Belgium, 2001-2010
Girls in Hawaii is a belgian indie pop band.
In 2000, Antoine Wielemans and Lionel Vancauwenberghe began recording songs on an 8 track-recorder, and a few months later they formed the band by recruiting their brothers: Denis Wielemans and Brice Vancauwenberghe, and two friends: Christophe Léonard and Daniel Offermann.|In May 2002 they signed with 62TV Records, and, soon after, French music magazine “Magic” wrote about their first demo: “Simplicity, efficiency and accuracy close to perfection, lots of ideas, “their music reminds us of Grandaddy, Blonde Redhead and even dEUS”.|In November 2002 they won Studio Brussel´s Demopoll, a contest wherein Studio Brussel listeners select their favorite demo among hundreds of possible bands.|Girls in Hawaii’s first release was Found in the Ground: The Winter EP in early 2003, after which the band toured through Belgium and France. In the meantime, they started recording what would become their first LP.|From Here To There was released in November 2003 in Belgium and in early 2004 in Europe. It was well-received across Europe, where the band went on a promotional tour, through Belgium, France, Italy, Germany and Spain. The record was later released in Japan, and in October 2005 China Shop Music released it in the United States. The band started a short tour of the West Coast of the United States in April 2006.|Their second full-length album, Plan Your Escape was released in February 2008 in Europe. It was recorded in old houses in the forests of Ardennes by producer Jean Lamoot (who has worked with French artists such as Noir Désir and Alain Bashung). The album, more complex and eclectic than the previous, contains twelve songs, among them, the first single which is called This Farm Will End Up In Fire. The band has toured Europe promoting the album during 2008.|In February 2009, Not Here, a documentary relating the life of the band during that tour has been released in DVD.|On May 30, 2010, drummer Denis Wielemans died in a car accident in Brussels. He was only 28 years old.| |
