In contrast with the venue the sound of the band in this three-piece line-up is unadorned. It's a back-to-basics approach, only painting with primary colours. No frills, no pastels. Resulting in masterpiece of stark realism. Not that Straight-Mouth Stomp is very stark, nor a work of genius :-) but we'll let that one slip by. Like beret-toting Frenchmen carrying a baguette under their arm saying "Allo, Allo", or clog-wearing Dutchmen smoking a joint in the red-light district, it is just as clichéd and hackneyed to use the word "possessed" to describe DEE's performance. But when he's howling like a rabid dog in Shametown, how else could that be described? "Today is the day of salvation", he sings, "Ain't a gonna tell no lie". And he screams the word "lie" as if he is in agony, as if a nail was just driven though his hand or his side pierced. When he's so animated and inspired even the staunchest atheist will believe - at least for a moment - that he will be delivered. Some through the water, some through the flood, some by the bullet, but all through His blood.

But it is not only DEE who is in good form tonight, the Gallic guys were too. Jean-Yves Tola's drumming was simple and to the point, sticking to the less-is-more adage. In other words, highly effective. Driving on the other two. Now that they're playing as a trio, Pascal Humbert's bass lines come to the fore more. For instance in South Pennsylvania Waltz, where he plays jazzy. And in Brimstone Rock, where the heavy bass carries the song. But especially in Phyllis Ann/Ruth when he makes his double bass sound like the mating call of a whale. A lone lost sperm whale in the nearby North Sea will surely have heard him and responded.

There's always a lot of intensity in the air when in Phyllis Ruth DEE repeatedly asks how far heaven is, followed by "I'll go tonight". And tonight is no exception. Slightly reminding us of the short film which was screened just before 16hp's show started, when the journey to heaven was rather more relaxed. A man standing before the steps of St. Paul's cathedral in London was singing along to Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven. Backwards! And then shown backwards. (The Stairway at St. Paul's - Jeroen Offerman) (Offerman practised for three months to sing the song backwards) But let's get 'back' to the feature and Phyllis Ann/Ruth. It's a very brooding and ominous song, and fortunately for us, it goes on and on.

Luckily it was a seated show. ;-) Sometimes seats can mean that some of the atmosphere is lost because the event is more formal. Not tonight though. So us elderly people could have our cake and eat it too. Sit down and enjoy a tremendous 16hp show. By far the best show of the tour we've seen, by a Hutterite mile. When introducing the band the presenter said they had the power of 8 Citroen 2CV (Deux Cheveaux) cars. But those 2CV's must have been tuned because they had the power of 8 Aston Martin's. And the grace too. Another quality the 2CV does not possess.

DEE thanked the organizers for letting 16hp "play here again". They performed at the Crossing Border festival in 1996, in 1998 and 1999. And Woven Hand played the festival in 2001 . Together with 1999, when DEE played a(n almost) solo show at the Nieuwe Kerk in Den Haag, this was the most memorable one.

by TYFC

Dead Run was played as the second encore
For Heaven's Sake was not played