBGB’s, all our friends are there and it’s a blast. A while ago we did a weekender in France where we supported High on Fire and that was one of the best so far for me.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
In a negative way? All those tik tok one hit wonders filling up festival bills.
In a positive way? Kids these days go to hardcore shows, metal shows. Anything goes. They are a lot more open minded than back in the day.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
King Gizzard, Uncle Acid, the new one from Rezn, classic 70s rock, blues…
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
My dad is a guitar player too and he told me to play along with records you like. That’s how you copy styles from different players and develop one of your own.
What are your guilty pleasures?
I’m a diabetic, so some things that are normal to other people are special to me. For example eating donuts or other greasy, sugary desserts. When my sugar level is low I will indulge in that stuff.
Can you say something more about current music scene in Antwerp / Belgium?
It’s diverse to say the least. You have some stoner bands, some thrash bands, indie punky bands but everyone respects each others differences and we embrace that. As far as venues where you can do live shows and play loud it’s limited unfortunately. A lot of them disappeared because of neighbor complaints.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We are doing Desertfest Antwerp, we have our release show planned. We also have other shows for the end of ’24 and ’25 which we can’t announce yet. Keep checking our website or socials for those!
What are your plans for the future as a band?
First of all promote this new album that’s coming out as much as we can. We have a pretty solid fanbase in Belgium but we’re trying to focus more on other countries at the moment. We don’t really make long term plans. Just see what comes out musically and go from there.
How can people best support your band?
Come to shows and buy merch. A band has a lot of expenses like renting a rehearsal space, buying instruments, transportation,… It’s not manageable without fans supporting your band.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
For those who already know us and like what we do, thank you! For those who don’t know us yet, give us a listen. You might like it if you’re into heavy sludgy riffs and harsh vocals.
Links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well