{"id":9028,"date":"2023-03-29T10:53:30","date_gmt":"2023-03-29T08:53:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kessel-tamerus.nl\/Esthers_Blog\/?p=9028"},"modified":"2023-04-01T16:01:13","modified_gmt":"2023-04-01T14:01:13","slug":"sem-jansens-performance-who-the-fck-is-britt-was-one-of-the-most-special-shows-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kessel-tamerus.nl\/Esthers_Blog\/live-recensie\/sem-jansens-performance-who-the-fck-is-britt-was-one-of-the-most-special-shows-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Sem Jansen’s performance ‘Who the f*ck is Britt?’ was one of the most special shows ever."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Last year Sem Jansen performed as singer\/guitarist of Leif de Leeuw band at De Bosuil (The Netherlands). Sunday afternoon, March 26, the same men were here. But with a different approach, because the performance ‘Who the f*ck is Britt ?’ is about transition. In 2018, Sem went into the studio as Britt for the last time, to recor’ her high-pitched voice for the last time. During the transition, testosterone was needed; this hormone, among other things, takes care of the voice drop. It was to be seen if the vocal quality would remain, fortunately the vocals remained good! So he could finish the planned album, titled ‘Uncle Sem’, four years later. The stage was filled not only with instruments, but also with props such as lamps, a rocking chair and a dog basket. Tables with candles and bar stools had been set up in the venue. This created a cozy atmosphere even before the performance began.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Past and present cannot be without each other. Therefore, the show began with a video showing Britt. During the video of ‘If Only I’ the band members came on one by one, Sem of course being the last. During the welcoming speech, Sem explained that the video, was recorded one day before the transition began. ‘I’ve Done My Thinking’ was the first song the band played. Sem sometimes looked at the beamer, at Britt, the woman he once was. The live playing blended perfectly with the beamer. Britt and Sem’s voices formed a beautiful blend. It was special to see past and present melt together so beautifully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grandma<\/strong>
At the time Britt started the transition, grandma was already demented. Because of the form of her dementia, she could no longer have conversations, but she could sing along with some songs. That was his inspiration for the song ‘Grandma’. Sitting in the vintage rocking chair, he sang and played very sensitively. Leif de Leeuw played pedal steel here. The other music was subdued and fit everything perfectly. The audience listened breathlessly, here and there a tear rolled down a cheek. Meanwhile, Admiral, the dog lay comfortably in his basket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afterwards Sem told openly about all kinds of uncertainties that came with the decision. The only thing Britt was proud of was her voice. She was afraid of losing it. You saw Britt on the beamer, she sang with emotion. Sem and the men played along live flawlessly.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The video that followed contained beautiful conversations and some nice anecdotes, yet the length of this tape was on the long side. But that was quickly forgotten by ‘Soulshine’ by The Allman Brothers. With a bottleneck, Leif extracted all kinds of beautiful sounds from his guitar. Joram Bemelmans provided nice details in the percussion. The volume of Boris Oud’s bass was fine, as was Tim Koning on drums. During the instrumental piece, Willem ’t Hart’s organ playing was rewarded with applause. A little later it was Leif who received the applause after fantastic guitar playing. ‘Morning Sun’ was one of the songs in which Boris played the double bass and Leif picked up the mandolin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of me<\/strong>
After the break, Sem talked about his dog Admiral, who had been a great support. Because of that, Sem wrote ‘Part of me’. The bright sound of Tim’s cymbals was especially noticeable here. This beautiful song ended very minimalist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the videos was about the suicidal thoughts Britt once had. Sem expressed vulnerability and talked about various old insecurities. The voice problems were made clear with humor. For ‘Twenty One’, Leif used the lap steel. The quiet music perfectly matched Sem’s beautifully subdued vocals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who the fck is Britt? Sem sang several duets with Britt. This unity of the video with the live music was very special. Between songs Sem mentioned personal things, but it never became too personal. Because of this, everything went very amicably without uncomfortable moments. The funny anecdote about the origin of the title ‘Who the f<\/em>ck is Britt?’ also came up. Britt no longer exists, but for Sem, Britt isn’t a deadname. Britt remains a part of his life, Britt had a wonderful part in the performance.
Most of the songs they played are from the new album ‘Uncle Sem’. The title track, with its happy sound, was of course not to be missed. In all the songs the tempo and volume changes were well played. Moreover, Sem sang and played straight from the heart. This could also be heard in ‘Goodbye’, this last song was again a duet with Britt.<\/p>\n\n\n

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River Take Me<\/strong>
The encore was ‘River Take Me’. Because of his lower range, Sem was able to sing what Britt couldn’t. After a subdued part, the music became faster. A little later, Sem and Leif played more and more quietly. This was rewarded with extra applause. Sem’s singing was accompanied by a touch of music. The build-up to more tempo and volume was very good. This was a nice, extended version of a song by Darrell Scott.
Respect to Sem, not only in terms of vocals and music, but also for the integrity of the performance. ‘Who the f*uck is Britt?’ impressed many deeply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sem Jansen\u2019s voorstelling \u2018Who the f*ck is Britt?\u2019 was \u00e9\u00e9n van de meest bijzondere shows ooit.<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Vorig jaar stond Sem Jansen als zanger\/gitarist van Leif de Leeuw band in De Bosuil. Zondagmiddag 26 maart stonden hier dezelfde mannen. Maar met een andere opzet, want de voorstelling \u2018Who the f*ck is Britt ?\u2019 gaat over de transitie. In 2018 ging Sem voor de laatste keer als Britt de studio in, om voor de laatste keer haar hoge stem om te nemen. Tijdens de transitie was testosteron nodig, dit hormoon zorgt onder andere voor de stemdaling. Het was afwachten of de zangkwaliteit zou blijven, gelukkig bleef de zang goed! Zodoende kon hij het geplande album, met als titel \u2018Uncle Sem\u2019 vier jaar later afmaken. Het podium stond niet alleen vol met instrumenten, maar ook met attributen zoals lampen, een schommelstoel en een hondenmand. In de zaal waren tafeltjes met kaarsen en barkrukken neergezet. Zo ontstond er nog voordat het optreden begon een gezellige sfeer.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Heden en verleden kunnen niet zonder elkaar. De show begon daarom met een video waarop Britt te zien was. Tijdens de video van \u2019If Only I\u2019 kwamen de bandleden \u00e9\u00e9n voor \u00e9\u00e9n op, Sem natuurlijk als laatste. Tijdens het welkomstwoord vertelde Sem dat de video, \u00e9\u00e9n dag voor aanvang van de transitie was opgenomen. \u2018I\u2019ve Done My Thinking\u2019 was het eerste nummer dat de band speelde. Sem keek soms naar de beamer, naar Britt, de vrouw die hij eens was. Het live spel liep perfect samen met de beamer. De stemmen van Britt en Sem vormden een mooie blend. Het was bijzonder om heden en verleden zo mooi samen te zien smelten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grandma<\/strong>
Op het moment dat Britt de transitie startte, was oma al aan het dementeren. Door de vorm van haar dementie kon ze geen gesprekken meer voeren, maar ze kon wel meezingen met sommige liedjes. Dat was zijn inspiratiebron voor het nummer \u2018Grandma\u2019. Zittend in de vintage schommelstoel zong en speelde hij heel gevoelig. Leif de Leeuw speelde hier pedal steel. De overige muziek was ingetogen en paste perfect bij het geheel. Het publiek luisterde ademloos, her en der rolde een traan over een wang. Admiraal, de hond lag ondertussen lekker in zijn mand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daarna vertelde Sem openhartig over allerlei onzekerheden die bij het besluit hoorde. Het enige waar Britt trots op was, was haar stem. Ze was bang die te verliezen. Je zag Britt op de beamer, ze zong met emotie. Sem en de mannen speelden live feilloos mee.<\/p>\n\n\n

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In de video die volgende zaten mooie gesprekken en enkele leuke anekdotes, toch was de duur van deze tape aan de lange kant. Maar dat was door \u2018Soulshine\u2019 van The Allman Brothers snel vergeten. Leif haalde met een bottleneck allerlei mooie klanken uit zijn gitaar. Joram Bemelmans zorgde voor mooie details in de percussie. Het volume van de bas van Boris Oud was prima, dat gold ook voor Tim Koning op drums. Tijdens het instrumentale stuk werd het orgelspel van Willem \u2018t Hart met applaus beloond. Even later was het Leif die na fantastisch gitaarspel het applaus in ontvangst mocht nemen. \u2018Morning Sun\u2019 was \u00e9\u00e9n van nummers waarin Boris op de contrabas speelde, Leif pakte de mandoline erbij.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of me<\/strong>
Na de pauze vertelde Sem over zijn hond Admiraal, die een grote steun was geweest. Daarom heeft Sem \u2018Part of me\u2019 geschreven. Vooral hier viel de heldere klank van Tim\u2019s cimbalen op. Dit prachtige nummer eindigde heel minimalistisch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

E\u00e9n van de video\u2019s ging over de su\u00efcidale gedachten die Britt ooit had. Sem stelde zich kwetsbaar op en sprak over diverse oude onzekerheden. De stemproblemen werden met humor duidelijk gemaakt. Voor \u2018Twenty One\u2019 gebruikte Leif de lap steel. De rustige muziek paste perfect bij de prachtige ingetogen zang van Sem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who the fck is Britt? Sem zong diverse duetten met Britt. Deze eenheid van de videobeelden met de live muziek was zeer bijzonder. Tussen de nummers door benoemde Sem persoonlijke dingen, maar het werd nooit te persoonlijk. Hierdoor verliep alles heel gemoedelijk zonder ongemakkelijke momenten. De grappige anekdote over het ontstaan van de titel \u2018Who the f<\/em>ck is Britt?\u2019 kwam ook aan bod. Britt bestaat niet meer, maar Sem wil Britt niet dood wil zwijgen. Britt blijft een deel van zijn leven, Britt had een mooi aandeel in de voorstelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

De meeste nummers die ze speelden komen van het nieuwe album \u2018Uncle Sem\u2019. De titeltrack, met zijn happy sound, mocht natuurlijk niet ontbreken. In alle nummers werden de tempo-en volume wisselingen goed gespeeld. Bovendien zong en speelde Sem recht uit het hart. Dat was ook te horen in\u2018Goodbye\u2019, dit laatste nummer was weer een duet met Britt.<\/p>\n\n\n

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River Take Me<\/strong>
De toegift was \u2018River Take Me\u2019. Door zijn lagere bereik, kon Sem zingen wat Britt niet lukte. Na een ingetogen deel werd de muziek sneller. Even later speelden Sem en Leif steeds zachter. Dit werd beloond met een extra applaus. Sem\u2019s zang werd begeleid door een vleugje muziek. De opbouw naar meer tempo en volume was zeer goed. Dit was een mooie, uitgebreide versie van een nummer van Darrell Scott.
Respect voor Sem, niet alleen qua zang en muziek, maar ook vanwege de integere opzet van de voorstelling. \u2018Who the f*uck is Britt?\u2019 heeft op menigeen diepe indruk gemaakt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last year Sem Jansen performed as singer\/guitarist of Leif de Leeuw band at De Bosuil (The Netherlands). Sunday afternoon, March 26, the same men were here. But with a different approach, because the performance ‘Who the f*ck is Britt ?’ is about transition. In 2018, Sem went into the studio as Britt for the last … Read more, available in English and Dutch<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-recensie","category-live-review-gb-en"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7wJLW-2lC","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7549,"url":"https:\/\/kessel-tamerus.nl\/Esthers_Blog\/cd-recensie\/circuline-circulive-new-view\/","url_meta":{"origin":9028,"position":0},"title":"Circuline – Circulive New View","author":"Esther Kessel-Tamerus","date":"3 oktober 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"About five years ago the band 'Circuline' was founded in New York. They play modern cinematic prog rock.'Circulive New View' is their second live CD\/DVD\/Blue ray. This 'box' will be released October 8th. The concert is already recorded in 2017, during the first edition of 'International ProgStock Festival'. Circuline opens\u2026","rel":"","context":"","block_context":{"text":"CD recensie","link":"https:\/\/kessel-tamerus.nl\/Esthers_Blog\/category\/cd-recensie\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kessel-tamerus.nl\/Esthers_Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Circulive-new-view.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8560,"url":"https:\/\/kessel-tamerus.nl\/Esthers_Blog\/live-recensie\/wilson-and-wakeman-created-a-very-cozy-evening-in-paradox\/","url_meta":{"origin":9028,"position":1},"title":"Wilson and Wakeman created a very cozy evening in Paradox","author":"Esther Kessel-Tamerus","date":"16 april 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Fans had to wait more than two years until the planned concert in early April 2020 could take place. Time after time it was postponed, the reason is clear. Well before the doors of the sold-out Paradox in Tilburg opened, the fans were waiting outdoors. 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