I H8 CAMERA

In 2004, guitarist Rudy Trouvé (ex dEUS and Dead Man Ray) started a band by the name of The Love Substitutes along with Mauro Pawlowski (dEUS, Gruppo di Pawlowski and many more), Craig Ward (ex dEUS) and Bert Lenaerts. Improvisation, humour and raw rock are the jump-off points for everything the band does. This kind of line-up was always going to get them attention. So in order not to ever be in a position where they had to cancel gigs because of sickness or schedule issues due to other projects, driving force Trouvé decided to set up a spin-off of the band. Cue I H8 Camera, an enigmatic impro collective that has not had to cancel a single gig since it came together in 2009 courtesy of its constantly changing line-up!

I H8 Camera is all about experimenting to push the boundaries of improvisation. Every gig is like a fresh white canvas, waiting to be painted. The stand-in musicians - think high profile names, including Rudy Trouvé, Stef Kamil Carlens, Elko Blijweert, Matt Watts, Jef Mercelis, Teun Verbruggen, Teuk Henri & Roland Van Campenhout - take it in turns to each start a jam which the others latch onto. Each playing an instrument they are intimately familiar with or an instrument they are keen to master - whatever. I H8 Camera is all about the fun of playing and getting this sense of fun across to the audience. Master of ceremonies Trouvé has a habit of issuing his troupe obscure instructions, such as "today, you’re a Bulgarian trumpet player travelling around South Africa” even though it is ultimately up to the superlative musos themselves to pick which musical path they wish to tread, which turns they wish to take or where they want to go off road. So expect pure noise. Or, hang on, make that psychedelic jazz. Or how about spaced-out electronic music. But above all else, expect the unexpected. The artists themselves do not know what to expect either.

Line-up: