Limburg pop-rock outfit Noordkaap (North Cape) first emerged on the Belgian music scene in the late 1980s, with frontman Stijn Meuris joined by fellow founding members Lars Van Bambost on guitar, Nico Van Calster on drums, Erik Sterckx on bass and Wim De Wilde on keyboard. The group soon found themselves in the spotlight as the 1990 winners of the coveted Flemish talent contest Humo’s Rock Rally, with their cover of Will Tura’s “Arme Joe” reaching number 33 in the national Flanders charts and landing them in the sights of various record labels. Inking a deal with Mercury Records, they released a debut album, Feest in de Stad (Party in the City), in 1991. Receiving mixed reviews from critics, the LP was met with positive reception on tour, with the group earning renown for their live presence. Their second album, Een Heel Klein Beetje Oorlog (A Little Bit of War), arrived in 1993, signalling the start of a long and fruitful partnership with producer Wouter Van Belle. Moving to Sony imprint Double T ahead of the release of their third LP, 1994’s Gigant, the group increased their national following substantially, attracting multiple opportunities to record original music for film soundtracks. Most notably, their 1995 contributions to the film Manneken Pis resulted in a chart hit, “Ik Hou Van U”, and led to similar work on the comedy Alles Moet Weg the following year. Making several changes to their membership toward the end of the decade, the band returned with two more LPs, 1996’s Programma '96 and 1999’s Massis, before releasing a greatest hits album entitled Avanti! and eventually disbanding in 2000. Meuris went on to form a new group of his own, Monza, while Van Bambost joined Novastar. After two decades of inactivity, the band returned by surprise in 2020 with a re-recorded version of "Ik Hou Van U".
