It’s strange that we now need all these measures to protect everything we do in our spare time. The things we deem normal are now blemished by terrorism."
For Simon Vereecke, and so many others like him, live music is a passion. So when Guy Garvey, the Elbow frontman, was forced to cancel his Brussels gig as a result of the ongoing terrorism threat, the realities of life on lockdown started to hit home.
The Ancienne Belgique venue - a beloved institution of the capital - was due to host the show. They had decided not to cancel any events following the atrocities of Le Bataclan, though the situation eventually forced their hand.
Working at the hotspot is Kevin McMullan, an Irish man who moved to Belgium as a child. “What happened in Paris touched us all, because our venue is very similar to Le Bataclan," he reflected. "The day after the attack, Slayer played in the AB. We had more security and we double-checked everyone before letting them in, so no one could have gone through. But when I was standing inside the venue, I couldn’t help but look around at the balcony and wonder, ‘What if?’"
"The city seems like a ghost town," he continued. "Not during the day, because people still go to their jobs, but at night it’s just empty. Pubs are either closed or there’s just no one there, but we’re not afraid here."
Tensions in the city have risen, though, in the past week or so. Richard Hawley played in Brussels a week after the events in Paris and things started heating up by then. My own sister, Sarah, took the train to Brussels to see him. "There were armed soldiers everywhere in the station and along the streets," she said. "There was a military truck passing us by, but because the traffic was moving so slowly, we were walking right next to the truck at the same pace. That was a very strange feeling."
Equally strange is the heightened security surrounding even the most everyday situations. "As of today we have to scan our student ID card to get into our college, so there’s definitely more security and not just in Brussels," explains Simon, also a student in Ghent.
Marcel Vandamme, a student representative for Ghent University, isn’t all too worried about the threats - but recognises the effect they've had nonetheless. "In our university they didn’t really take that many measures, but it’s not like we‘re scared or anything. There’s more police patrolling the streets, but that’s about it.
"I just hope this ends soon, and that terrorism will stop dictating our lives."
For Kevin McMullan, there's a certain - unhappy - parallel to be drawn. "The military are patrolling the streets in Brussels, mainly near hotels and public areas, but that’s what happened in Northern Ireland as well, all those years ago."
Indeed, perhaps the stance taken by Stiff Little Fingers speaks louder than bombs. Recalling the days when bands were put off playing in the North, they refused to cancel a Parisian concert last week, unafraid in the face of terror.
With luck, the walls of Ancienne Belgique, the pubs of the city and the streets of Belgium will be ringing with life and laughter again, sooner rather than later.