Mâles de Mer, Les (BE)

Les Mâles de Mer was a maritime-themed group of musicians from Belgium.  When I first met them at the Bie Daip festival in Appingedam they were already well-established and very much in-demand.  At that time, the lineup was Manu Moreau (then with an enormous set of dreadlocks!) playing banjo and other instruments and singing; Yves Gravar on guitar and vocals, Simon Liegeois on the fiddle, and a bald fellow – a former mime, who played the bodhran.  That last player suddenly and mysteriously disappeared and for a while the group was a trio.  (When asked about the circumstances, Moreau simply growled, “He’s dead to me.”)  Later, they added the talents of Thibault Briquet, who added vocals and guitar and they were once again a quartet.  Later, Liegeois elected to drop out of the group to focus on family and non-music projects.  Briquet, whose command of English was tentative, at best, also chose to drop out at this time.  Moreau and Gravar went on as a duo, forming “Two Sheets to the Wind”, proving that the driving force and raw talent rested largely in these two.

There are many and random videos on YouTube featuring the first, second and third editions of Les Mâles de Mer, illustrating not only their enormous energy, but the great success that the group had in connecting with their audiences.  It also demonstrated that they appeared at most, if not all, of the top venues in the maritime music genre.  – Dean Calin 9/7/2022.