Dust and Guitars: Fort Wonder in OT301

May 12, 2016 | by Jerry Houtman | Event, Music

About the author

Jerry is the name, online is my game. I'm a digital enthusiast, ranging from old skool gaming and Space Invaders to iPads and social media. The integration of digital elements in everyday life and art have my particular interest, and besides that I'm part time rockaholic.

Whether you’re in the mood for some sweat, heat and excitement, for taking a soothing dream ride along psychedelic soundscapes, or maybe to wallow in bittersweet self-pity over the love you just lost, there’s always the right band at the right time. We’ll be your pathfinding captain through the desert of dust and guitars, so fill up your flask and follow us.

Introducing Fort Wonder; a four-man indie rock band consisting of frontman Dennis de Beurs, Mark Visbeek on bass (who actually started this very series), Richard Jong behind the drums and Daniël Medema who plays the guitar. They’ve been around for a while now, having played at Surfana Festival in 2015 as well as in several venues in Utrecht. So it’s about time they pay the Dam a visit!

The world is born around Fort Wonder.

The good news is, they will! And they have a good reason, since their studio hours paid off; next week marks the release of their Islands EP. It’s the second after the Fields EP, which was released three years ago.

Inspired by The National, Foals and Radiohead, the band explores the space between carelessness and poignant melancholy, between silent reflection and compelling euphoria. Their music can be a bit dreamy, but melodious at the same time. The singer’s somewhat raspy voice completes that unique sound, which indeed is quite similar to that of the bands that inspire them. Not a bad compliment at all, let’s hope they achieve just a fraction of their successes.

Regardless of their own ambitions, the band’s biography mirrors their music; “The world is born around Fort Wonder. All that enters becomes one, a mass of mass, none left undone. It subtracts, it combines, adds together, intertwines. It overflows a universe, endless and unknown. Colliding spills, the floor is swept. What is left is what is kept. Three years hidden, out of sight but never idle. We reappear, we’re chasing fires.”

Sounds promising, right? The raw but intimate OT301 seems like the perfect location for Fort Wonder, so all conditions have been created for the perfect release party. Support is by indie folk bank KOALA, who’ll make you drift into the right mood for the main gig, and afterwards DJs Ostendorf and Some Chemistry will provide you with some proper tunes to dance the night away.