“Links Voor Het Ziekenhuis, Rechts Voor Het Kerkhof” is the unofficial anthem of Café Kassa 4 in Antwerp, starring the retired Father Johan.
Kassa 4 is a notorious den of iniquity where people from all walks of life come to sin, but it’s also an oasis rich in creative collaboration for many artists from the Antwerp scene. The song’s lyrics are a jumble of gossip, so if you don’t understand them, it’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to do. It sounds a bit like a drunk shouting in your ear at two in the morning, babbling on while you impatiently wait to scrape the saliva projectiles off your eardrums.
This track is a collaboration with Jef Jenaer (WASTE, Zegel) and Lander Kersbergen (Brakwater). Together with Niels, they’re responsible for the roaring and screaming that the industry calls “vocals.” All three of them once worked behind the bar at Kassa 4, which is why the above is based on true events.