Lesoir

Lesoir have released their new single “Hidden Fire”. The track is taken from the forthcoming album Tomorrow Is Now Today, due for release on 23rd October 2026 via V2 Records.

 

Who is in Lesoir, how did you meet and what do you play?

Lesoir’s current and recent members almost all come from the former Maastricht music collective. Maartje and Ingo both played a role in setting that up, over 20 years ago, around the same time Lesoir was formed. Many musicians, from different genres too, became friends and stayed friends, or still find their way back to each other now. There’s always an open door at Lesoir: members who left in the past have sometimes returned, which makes not just that scene a collective, but our band too. We operate in the genre Progressive Rock, and more specifically Art Rock.

The current line-up is: Maartje — vocals, flute, piano, guitar and lyric writing; Ingo — guitar and compositions; Rutger — guitar, pedal steel and vocals; Staf Wouters — bass; Ramon — percussion and beats; Bob van Heumen — drums and vocals.

 

What is your earliest musical memory?

Maartje: My earliest musical memories go back to my early childhood. My father is a dialect singer-songwriter, and as a family we sang his songs together from a very young age. We also often went along to his performances and into the studio with him, so my first encounters with live music and recording started really early on.

 

When did you begin songwriting?

Maartje: I was 19 when Ingo asked me to join his school band, after the singer at the time left. We’d met each other through music school. Alongside covers, the band also played some original material. Ingo was two years younger than me but was already deep into songwriting. I’d been messing around at home with guitar and vocals on my dad’s gear in my bedroom, but joining the band really accelerated my lyric writing.

 

You will release your new album ‘Tomorrow Is Now Today’ out 23rd October 2026 (V2 Records). How did you want to approach the making of the album?

We wanted the listener to feel like they’re actually in the room with us while we’re playing. So we deliberately didn’t want to make everything too polished or perfect. If a take felt right, we used it — even if there were a few little imperfections here and there. For us, those imperfections are part of what makes the music feel human and alive. It was much more about capturing the right feeling and energy than chasing technical perfection.

 

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

The album was recorded at Airfield Studios in St. Merryn, Cornwall, UK — our absolute favourite location. It was produced by John Cornfield, with additional vocal production by Paul Reeve, and mastered by Steve Kitch.

 

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?

When we dive into the studio, we really dive in. We live together in a tiny bungalow, with hardly any private space. We wake up together, play together, cook and eat together, and have a pint together after a hard but fun day of recording. And we have seriously good conversations. You get into this little bubble where the outside world disappears for a while. That’s what makes these sessions so memorable for us. There’s a lot of music, a lot of laughing, probably a bit too little sleep — but spending that time together, getting to know one another better, and doing the thing we love most, is really what it’s all about.

 

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

Ingo: We used almost entirely real instruments on this album, played live by real people. There’s hardly any programming, and even the little bit that is there was carefully shaped by us. John Cornfield really works with takes

— we don’t record something and then repair it afterwards. We play full takes, choose the one that feels best, and maybe replace or spice up a few moments with better parts from another take. And if the take isn’t there yet, we simply keep playing until it is. That was really important to us — the performance has to feel right first. The small imperfections are part of what makes it human.

 

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

Happiest: “Stay Close To Me” — the most tender and warm track on the record, centred on closeness and love despite uncertainty.

Angriest: “Free Pass” — this track deals with senseless violence, actually describing how someone is incited to carry it out. It’s the rawest, most confrontational moment on the album.

Most reflective: Honestly, the whole album is quite reflective — but if we had to pick one, it’s “Tomorrow Is Now Today,” the title track, which best captures the record as a whole.

 

Was it a difficult album to write?

Ingo: Seven albums in, I have to admit the writing process can be a little slower sometimes. But that’s mainly because we don’t want to repeat ourselves. We’re always trying to find new directions within our music, while still making sure it feels unmistakably Lesoir at its core.

 

Who designed the album artwork?

The original painting is by Pon Arscher. She makes incredible paintings and we are very grateful for this collaboration for our new album.

 

One of the tracks is the single ‘Is It Nothing?’. What was the inspiration/story behind the track?

“Is It Nothing?” was inspired by scientist James Lovelock’s Gaia theory — the idea of Earth as a living, self-regulating organism. The song reflects on our collective responsibility towards the planet and questions whether we’re truly willing to recognise the urgency of change before it’s too late. Rather than offering easy answers, it asks the listener to sit with the question: what is actually at stake, and is meaningful change still possible? Musically, we wanted that same tension to come through — moving between intimacy and intensity, atmospheric vocals against dynamic, cinematic instrumentation, to carry the emotional weight of the subject.

 

Do you have any visualisers to accompany the album?

Yes!

 

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

Maastricht (NL): Burgundian, monumental, student city, international (yet) chauvinistic

 

How do you look after your voices?

Honestly, voice care isn’t really a big thing for us — we don’t have a strict warm-up routine before a show, or pay specific attention to it in that sense. What matters more to us is overall physical health and a healthy lifestyle in general. That’s what keeps us strong on stage and gives our bodies the foundation to support powerful vocals night after night.

 

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2026/2027?

Absolutely, we’ve got a busy run ahead:

• 1 October — Bergkeller, Reichenbach (DE)

• 2 October — Urban Spree, Berlin (DE)

• 3 October — Włocławek Rock Festival, Włocławek (PL)

• 22 October — Manchester Academy, Manchester (UK) — with Airbag

• 23 October — O2 Academy, Birmingham (UK) — with Airbag

• 24 October — The Underworld, London (UK) — with Airbag

• 12 November — La Machine du Moulin Rouge, Paris (FR)

• 13 November — Santeria Toscana 31, Milan (IT)

• 14 November — MJC O TOTEM, Rillieux-la-Pape (FR)

• 15 November — Luxor Live, Arnhem (NL) — Anneke van Giersbergen / Lesoir

• 18 November — Podium Victorie, Alkmaar (NL)

• 19 November — Effenaar, Eindhoven (NL) — Anneke van Giersbergen / Lesoir

• 21 November — Hype Park, Kraków (PL)

• 22 November — Proxima, Warsaw (PL)

• 23 November — Fabrik, Hamburg (DE)

• 25 November — Backstage, Munich (DE)

• 27 November — Club Volta, Cologne (DE)

• 28 November — Colos-Saal, Aschaffenburg (DE)

• 29 November — Poppodium Boerderij, Zoetermeer (NL)

For the most up-to-date info, check www.lesoirmusic.com/#shows.

 

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

Lesoir is a true live band — with the emphasis on both live and true. We bring the layers and dynamics of our music to life on stage, and we do our best to let people really hear that. If people tell us we’re even better live than on record — and the records sound genuinely good, if we say so ourselves — then we’ve achieved something. And beyond that, we hope to be a band that stays with people: that they’ll still be thinking about the show days later, that they’ll start following us, and that they’ll want to come back, because after just one listen, they wanted to hear more.

 

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

Ingo: I’m really loving my Hamer Newport Custom at the moment. It was given to me for my birthday, and somehow it turns out it was built on the exact same day I was born, which makes it feel even more special. It plays like butter, and every time I pick it up it immediately gives me ideas. Some instruments just seem to pull music out of you, and this is definitely one of those.

 

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

Ingo: I’m not really a literary reader, but I really enjoy Robert Bryndza’s Erika Foster series. Whether I could actually write a soundtrack for it, I’m not sure. Maybe I’d be more drawn to something a little more unexpected, like creating music for a bird encyclopedia.

 

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

Our musical taste is so diverse that it’s hard to point to one specific influence anymore. Of course, people hear the usual suspects in our music, but we draw from such a broad range within the genre that our real influences are probably life experiences rather than specific artists. That said, if we had to name a few artists we really enjoy listening to, we’d mention The Dear Hunter and Manchester Orchestra.

 

What makes Lesoir happy and what makes you unhappy?

Lesoir loves travelling and meeting people. Engagement these days is mostly an online thing, but we’re genuinely strong in the physical, in-person side of it too. It might be a bit old-school, and maybe it doesn’t come across as the most professional approach, but honestly, talking to people after a show is far more interesting than talking to people backstage — and it’s what earns you fans who stick around. Beyond that, there aren’t many things that make us unhappy. Things that stop us from playing a show, in whatever form — that does. And maybe the thought that this will end one day.

Feature Image Photo Credit: Harry Heuts