That we live to see the day! A Belgian-Dutch initiative that, unlike the Fyra, is on the rails and steaming: Drive Like Maria. This melodious stoner-train thundered into a heap of end-of-year charts last year in Holland, with second album ‘Drive Like Maria’ (also available here since the end of January via Pias), and is racing over the border toward of Brussels at high speed.

The new songs are radio-friendly but never stale or uninspired. A steamroller like ‘Black Horses’ can alternate with rock ballades like ‘On The Road’ or highlight ‘Howl’ (a duet with Lara Chedraoui of Intergalactic Lovers, in which there is more room for subtlety and melody), without it getting uncomfortable.

After opening for AC/DC and ZZ Top, two successful Pukkelpop appearances, and a successful Dutch tour at the end of 2012, now it's time for a new chapter in the Drive Like Maria tale. A rocked away ABClub wouldn't be bad there either.

Blues-rock balls and grinding guitar riffs… The DeVilles are in town! Lange Polle from Triggerfinger scruffed this young force after their first place in Rockvonk ’11. He dragged them into the studio and, bathed in rock-‘n-roll sweat, the three crept back out again with a first longplayer full of unadulterated blues-rock between their teeth. The DeVilles already had an entire ABClub audience gasping for air a first time (as support to the sublime Cage The Elephant) in June '11 and, after hearing a few songs from their debut album, we can already give you one good piece of advice: be prepared for something special!

"Best Belgian shoegaze ever" wrote Indiestyle after hearing Ondine’s first EP ‘Cloud’, and we have to admit we were seriously impressed by the fresh, finely balanced pop songs served up too. On new track ‘Smoke’ the shoegaze of days gone by has made way for a sixties oriented sound à la Tame Impala and Jacco Gardner, which also shows how at home Ondine is in many markets. A discovery, with thanks to Vi.be!