Upcoming shows
Birds That Change Colour raise the sails and set course for ‘Nova Albion’. The new album will start a new chapter in the ever unpredictable chronicles of Koen Kohlbacher’s musical exploits. The debut ‘On Recording The Sun’ was infused by UK psychedelic folk-rock, while the second outing ‘On Recording Birds’ was a collection of acoustic field recordings.
Birds That Change Colour is a kaleidoscopic live act. Sometimes Kohlbacher performs as a solo troubadour, other times he’s flanked by the soothing vocal harmonies of Naomi Sijmons and Natalie Delcroix, by jazz guitarist Peter Verhelst, or a full band. The songs remain the same, but Kohlbacher manages to make them sound fresh and new with each makeup.
‘Nova Albion’ is the name of the mythical landing place of the old English explorers on the American West Coast. For ‘Birds’ the name refers to an unholy alliance between the legacy of illustrious Brits like Michael Chapman, Steve Marriott and Kevin Ayers and the sound of the Laurel Canyon counterculture, Grateful Dead and Captain Beefheart and everything in between.
This amalgam taps into an unheard range of sounds. Exciting fuzzy riffs are paired with surprising harmonies, wonky blues goes hand in hand with countryrock, and there’s a hefty dose of both folk and soul. A solid and intense rock band brings the new songs to thrilling life onstage, a power quartet consisting of Kohlbacher, Dave Schroyen (drums), Niels Hendrix (guitar) and Dimitri Vossen (bass).
The third chapter of Kohlbacher’s musical journey has a totally different flavor from all that went before. But at the same time, it will always be as it always has been, Birds That Change Colour.