CHOW-CHOW

New-wave group from the middle of the eighties, that was the precursor to the more famous group Won Ton Ton.

Initially known as "Chow-chow & The Eskimo's", the group started in 1981-82. Somewhere on the way to the Rock Rally, they dumped the Eskimo's, but still finished very low in the order. It didn't even give them media-attention or anything.

In 1984 however, they tried again, and this time with more luck (or ability). Bea Van Der Maat about this : "Two years later we found ourselves in the final, and we even were convinced we were going to win. A photographer of De Morgen was equally convinced : he even did a photo-session with us. We were intoxicated with success. But tough luck : we didn't even make the podium. We were jealous as hell with the van that Elisa Waut got, it was just the thing we needed."

The consequence however was that they now found open doors for their demo's at record company Antler. Roland Beelen produced their debut, a mini-LP (7 tracks) named "Hide".

A few months later, the single (maxi) "This is about love" was released. This song, a production by Luc Van Acker, ended up being an underground Belgian classic. It got a lot of airplay at the time, and earned them a ticket to many summer festival. Still the group found itself back in the smallest clubcircuit afterwards. At the end of 1985 the project was disbanded. Some of the members (singer Bea Van der Maat and bass-player Biesemans) started on a more professional basis with Won Ton Ton.

Bea about this (again in Knack, October 30, 1996) "Chow Chow was a group in the true meaning of that word : four friends who made music with the same idea, the same pride, the same motivation. In the beginning of Won Ton Ton we could keep that emotion going, but with the semi-professionalism and the studio-musicians, the feeling got lost. That proved to be fatal. It wasn't the same spirit anymore".

Band members :
- Bea Van Der Maat - vocals
- Jan Biesemans - bass
- Ronny Timmermans - guitar
- Raf Ravijts - drums

Albums :
- Hide (Antler - 1984)
Singles and 12''
- This is about love (Antler, 1984)

Websites :
- none found

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