By Jan 
The primus inter pares award this month goes to the Australian indie rock band Floodlights! Hailing from Melbourne, they’ve been making waves down under since 2018. To me, they vaguely evoke memories of Midnight Oil and The Saints. “Alive (I Want to Feel)” (#1) is taken from their third album Underneath, which was released just last week! Over the past few months, I’ve already fallen for a few other tracks from that album: “The Light Won’t Shine Forever” (#7) back in February 2025, and “Can You Feel It” (#13) from October 2024.
Not many Belgian jokes are needed this March, as no fewer than nine local artists made their mark: five so-called established names (Jasper Steverlinck #2, ’t Hof Van Commerce #4, Guido Belcanto #7, Tourist LeMC #12, and Marble Sounds #28). The remaining four artists have shorter résumés: two with roots or ties in Ghent—Fulco (#15) and Sonders (#23)—and two from Antwerp: Those Who Didn’t (#19) and Glitterpaard (#31).
Happy to see the return of Van Morrison (#13), who seems back to his old self.
(Jan VH)
Playlist
- ALIVE (I WANT TO FEEL) – FLOODLIGHTS
- I DO NOT KNOW – JASPER STEVERLINCK
- MY BRAVE FRIEND – MANIC STREET PREACHERS
- VAN MIN GES – T’ HOF VAN COMMERCE
- SEEMS LIKE YOU DON’T KNOW ME – STEREOPHONICS
- CALVADOS – PETER DOHERTY
- IK WIL MEZELF BEDANKEN – GUIDO BELCANTO
- I DON’T KNOW HOW I MADE IT – WATERBOYS ft TAYLOR GOLDSMITH
- FADED – THE LIMINANAS ft PENNY
- THE DOCTOR – FRANZ FERDINAND
- MANDINGO – WU-TANG CLAN ft MATHEMATICS, RAEKWON…
- COCAINE – TOURIST LEMC
- DOWN TO JOY – VAN MORRISON
- DAVE’S TV – THE THING
- WONDERKIND – FULCO
- CHOOSE THE LATTER – FINN WOLFHARD
- SOFT TISSUE – TINDERSTICKS
- BETHANY – CRAIG FINN
- YOUR DEFEATISM IS SEXY – THOSE WHO DIDN’T (A’pen)
- BUYER BEWARE – THE MEN
- TUANAKI ATOLL – BEIRUT
- LAST DANCE – PETER DONOVAN
- CYANIDE – SONDERS (Gent)
- PUPPET AND THE PUPPET MASTER – JETHRO TULL
- IT’S AMAZING TO BE YOUNG – FONTAINES D.C.
- BONNET OF PINS – MATT BERNINGER
- BILLS AND PILLS – THE CLOCKWORKS
- CATCH IT ALIVE – MARBLE SOUNDS
- YOU WERE THE ONES I HAD TO BETRAY – DEAN WAREHAM
- MAN – LILLY HIATT
- LOST IN YOUR GOLD – GLITTERPAARD (A’pen)
- HELLO HEAVEN, HELLO – YUNGBLUD
- JANSPORT BACKPACK – SPARKS
- HIT THE GROUND RUNNING – THE VAPORS
- HURDLE – SIVERT HOYEM
- SPEAKER’S CORNER- SUZANNE VEGA
- UNOlI – VIAGRA BOYS
- FROM UP HERE – HEATHER NOVA
- BURNING MOONLIGHT – MARIANNE FAITHFULL
- GRAND MAL – EZRA FURMAN