Goodbye festival summer, long live the concert season!
Pukkelpop is over, which means summer is slowly drawing to a close.
But that’s certainly no reason to sink into a collective depression, because the end of festival season also marks the start of the new concert season!
We’ll soon be announcing our new season with all the bells and whistles. But first, we’d like to shine the spotlight once again on these festival highlights, whom you’ll get to experience again this year at AB in a full-length set:
Ezra Collective 16 + 17 Feb
“Ezra Collective gets everyone in the community dancing at Couleur Café.
The standard-bearers of London’s multicultural jazz scene did not disappoint on the main stage of Couleur Café, where they kicked off their summer tour with a massive dance party, while already offering a glimpse of their new album, due out in September, which transforms pain into hope.” – Bruzz
Camille Yembe Wed 03 Feb
“She has only released one EP so far, but Camille Yembe already has the aura of a rising star, earning the praise of major artists such as Angèle and Damso. And rightly so, as she proved at Couleur Café. Yembe showed herself to be versatile and multi-layered at The Fox, sensual yet also deeply moving. A singer who could be both intimate and dramatic, effortlessly switching between chanson, pop and electro. Stages like this will soon be too small for her. ‘Je l’ai peut-être pas dit mais j’en voulais encore,’ she sang at the end of her set. Judging by the reactions she received from the audience, she’s not the only one who wants more.” – Bruzz
Kids With Buns Wed 9 Dec
“Kids With Buns protest with love and genuine joy.
On Saturday, Kids With Buns opened Pukkelpop’s Main Stage with new songs and a fuller, more danceable sound.” ★★★★☆ – De Standaard
Gurriers Sat 5 Dec
“Fuck the fascists, let’s dance!” At Pukkelpop, Gurriers delivered a blistering set that will linger for quite some time.
At Pukkelpop, Gurriers came across as the dirtiest side of Idles, the pitbull version of The Murder Capital, and Yard Act with even less joie de vivre. Every bassline rolled out by Charlie McCarthy unleashed mosh pits, chased by guitar riffs that seemed to rain down from the sky like razor-sharp icicles. Gurriers delivered the kind of post-punk that leaves you with injuries – exactly what the sweaty Club was craving.” ★★★★☆ – De Morgen
Elmer Fri 30 Oct
“Elmer at Pukkelpop: the wit was there from the very start.
‘My name is Elmer and I’m a man,’ said Elmer, casually dressed in a cabaret suit, as he walked onto the stage. ‘And this is Guy, he’s a drummer. And also a man. Tonight, we’re all men.’ And they were welcome to stand up front, at the back, wherever they wanted. ‘Let’s suppress our feelings tonight like real men, then everything will be fine,’ he said by way of introducing ‘Druk’. You couldn’t make out everything he said between songs, but everyone understood exactly what he wanted them to understand. And the whole Club knew the lyrics to his songs by heart.” ★★★★☆ – De Morgen
DIKKE Fri 5 Feb
“DIKKE at Pukkelpop: somewhere between hard-hitting beats and emotion.
‘Shit man, I can only cry like a little bitch. This means everything to me,’ said a tearful DIKKE, fighting back the tears as he took the Main Stage in his home province of Limburg for the first time. A homecoming show that struck a balance between hard-hitting beats and emotion, but never missed its mark. What is stopping DIKKE from claiming a later Main Stage slot than midday in the not-too-distant future? We certainly have no objections. Big tears, an equally big party, and an even bigger future ahead.” ★★★★☆ – De Morgen
Yard Act Fri 2 Oct
“Yard Act played a cracking, slightly off-kilter set at Rock Werchter.
There were punk-funk classics such as ‘Dark Days’ and ‘We Make Hits’, as well as the playful ‘The Trench Coat Museum’, but there was also plenty of freshly squeezed vitriol flying around, courtesy of ‘Tall Tales’ and the strikingly catchy ‘New Beginnings’: you enthusiastically and unironically waved your arms from side to side, while frontman James Smith grinningly offered you a clean slate: ‘Purge yourself of sin / Resist the urge to grin / Spend your winnings on new beginnings.’” ★★★☆☆ – De Morgen
