DILDO WARHEADS

"grungy" guitarrockband from Mechelen.

Dildo Warheads was founded on the ashes of an earlier group, The Excessives, one of the many garage-rock-groups that thrived in Belgium at the end of the eighties (eg. Ze Noiz, Paranoiacs, Wolf Banes ...). With a few records on JP Van's "Boom"-label and a large number of very small gigs in Belgium and across Europe, the story of that group is almost completely told. Jo Volckerijck, one of the ex-Excessives that didn't go to Dildo Warheads, later on founded the band Malcolm.

A side-project of two members of the Excessives, Herman Hulssens & Sven Coeck, together with the brother of the latter, for a gig at "Schrikkelpop", opened up new musical perspectives. Herman Hulssens in 1994 : "Some bozo asked us if we could play a few songs on his festival. That two days before the gig would take place. We did it anyway, we liked it and got very good response from it. After that we continued in that lineup, on a modes scale. It was like a new world of possibilities opened up for me : I realized there was another kind of music that I could make. Dildo Warheads is a very spontaneous group. Almost all the songs stem from jam sessions."

The group was able to get a record deal with EMI, and released the good single "Scared" early 1994. This song made it to n°4 in "De Afrekening" immediately, after which the Dildo Warheads-name (not too difficult to remember anyway) was made. A bit later the title-less debut album followed, with a few semi-hits such as "Whore" and "Off the hook", and a tour as an opener for that year's rock-rally winners Evil Superstars.

With the money of "Scared" the group did a tour in the countries behind the former Iron Curtain. However, the CD hadn't been released in countries like Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia, so the tour became sort of a disaster (at least on the business-side of things).

To promote "2" (their second CD), they toured a lot in 1996 : they did more than 60 concerts, among which a remarkable trio on the American East Coast : Herman Hulssens has a job as a tour-manager and had made a trade with the American band Sleepyhead. At least the band can tell their grandchildren they performed at CBGB's (the legendary New York club where the American punk & new-wave were founded by the likes of Television, Patty Smith, The Ramones & Talking Heads). One of the goals of the trip to the States - to try and persuade EMI-America to release "2" in the U.S.A. - failed however, according to this quote from Humo's "Belgians Abroad"-series : "The record firm woman says that the business will stumble on the band's name. "You've got the Butthole Surfers contract, haven't you", we reply. But she had been thinking about that on : "Everyone's got a butthole, not everyone's got a dildo". Makes you wonder about the kinds of meetings they have at the EMI-offices in Manhattan".

In New York, the group was announced as "Nirvana meets Buffalo Tom". In our press it's also with comparisons such as "the Belgian Sebadoh", "American college-rock" or "Smashing Pumpkins" that the group has been described. The denominator "melodic guitarrock" seems to be a constant in all descriptions, though.

In 1998, the group released a MCD "Soon I'll Be Waiting". This was recorded in a production by Greg Gordon (Public Enemy, Slayer), and contained among others a live version of the song "Whore", recorded during that (in)famous gig at CBGB's in New York.

Later in 1998, the Warheads went into the studio again, to record what later will be the third CD, later in 1999. They will also release a limited edition single "Such A Babe". At the end of February & March, they will tour Belgium in the slipstream of the "Sex verandert alles"-tour of De Mens.

GroepsLeden :
- Herman Hulssens (bass, vocals)
- Sven Coeck (drums)
- Cristophe Coeck (guitar, vocals)

Buy CD's of this band at

Albums :
- Dildo Warheads (EMI, 1994)
- 2 (EMI, 1996)
Singles :
- Scared (EMI, 1994)
- Whore (EMI, 1994)
- Off the hook (EMI, 1995)
- Curve (EMI, 1995)
- Saturday (EMI, 1996)
- Devil in your hand (EMI, 1996)
- Now (EMI, 1996)
- Soon I'll be Waiting (EMI 1998)
- Such a babe (Groovemeister, 1999)

Websites :
- Official website of the Dildo Warheads

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