Frank van Bogaert

Fish on Friday: Still fresh after five albums!

8MM - another jewel in the crown of FoF.

With 8MM The Belgian band Fish on Friday (FoF) has already released their sixth studio album - and what an album it is. Packed with beautiful songwriting, top-tier musicianship, stunning vocals, and sublime production, it easily stands out as one of the best releases of recent years.

I was very happy to have a lovely chat with bandleader, composer and producer Frank van Bogeaert.

Frank is the mastermind behind FoF. He is the singer, keyboardist, sound engineer, and producer of the band.
For many years, Frank owned Antwerp’s famous Ace Studios, where numerous Belgian and international bands recorded. It was also the birthplace of all previous FoF albums, as well as the initial demos for 8MM.

From a City Bunker to an Ardennes Sanctuary

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Frank decided it was time to close Ace Studios. He and his wife already owned a country house in the Belgian Ardennes, a place they visited every chance they got. Realizing they only ever returned to Antwerp for work—and having already built a vibrant social life in the countryside—they decided the future was now.

Frank set out to build a brand-new studio right next to his country house. Ditching the dark, "bunker" aesthetic of Ace Studios, he designed a creative space flooded with natural light, sketching the blueprints himself with just a pencil, a ruler, and graph paper.“Light and sight,” Frank says of the philosophy behind the new space.

The studio features a large room with massive windows, no separate control room, and a loft dedicated to recording drums and other instruments. This open layout fosters a high level of interaction between musicians—a concept famously utilized by Peter Gabriel at his Real World Studios. Moving away from commercial client work, the space has been dubbed FoF Studios, standing for Friends of Frank. Van Bogaert now exclusively uses the studio to record his own music and projects for close friends.

Naturally, the vast majority of 8MM was crafted here, and everyone involved has been deeply impressed by the incredible working atmosphere.

The Origins and Evolution of FoF

Fish on Friday originally formed when one of Frank's studio clients wanted to record a project. The client’s band, led by William Beckers, consisted of amateur musicians, and the sessions weren't progressing well.
"We ended up completing that album using my regular session musicians: guitarist Marty Townsend and drummer Marcus Weymaere," Frank recalls. "William and I started writing together. Because I wanted to move in a more progressive rock direction and already had some material ready, it turned out to be a great collaboration. After nine months, we had our debut album, Shoot the Moon."

That debut remains highly sought after; Frank notes that a fourth vinyl pressing is already on the way, driven by a surge in back-catalogue sales sparked by 8MM.

Over time, however, the dynamic changed. William grew busy with his day job and contributed less to the songwriting process, often only bringing basic chord progressions that Frank had to flesh out into full songs. Tensions arose when William insisted on composer credits for work he hadn't done, leading to an amicable parting of ways.

"I always loved the abbreviation FoF," Frank says. "I prefer to use it now, and we even had a new logo designed. It fits beautifully with the new studio."

A Tight-Knit Musical Family

Since the beginning, FoF has relied on two foundational members: American guitarist Marty Townsend and Belgian drummer Marcus Weymaere.

Frank regards Marty as one of the finest all-round guitarists he knows, boasting a rich history that includes extensive country music session work in Nashville. Though Marty recently moved back to the United States intending to take things easier, his talent keeps him busier than ever. It was Marty who first introduced Marcus Weymaere to Frank back in 1990.
"A very shy, nice man and an incredibly good drummer," Frank says of Marcus. "He has been part of my core team for thirty years. We complement each other perfectly."

The lyrics on 8MM are deeply personal. Frank writes exclusively about his own life experiences, believing that authenticity allows for much greater emotional depth.
"I usually start with a few sentences, sit down at the piano, and let the song grow. Once the foundation is there, I make a basic demo and send it to the guys so they can start working their magic," Frank explains.

The Nick Beggs Connection: From Kajagoogoo to Co-Producer

While Frank has traditionally produced all of FoF’s music, 8MM features legendary bassist Nick Beggs as co-producer.
"It was fantastic," Frank says. "We worked together every day and laughed constantly. We even gave each other nicknames—I called Nick 'Trevor' (after Trevor Horn) and he called me 'Toni' (after Tony Visconti). When mastering, I signed off as 'Bob' (Clearmountain). It all happened very naturally because we are such close friends."

How did Nick Beggs join a Belgian progressive rock project in the first place?

It traces back to his days in the 80s pop group Kajagoogoo.

While recording the track "Welcome" for FoF's second album, Frank wasn't satisfied with the bassline and mentioned he wanted something reminiscent of Kajagoogoo. William Beckers dryly replied, "Well, why don’t you just ask Nick Beggs?"

Frank tracked down Beggs' email address and sent over the track, expecting never to hear back. To his surprise, Beggs replied within half an hour, calling the song fantastic and offering to play on it. At the time, Frank had no idea Beggs was playing with progressive rock icon Steve Hackett and was already a staple of the modern prog scene.

Today, the collaboration has evolved into a family affair. Nick’s daughter Lula provides vocals on 8MM, while his other daughter, Willow—a recent art academy graduate—created an animated music video for the band. Beyond his brilliant bass work and co-production, Nick’s vocal harmonies blend seamlessly with Frank’s lead vocals, adding a rich new layer to the FoF sound.

The Art of the Tracklist and a Bowie-Approved Cover

For Frank, the hardest part of finishing an album is determining the track order.
"I take long walks with my dogs and just listen to the sequence," Frank says. "I change it constantly. Sometimes that means having to cut tracks that don't fit the flow. We actually left two great songs off this album simply because they disrupted the narrative arc. That process can take a month."

8MM also features a rare cover song: "Flame" by the late-70s new wave band Metro.
"I literally wore out Metro's debut album when I was young," Frank admits. "I ended up becoming Facebook friends with Metro’s Peter Godwin, and after he sent me birthday wishes, we started chatting. I asked if he’d mind if FoF covered 'Flame.' He was thrilled. David Bowie had previously covered a different Metro song, but Peter told me 'Flame' was a notoriously difficult track to get right. Fortunately, he was absolutely over the moon when he heard our version!"

Looking Ahead

The future looks bright for FoF. Frank is already busy writing material for the next album. However, fans shouldn't hold their breath for a tour. Bringing the grand, pristine sound of the album to the stage properly would require an array of extra musicians and backing vocalists, making live performances financially unfeasible without major promoter backing. As Frank puts it, doing it on their own would leave them "in tears financially."

In Conversation with Nick Beggs

"I’ve been involved with FoF since 2012, starting with the album Airborn where I played the bass parts on 'Welcome.' The band contacted me out of the blue via email. The sheer quality of the music Frank sent me, combined with how well we got along, made it an easy decision to keep collaborating.Stepping into the co-producer role for 8MM happened very organically. I was sending Frank a lot of conceptual ideas regarding the arrangements and production elements, and he graciously integrated them into the final mixes. It was actually his idea to credit me as co-producer—but let’s be completely honest, Frank is still the true hands-on mastermind behind this music."