On February 7 Gumbo Kings will release their highly anticipated debut album Hotel Belvédère. The album takes the listener to a fictional hotel in 1980s Miami. A ‘house of ill repute’ as the English would say. This setting is the basis for the album. Frontman Boy Vielvoije describes the album as a place where melancholic stories and raw energy come together, influenced by personal experiences, and musically by The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, Black Pumas and Nathaniel Rateliff. “Many songs on Hotel Belvédère are about the complex relationship with my father. A troubled man who made things pretty difficult for me as a child. Recently I decided to break off contact. These are not pretty topics, but I want to guard myself against victimization. That’s why I think it’s cool that those very topics have often coincided with pretty cool and groovy music.”
Gumbo Kings is a dynamic five-piece band, featuring the experienced talents of Boy Vielvoije (vocals/mouth organ), Jonne Venmans (bass guitar), Tim William van Ouwerkerk (gitar), Thomas Hanenberg (keys) and Remon Hubert (drums), all of whom have made a significant mark on the Dutch music scene with their work alongside renowned acts such as Caro Emerald, Lucas Hamming, Rilan & the Bombardiers, and Akwasi. On this album the band combines their traditional influences of Rhythm ‘n Blues, Soul and Southern music traditions from the US with modern hip-hop beats and 80’s synths.