Dendermonde was founded in 2012 by Frederik Heuvinck, Maarten Van Cauwenberghe, Tom de Weerdt and actor Diederik Peeters. In 2014, De Weerdt stepped out not only of the band but also, sadly, of life. Teuk Henry replaced him on guitar. Initially Dendermonde live show were rare,which invariably proved legendary. However, Peeters also left the band. Then came the idea for Into the Open: a concert that would also be a dance performance. While scores for dance often arise in response to choreography, these songs were there first. Blijweert (who replaced Henry because he can dance better), Heuvinck and Van Cauwenberghe developed a number of bass-drum-guitar structures on which Lisbeth Gruwez and the dancers built the performance. Together they looked for a new form. Something like a rock concert mutating with contemporary dance. After a first tour, Dendermonde thought it was time to go into the studio and record an album. Not to capture the live performance but to utilise the studio to further explore the compositions sonically. None other than Dan Lacksman was behind the controls. Heuvinck’s almost machine-like yet veined rhythm lays the foundations. It is reinforced by the playful, effective bass of Van Cauwenberghe, who also plays the synths. Around this, Blijweert conjures a different atmosphere from his guitar for each song. With Into The Open, Dendermonde prepares a new vital brew from several decades of exhilarating music in an equally intelligent and intuitive way.