Hooverphonic, at the top for 25 years in Belgium and beyond
Its leader Alex Callier has been aiming for quality since day one in 1995, and this quality has remained the trademark of Belgian rock band Hooverphonic over the years.
Programmer/bass player Alex Callier and guitarist Raymond Geert were the driving force behind the band from the start. On the vocal side, Esther Lybeert started out at the microphone, but soon left the band and was replaced by Liesje Sadonius once the first album was released; other singers followed. However, it was the brilliant Geike Arnaert who influenced the group between 1997 and 2008 and has been back since 2020. Keyboardist Geert Noppe and guitarist Pieter Peirsman complete the band.
Their music initially went by the somewhat controversial name of trip-hop, mostly a fusion of rock, reggae and hip-hop. But Hooverphonic is no longer limited to this one genre, as they also play alternative rock, electronic, electro-pop and a mixture of other styles.
A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular, their 1996 debut album, was an immediate success. One of the songs can even be heard as the soundtrack to Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci's Stealing Beauty. Their careers have progressed fast. During this time, there have been a dozen gold and platinum albums, numerous hits, performances on television, in cultural centres and at international festivals, successful tours in Europe and the United States, several music awards and rave reviews from fans and the press. And they are always successful.
The 2020 Eurovision Song Contest was cancelled due to the pandemic, but Hooverphonic is representing Belgium in Rotterdam this year with the song The Wrong Place.