

A tour and a CD release followed in 2003. Trap became the second regular studio recording, and in August the Flat Earth Society premiered their Louis Armstrong project The Armstrong Mutations at the last night of the free Brussels festival Boterhammen in de Stad. In 2002, the Flat Earth Society was the house band of the Brugge2002 festival, where they participated in the Benenwerk project, turning the centre of the city of Bruges into a large ballroom. Meanwhile Peter Vermeersch also composed the music for Minoes, a children's movie by Dutch film director Vincent Bal on a story by Annie M.G. FES also played in the theatre play Larf by Josse De Pauw, the music of this performance being released the same year. The tracklist contains new and old compositions by Vermeersch and other members of the big band, but ends with two covers of songs by The Residents. The year 2000 was a busy one, with a Belgian tour, a new appearance in the last broadcast of the Levende Lijven radio show, and the first release on Zonk!Records: Bonk. This prompted Peter Vermeersch to found his own record company, Zonk!Records. Unfortunately the Viakra label that released this CD went bankrupt, preventing a wide distribution. The entire gig was recorded and later released under the title Live at the Beursschouwburg 1999, containing compositions by Peter Vermeersch and covers of jazz numbers. Wider attention came thanks to the Flemish radio station Radio 1, where they performed on the show Levende Lijven. They also performed on the song Porqué te Vas by A Group, Peter Vermeersch' avant-garde pop band. Their earliest gig took place in 1997, when they performed a composition by Peter Vermeersch to accompany a circus act by De Circusplaneet during the Oorsmeer festival.
