I had to run

In the beginning, there was Laurent Leemans, singer of the folk-rock combo Ceilí Moss from 1996 to 2015 and of the arty-new wave band La Vierge du Chancelier Rolin in the 90s. In 2012, the longing to bring to life some songs that had not found their place in the repertoire of his groups ended up becoming stronger than the fear of becoming the umpteenth silly sod on acoustic guitar who hoots his existentialism on two and a half chords.

The imaginary suitcase is the one in which Laurent keeps his dead dreams, those that still breathe and the memories of his fantasized lives. The Imaginary Suitcase remained a solitary project until 2020, when Laurent ended up wanting to broaden his palette. This is how Janaina Costa (OK Lion!) on vocals and Vincent Romain (Linda Lou & the Line Movers, Clover Stompers, Thea & the Mugs, Alain Cupper, ea The man is prolific!) on solo guitar, mandolin and dobro have joined him and so they have been performing as a trio since July 2021.

Since 9 years, The Imaginary Suitcase strives to find the perfect balance between clear line, almost pop melodies (think The Civil Wars, or Leonard Cohen meets Suzanne Vega…), and a willingly rough sound reminiscent of 16 Horsepower or Hugo Race. The result? Songs built around refined harmonies between Laurent's deep voice and Jana's lighter one, two equally powerful, tender, sarcastic, melancholic or enraged but always intense voices, deceptively simple guitar chords delicately ornamented by Vincent and razor-sharp lyrics about life, death and the creepy moments in between.

Since 2012, The Imaginary Suitcase has released 9 recordings and performed around 300 concerts in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. The latest album (“The gods gave you victory today only to make your final defeat more bitter”) is available on all platforms since March 2021, and new songs are currently being written.

Music

In the beginning, there was Laurent Leemans, singer of the folk-rock combo Ceilí Moss from 1996 to 2015 and of the arty-new wave band La Vierge du Chancelier Rolin in the 90s. In 2012, the longing to bring to life some songs that had not found their place in the repertoire of his groups ended up becoming stronger than the fear of becoming the umpteenth silly sod on acoustic guitar who hoots his existentialism on two and a half chords. The imaginary suitcase is the one in which Laurent keeps his dead dreams, those that still breathe and the memories of his fantasized lives. The Imaginary Suitcase remained a solitary project until 2020, when Laurent ended up wanting to broaden his palette. This is how Janaina Costa (OK Lion!) on vocals and Vincent Romain (Linda Lou & the Line Movers, Clover Stompers, Thea & the Mugs, Alain Cupper, ea The man is prolific!) on solo guitar, mandolin and dobro have joined him and so they have been performing as a trio since July 2021. Since 9 years, The Imaginary Suitcase strives to find the perfect balance between clear line, almost pop melodies (think The Civil Wars, or Leonard Cohen meets Suzanne Vega…), and a willingly rough sound reminiscent of 16 Horsepower or Hugo Race. The result? Songs built around refined harmonies between Laurent's deep voice and Jana's lighter one, two equally powerful, tender, sarcastic, melancholic or enraged but always intense voices, deceptively simple guitar chords delicately ornamented by Vincent and razor-sharp lyrics about life, death and the creepy moments in between. Since 2012, The Imaginary Suitcase has released 9 recordings and performed around 300 concerts in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. The latest album (“The gods gave you victory today only to make your final defeat more bitter”) is available on all platforms since March 2021, and new songs are currently being written.

In the beginning, there was Laurent Leemans, singer of the folk-rock combo Ceilí Moss from 1996 to 2015 and of the arty-new wave band La Vierge du Chancelier Rolin in the 90s. In 2012, the longing to bring to life some songs that had not found their place in the repertoire of his groups ended up becoming stronger than the fear of becoming the umpteenth silly sod on acoustic guitar who hoots his existentialism on two and a half chords.

The imaginary suitcase is the one in which Laurent keeps his dead dreams, those that still breathe and the memories of his fantasized lives. The Imaginary Suitcase remained a solitary project until 2020, when Laurent ended up wanting to broaden his palette. This is how Janaina Costa (OK Lion!) on vocals and Vincent Romain (Linda Lou &amp; the Line Movers, Clover Stompers, Thea &amp; the Mugs, Alain Cupper, ea The man is prolific!) on solo guitar, mandolin and dobro have joined him and so they have been performing as a trio since July 2021.

Since 9 years, The Imaginary Suitcase strives to find the perfect balance between clear line, almost pop melodies (think The Civil Wars, or Leonard Cohen meets Suzanne Vega…), and a willingly rough sound reminiscent of 16 Horsepower or Hugo Race. The result? Songs built around refined harmonies between Laurent's deep voice and Jana's lighter one, two equally powerful, tender, sarcastic, melancholic or enraged but always intense voices, deceptively simple guitar chords delicately ornamented by Vincent and razor-sharp lyrics about life, death and the creepy moments in between.

Since 2012, The Imaginary Suitcase has released 9 recordings and performed around 300 concerts in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. The latest album (“The gods gave you victory today only to make your final defeat more bitter”) is available on all platforms since March 2021, and new songs are currently being written.

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I had to run

I had to run