Van Laere was born in Brasschaat, near
Antwerp. He participated in
Humo's Rock Rally, one of the biggest rock competitions in the
Low Countries. Backed by a bass guitarist and a drummer he was awarded the silver medal and won the audience's vote. His first album,
Admiral Freebee, appeared soon after the competition on
Universal, as did his second,
Songs. His third album,
Wild Dreams of New Beginnings, has been released to positive critical acclaim in November 2006 and reached the top 40 on the Belgium charts. Recently one of Belgium's most influential rock formations,
dEUS, asked Admiral Freebee to be the supporting act on their European tour. In June 2009 Admiral Freebee was the support act for
Neil Young on several European tour dates. Admiral Freebee also supported Neil Young at the
Lokerse Feesten in 2014. An acoustic album, A Duet for One was released in 2017. Admiral Freebee were forced to reinvent themselves before the release of their seventh album. An arm injury eventually led to the well-received album 'The Gardener'. ==Discography==