Refugee Rock: punk group 'Midlife Møtherføckers' organizes benefit concert in aid of Refugee Walk

On 15/9, MLMF aka The Midlife Møtherføckers will rock for charity. This gang of "in Dutch foamy and overripe punk rockers" - as they describe themselves - will make the guitars scream and the drums bang during Refugee Rock. With three insane performances, they will raise money for the colourful walkers of the Wandelwendies and Wandelwillies. What a great, unmissable initiative!

Dave Luyten (aka Deef Overgeef, 43) from Lichtaart, Stoffel Beyens (aka Stoffelijk Overschot, 41) from Lichtaart, Wim Donckers (aka Wum Rum, 49) from Kasterlee and Bart Gaublomme (aka Voile Smerige Tunnetter, 51) from Kasterlee make the most of their spare time with punk band Midlife Møtherføckers. The band describes itself as by far the worst punk band in Kasterlee. "No doubt also from far beyond, but the Møtherføckers hardly ever get there," reads the band's bio.
Punk upstairs at Midlife Møtherføckers in Kasterlee.

"Formed out of boredom during one of the 2021 coronalockdowns, the Møtherføckers hark back to the recipes of their bygone youth. These include, besides blue Chimay, the simple riffs of 1970s, 1980s and 1990s punk. Their limited repertoire rattles and rumbles from punk pioneers such as The Clash or Johnny Thunders over the 'pol&soc-punk' of Bad Religion to the 'kleinkinnekespunk' of Rancid and consorts."

Self-deprecating

The tone is immediately set. Midlife Møtherføckers combines a love of punk with a big helping of self-deprecation and humour. The band from Kempen aims to fill the gap somewhat after the demise of The Clement Peerens Explosition (CPeX).

"During one of the lockdowns in early 2021, I was sitting outside at Dave Luyten's house in Lichtaart by a fireplace. With a trappist in hand, the conversation was about punk music," says Bart Gaublomme. "I used to like groups like The Clash and The Damned. Dave is still fond of next-generation punk rockers of the genre NOFX and Rancid. We both had a guitar at home and I also used to play in some bands. We contacted bassist Stoffel Beyens and the following day my friend at home, fellow student and drummer Wim Donckers. Barely twelve hours later, the Midlife Møtherføckers were born."

Jeans jackets

After many hours in the rehearsal room, the punk group was already on stage at Rock Mastentop in Kasterlee and at Rock Stenen in Lichtaart in the summer of 2022. The train had taken off and performances followed at summer bar Vurig, at youth house JeKa and again at Rock Mastentop in Kasterlee.
Midlife Møtherføckers also created a furore at summer bar Vurig in Kasterlee.

"From the first gig, we thought we could add some kitsch or a dash of 'Spinal Tap'. So at our first gig, we already had a life-size backdrop (background, ed.) with us. And of course we had stickers and bought all the jeans jackets from the thrift shop to put our logo on the back and hand out to our most loyal fans," says Bart Gaublomme. "During the winter break, we decided to stick new Dutch-language lyrics on the existing songs. This way, we can still add a content section and, above all, avoid being just a 'bad cover band'. By fabricating new lyrics ourselves, we further emphasise that it was all just for laughs, but we can also copy the original social commitment of those first punks. We also think it should be about something."

Midlife Møtherføckers' repertoire consists of ringing songs like Hølt the money, a cover of Fascist Cops by The Kids, or Bloodbath in den Delhaize, a persiflage on Bloodbath at Burger King by Teenage Bottlerocket. In turn, I Want Leave is based on Ça plane pour moi by Plastic Bertrand.

Refugee Rock

The band members, together with members of JeKa youth centre, took the initiative for Refugee Rock on Friday 15 September at JeKa on Duineneind in Kasterlee. The festival will feature Big Ass Lizards and No Name Nigel on stage from 20h alongside Midlife Møtherføckers.

All proceeds will go to Refugee Walk, a walking tour supporting people on the run. Admission is 12 euros on site and 10 euros in presale.

What a fantastic initiative!

Check out their action page here