They have appeared on TV and will be performing this year at such major festivals as Paaspop, but Red Hot Chili Peppers-tribute band Californicated feel just as at home in Wageningen’s Loburg.
Is such a small venue still fun to do if you also perform on major stages? ‘Of course,’ says Californicated bassist Arie Goossens, who lived in Wageningen until recently and worked at WUR for several years. ‘In fact, we actually asked Loburg if we could perform there again. It feels for me as if I’m back home and we enjoy playing there. We can experiment more in a place like Loburg compared with the big venues. Play lesser known numbers, for example, add an instrument or do something acoustic.’
‘I’ve always felt the Peppers had something magical ever since I started making music. They use various techniques and they give the bass more of a prominent role,’ explains Goossens. A few years ago, he played a couple of numbers in Wageningen in another Peppers tribute band. ‘I was at the Woetstock Wageningen Festival when the bass player collapsed on stage due to a medical condition. I knew the people backstage and could play all the Peppers songs. So I offered to help the rest of the band complete their set. They immediately hung a guitar around my neck and pushed me onto the stage. That whetted my appetite. When I saw a call for a bassist for this tribute band a couple of years later, I applied straight away.’
Californicated took part in the SBS6 TV show Battle of the Bands two years back. ‘That turbo-charged our musical career,’ says Goossens. ‘At first we only ever played in small pubs. Thanks to that programme, we were suddenly performing in the RAI and since then we’ve been getting invites for bigger gigs.’
The tribute band try to give performances similar to the experience of the genuine Red Hot Chili Peppers. ‘Within our capabilities as semi-pro hobby performers, of course. Our aim is that after seeing one of our gigs, people leave with the same feeling they would have if they’d seen the real Peppers perform. We create a similar atmosphere: we play their songs, wear outfits similar to what they wear on tour and play almost identical instruments.’
SAT | 03-May-25
Grand Café Loburg Wageningen
From 22:30 | Tickets 12 euros
