GREAT MOUNTAIN FIRE is a pop band from the indie rock culture of the 90’s, but soaked with groovy beats tinged with soul/afro-funk, warm and fluid tunes, producing melodious, ethereal and dancing songs.
The band is based in Brussels and composed of five childhood friends who’ve always played together since the late 90’s: Thomas de Hemptinne (vocals, keys, guitar), Antoine Bonan (guitar, keys, vocals), Alexis Den Doncker (bass, vocals), Tommy Onraedt (synthesizers) and Morgan Vigilante (drum and percussions). Their first album Canopy, produced by Jean Waterlot (Ghinzu, Montevideo) was released in 2011 and got attention on the European scene, notably after their performance at Eurosonic, Groningen, NL in early 2012, as well as more internationally through prestigious music blogs, magazines and some TV shows with broadcasted songs like Late Lights, If A Kid or It’s Alright. From then, they toured a lot, especially Benelux, France, Switzerland and Quebec. In late 2012, the band decided to reinterpret completely the songs of their first record. This led them to record The Unplugged Version of Canopy, which they played live several times in very specific conditions and venues (with absolutely no electrical sources). Their unplugged performance at Cirque Royal, Brussels was rewarded at the Belgian Octaves de la Musique 2013 for the Best Live Act.
After a two-year break, the band released their second record Sundogs (PIAS, 2015). This album was composed, recorded and produced at the famous Brussels American Theatre: one of the very last national pavilions of the 1958 World’s Fair still remaining, in which they were able to make use of the wide rooms and empty spaces’ natural reverb and delay to create an absolutely unique sound, far more psychedelic and still “hot and wet, with passing clouds” as the band generally qualify their songs. Definitely steamier, wider and groovier with Lapis Lazuli, The Magic or You, Shadow and still more danceable tunes as in 5-Step Fever, this second album led the band to touring again Europa (Benelux, France, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Lithuania…) and experiencing faraway lands audiences with unexpected venues such as the Iceland Airwaves in Reykjavík or the Monsoon Festival in Hanoi, Vietnam. In 2016, Sundogs was rewarded at the Belgian D6bels Awards, notably for the best album cover (made by emerging collagist David Delruelle) as well as at the Octaves de la Musique (Best Pop-Rock Band). The band is currently working on a new record, from which a first single, Look Up, was recently released through the prestigious French label Kitsuné and already very well received by the audiences.
