American singer/songwriter/guitarist Dave Hause is currently doing a Haunted Churches Tour in Europe. Last week I attended his only show in the Netherlands, which turned out to be an almost two-hour masterclass in showmanship, a craft expertly built up over a lifetime in multiple hardcore/punk bands since the 90s. Together with his younger brother Tim Hause (vocals, guitar) and their friend Mark Masefield (keys, accordion), he not only managed to captivate musically, but the interaction with the audience also led to more than a few laughs, and he even had a cure for the Dutch Disease which silenced the chatter at the back of the room. The fact that there were fans present who had seen the artist live 15+ years ago with his punk band The Loved Ones (and still remembered it clearly) as well as teenagers who were not yet born at the time (but were now making their crowdsurfing debut) says a lot about his appeal.
April last year, Dave Hause released his heartfelt sixth solo album Drive It Like It’s Stolen (featuring instant classic Damn Personal), which he followed up in November with the Versus LP and in early 2024 with Nurses on vinyl, both consisting of re-recorded songs from The Loved Ones in the style of his current work. We’re talking about honest, acoustic folk-punk, skillfully played and convincingly sung. On stage it becomes even more evident how good all this is, and anyone who wants to be persuaded (or wants to relive it) can buy two performances from the current tour – in churches in Hamburg and Köln (Germany) – online now.
Add to wantlist: Haunted Churches: Live From Hamburg and Haunted Churches: Live From Köln are out now digitally, available on Bandcamp.
Update: here’s Haunted Churches: Live from Munich.