Ancienne Belgique unveils new virtual concert hall

Brussels concert hall Ancienne Belgique (AB) has unveiled a new virtual and interactive concert hall, christened Nouvelle Belgique.

In lieu of in-person concerts at the 2,000-capacity venue, fans will be able to create an avatar and attend performances in its digital likeness via the desktop app, Yabal.

Concertgoers can personalise their avatar, which will be able to clap, jump and even form a wall of death during the gig.

Nouvelle Belgique will ‘open its doors’ for the first time on 12 April with a performance from local rapper and AB regular, Zwangere Guy.

“Everything you see on the virtual stage takes place simultaneously in the real world”

The artist himself will be on stage live in the real AB, wearing a suit with sensors that registers all his movements, which will be mirrored in the virtual environment.

“Thanks to the work of the AB’s sound and light technicians, the spectator has the impression of attending a real concert. The unique feature of this experience is that everything you see on the virtual stage takes place simultaneously in the real world,” Tom Bonte, general director of Ancienne Belgique, tells The Brussels Times.

Hervé Verloes, co-founder of creative agency Poolpio – which helped to create the space along with the support of visit.brussels and Proximus – explains: “The event is similar to an online game. Spectators will be able to move freely in the copy of the Ancienne Belgique (including the red balconies and the bar) and interact with each other, as well as with the artist.”

Bonte says that the ultimate goal is to ‘reopen the physical and digital doors’ of Ancienne Belgique.

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