13/05/2026
We had the great opportunity to greet the band GLITZ, from the Netherlands, to conclude We Lille Rock You!
Want to know more about them? Well, it's better if they explain it themselves! Here's a recent interview they gave at RTC!! Rock on, guys!
(Thanks to Marie-noëlle Boulanger)
The Success of Glitz
Flint Jongen â guitarist
Brendan Aafjes â bassist
Jesse Mook â drummer
NoĂ«l Brouwer â vocalist
The rock band took part in an international Queen convention in France
Young band Glitz, made up of guitarist Flint Jongen (19), bassist Brendan Aafjes (20), drummer Jesse Mook (18), and vocalist NoĂ«l Brouwer (20), took part last week in a Queen convention in Lille â with great success:
"We even received compliments from Tim Staffell."
Wijk aan Zee
In a small rehearsal room hidden inside a printing house, Flint looks back on the band's early days.
"I went to primary school with Noël and Brendan in Wijk aan Zee," he says. "That's where the band was born, before Alf and I started playing locally sometimes."
The current lineup came together after a chance encounter.
"During a jam session at café De Zon, we met Jesse," Flint explains. "We asked him if he wanted to play with us. Jesse got it straight away."
"It clicked immediately. We stayed in touch before he even got on stage with us," he continues. "His first gig is burned into my memory. We had a performance at a church in Heemskerk. Just before, I had shown him all the songs on the drums. His head was full of stress. He may have made a few mistakes, but in my view he played really well."
The Turning Point
Barely into the conversation, the door swings open. Noël and Brendan rush in.
"Sorry we're late, the traffic was absolutely chaotic," says Noël.
The conversation quickly turns to the moment the band really started to take off.
"It all began when Lisa, our manager, saw us play in Beverwijk and offered to be our agent," Jesse recounts.
Noël nods in agreement.
"Before that, we were a bit like sailors without a compass," he says. "But when they came on board a year and a half ago, everything became more serious."
With this new direction came a change in approach.
"We then started focusing on Queen," Noël explains. "When we became active on social media, things really exploded."
According to Brendan, this was a deliberate choice.
"We intentionally targeted the Queen fan base. Back then, we were still trying to be 'old school', like the bands of the 70s. That doesn't work anymore these days. Online visibility is essential."
This approach paid off with their cover of Winterglow, which went viral on social media.
"People reacted enormously and it really accelerated things," Noël says.
Lille
This growth led to a special milestone: their first concert in Lille, France.
"We met some very special people there," Jesse recalls. "From former members of bands connected to Queen to Freddie Mercury's bodyguard."
The concert itself went smoothly.
"We had no technical issues, so we were very pleased," Noël explains. "We're very perfectionistic, so after every gig we always discuss what could be improved."
The surprise came right after the show.
NoĂ«l takes out his phone and plays a video clip: in it, Tim Staffell â the former singer and bassist of the band from which Queen emerged â speaks enthusiastically about the group.
"It was truly an enormous compliment," he says. "Everything fell perfectly into place."
What followed was even more special: they shared a drink with Queen's former touring crew.
"It was simply incredible."
The Future
The band isn't thinking too far ahead just yet.
"We're constantly working on our music," Flint explains.
Jesse adds:
"It would obviously be great to play abroad even more, but we never forget where we come from."
Noël concludes:
"Ultimately, we just want people to be inspired by our music. That's what matters most."
