The passions that drive Belgium’s most stylish musicians.
photography, styling, and words by Ulrike Biets

The Romantic: Mathias “Kurt” Wille
Shirt and amulet of his own design

Mathias, drummer in the band 1982, is deeply in love with Kelly… even though that’s not his girlfriend’s real name. To express their love for each other, the couple came up with the romantic alter-egos Kurt and Kelly. When “Kurt” is on tour, he wears his Kelly amulet nonstop, as well as the Kelly t-shirt he designed.

The Hunter: Jean Biche
Falke underwear

Jean Baptiste Biche grew up in a family of hunters, developing a fascination with deer and antlers. His fascination turned into an obsession when he became Jean Biche (French for John Deer), a multidisciplinary artist famous for his performances, DJ sets, and the very extravagant Club Claudine parties he organizes. He is pictured at his apartment with a piece from his collection of deer heads and skulls—they sometimes scare the hell out of him, especially the real ones.

The Animal Lover: Vive La Fête’s Els Pynoo
Filha De Isis blouse, Karl Lagerfeld jersey, Diesel pants, Puma shoes

Els Pynoo, vocalist of the band Vive La Fête, has surrounded herself with so many animals that her house could actually be a farm. The kitchen door is always open so her animals can go in and out as they please. Cats and dogs are always around, the swans visit in the evening, and even the pig and the pony hang out inside. Actually, the pony shit in the kitchen while we were taking this picture!

The Acolyte: Patrick Ouchene
BC Ethic shirt, vintage 1950s JC Penney jacket

Patrick Ouchene from Runnin’ Wild calls himself the Priest of Rockabilly. He’s got the look and the attitude, plays the music, and digs girls in stockings. He tours from school to school, preaching and teaching rockabilly. This year he was even sent to the Eurovision Song Contest to represent Belgium!

The Queen of Kitsch: Anita Lixel
Girls From Omsk dress; model’s own accessories, shoes, and stockings

Anita is obsessed with teen pop and everything kitsch. She loves High School Musical. She adores Hannah Montana and looks up to the Britneys, Cristinas, and Katys of the world. Hell, she even has her own Kylie Minogue-style talk show. We’re not sure how serious she is about all this, but Anita gives the word “wrong” a whole new dimension.

The Rascal: Daan
Zara jacket, American Stock shirt?

Daan is obsessed with climbing things. Don’t let this man out of your sight when there’s something tall around. Daytime or night, sunshine or rain, sober or completely wasted, he will ascend whenever he gets the chance. He’s had some nasty falls, and his obsession has gotten him in trouble a few times, but he has mostly good memories. His best climb ever? “Crawling on top of a stage, holding slippery bars with 20-year-old nicotine deposits on them, to see Depeche Mode perform beneath me.”

The Daredevil: Captain Catastrophy
Hanes sweater, all other clothes from Damaged Vintage

Captain Catastrophy of El Guapo Stuntteam is probably the only stuntman on this planet who is also in a band. He is passionate about everything stunt-related, but fire is his true obsession. He likes to feel the toasty breath of flames on his body. On and off stage, this man has lit himself on fire more than 700 times, turning almost the same amount of suits into ashes. He wears Hugo Boss underwear underneath—the best guarantee nothing will ever go wrong.

The Bookworm: Das Pop’s Bent van Looy
Le Mont St-Michel pullover, Levi’s Blue jeans, American Apparel socks

When Das Pop frontman Bent sees anything more than four letters long, he needs to read it. He reads everything that catches his eye: the ingredients on Cornflakes boxes, the advertising panels at bus stops, even the instructions on the coffee machine. Bent only feels comfortable when he is surrounded by letters. He is at his best when reading a good book, but in case of an emergency, a dull magazine will do.