Demeulemeester last week announced his retirement next year, when he hits 65, from his job as general director of the Brussels’ rock temple Ancienne Belgique. Demeulemeester has been associated with the AB since 1981, when he served as artistic director for four years. After a spell in the cabinet of culture minister Patrick Dewael , he came back in 1989 as general director and has stayed ever since.

In that time, he transformed the AB from a rather shabby little nightspot to one of the country’s top venues, attracting big names, particularly for its size and launching a number of festivals. Currently on the calendar are Lou Reed, Jeff Beck, Don McLean and Randy Newman. A Flemish region venue, it also plays regular host to Flemish talents like Luc De Vos, Absynth Minded, Wim Mertens and the recent Humo Rock Rally.

Along the way, he has also been responsible in some way for projects like Mallemunt, the revival of Kaaitheater, Boterhammen in het Park, the renovation of Lunatheater and, most recently, the Gulden Ontsporing concert on the Grote Markt in Brussels on Flemish National Day, 11 July.

“I’ll go on being an advocate and an ambassador for music,” he says. “But I don’t want to be seen as a mother-in-law figure, always looking over my successor’s shoulder. In any case, I’m too busy right now to think about it. It’s still a year away.”

“If you ask me, that man deserves a statue in Brussels because he’s someone who has been crucial and still is crucial for Brussels’ cultural life,” says Arno (who holds the record for the number of AB performances) on his website. “The AB is one of the reasons the centre of Brussels is alive.”

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