Matter of fact: Milk Inc. was very successful as the final act on the last day of the festival and got a lot of rave reviews.

Nonetheless, Milk Inc. was out of place at Rock Werchter, an event that champions the left-of-centre mainstream. Whenever it selects electronic acts, it’s the likes of Faithless or The Chemical Brothers, not a vocal trance band like Milk Inc.

Milk Inc. is the brainchild of Flemish producers Filip Van Dueren and Regi Penxten, who released their first single, “Cream”, 13 years ago. After three different female singers during the first four years, Linda Mertens has been the voice of Milk Inc. since 2000.

Penxten is as present on the record sleeves and promo pics as Mertens and, since he’s starring in his own real-life soap Regi’s World on music channel Jim (the fifth season has just started), he probably beats her in popularity. Moreover, his private life and relationships have become a favourite subject of the Flemish gossip magazines.

Van Dueren, on the contrary, is a big mystery. Pictures of him are scarce, and he’s seldom seen without his hat. He does play with the band, but only during the so-called “full live shows”. So you won’t see him when they play on TV, for instance, but you might get a glimpse of him behind his keyboards if you head to the Sportpaleis in Antwerp next month, where Milk Inc. performs six concerts dubbed Blackout.

They first played a show at the Sportpaleis in 2006 to celebrate their 10th anniversary. It sold out almost immediately, and the band has returned yearly to Flanders’ biggest indoor venue. Since pop duo Clouseau started to play a string of shows at the Sportpaleis every year, it has become an almost religious belief among Flanders’ popular acts that you have to fill the former sports temple to have the right to say that you’ve “made it” here.

Apart from Clouseau and soul singer Natalia, who loaded (together with the Pointer Sisters) the venue with her fans 10 times in 2006, Milk Inc. has the best track record. Their coming shows will be visited by almost 100,000 people, who will experience a tightly organised performance driven by a stream of restless and relentless beats, decorated with fancy melodies, be it sung or spiralling from the keyboards. It’s a big party with a joyful tone when Milk Inc. is around.

But five years ago, dark shadows clouded over when Mertens caused a lethal accident in which the 87-year old driver of the other vehicle died. She was given a suspended sentence for reckless driving, fined and had her driver’s licence temporarily suspended.

Tragic as this incident might have been (Mertens’ brother died before in a car crash), it didn’t affect the career of Milk Inc., who have been stronger than ever in Belgium and the Netherlands. Although they’ve had hits in the UK, France, Spain and Germany, a consistent international career with a level of success that’s comparable to their success on their home turf, has so far eluded them. It’s a goal to aim for, surely, during the next decade.

25-26 September
1-3 & 9 October

Sportpaleis
Schijnpoortweg 119, Antwerp
milkinc.be