THE SWIGSHIFT | When Mates Make Music

As in so many musical anecdotes, the bar, in some brown pub, was the “bar-mother” of an exceptional, if not absurd idea among friends that grew into a life-defining decision: The Swigshift saw the light of day somewhere during a long night or an early morning in 1986 (a precise date is missing in the minutes) during a nightly visit by Filip ‘Varre’ Vanrobaeys to the pub of Ivan Volcke. A few months later, the duo came out with a first tour (sic) ‘Liever zat dan zot’ (Rather drunk than crazy). A premise that is still meticulously pursued to this day! The arrival of Peter Derudder as an excellent musician and composer/arranger, later the welcoming of Luc Veys on accordion and with a sober perspective, and the phlegmatic enthusiasm (!) of Jan De Smet have drawn the lines for a flourishing career of the group! Five different characters with only one common denominator: together bringing the music that binds them. For 40 years, The Swigshift has been the indisputable proof: When mates make music … then their music lives on! Flanders, Wallonia, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, and the USA. Everywhere The Swigshift left its mark, from parish hall to festivals like Dranouter, Labadoux, Gooik, Alden-Biezen, Skagen. Collaborations with choir, harmony, string orchestra: every time there was The Swigshift to make that little difference. Anyone who has already seen them at work knows what we are talking about: their passion on stage captivates the audience, inspires the most critical listener to eventually experience an unforgettable apotheosis together. There and then … you experience that magic of a unique performance by The Swigshift. When mates make music, the music makes the mates! This performance is an organization of The Swigshift in collaboration with the community center.