Front 242 – Ancienne Belgique 89 / Front By Front (Album – Alfa Matrix)
Genre/Influences: EBM.
Format: Digital.
Background/Info: Back in 1988 Front 242 released their fourth full length album –and probably their most successful one to date, “Front By Front”. It was the song featuring their biggest hit in history “Headhunter”, but also “Im Rhythmus Bleiben”, “Until Death (Do Us Apart)”, “Circling Overland”, “F.I.F.O.” ao. This new live recording is a special one as it took place in the legendary hall Ancienne Belgique in Brussels (Belgium).
Content: When you see the tracklist of this live work you better understand the leading status of the band. The show revealed nearly all songs from “Front By Front” plus earlier ‘essential’ cuts like “Don’t Crash”, “No Shuffle”, “Never Stop”, “Masterhit” ao. They also played “WYHIWYG” and suddenly swapped to their early song “U-Men”. The performance comes to an end with “Work242” mixed in the end with Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana”.
+ + + : The fans are going to like this work, which just as for “Hamburg 87” reveals a great sound quality. Front 242 always revealed a very professional approach in all what they’ve done so you don’t really get the feeling this live show was recorded in 1989! It’s an essential period in the band’s history and especially the place where they played. The songs didn’t lose their original power while Jean-Luc De Meyer and Richard 23 sung in perfect harmony with each other. Great times!
– – – : And here again I’m intrigued they didn’t play songs from “Geography” except an extracts of U-Men.
Conclusion: This is one more item in addition to the already endless 242-discography.
Best songs: “Headhunter”, “WYHIWYG / U-Men”, “No Shuffle”, “Im Rhythmus Bleiben”, “Never Stop”, “FIFO”, “Until Death (Us Do Apart)”.
Rate: (8).
Artist: www.facebook.com/Front.242
Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix
About Front 242
Front 242 were formed in 1981 in Aarschot, Belgium, by Daniel Bressanutti and Dirk Bergen, joined in 1982 by Patrick Codenys and Jean-Luc De Meyer, and in 1983 by Richard Jonckheere (Richard 23). The band self-released its debut album “Geography” in 1982, followed by “No Comment” (1984), “Official Version” (1987), “Front By Front” (1988), “Tyranny (For You)” (1991), “06:21:03:11 Up Evil” and “05:22:09:12 Off” (both 1993), and “Pulse” (2003). “Front By Front” produced the band’s best-known single, “Headhunter”, which reached number 13 on the US Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs chart in 1988. The band announced its farewell “Black Out” tour in 2024 and played its final shows at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels in January 2025 – the same Brussels venue documented on this 1989 live recording.
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