Girl Scout
It's a tale as old as time: four young people meet while studying. In this tale our protagonists are Swedish and became acquainted at the Royal College of Music where they studied jazz and discovered they share a love for artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Elliott Smith and The Beatles. Naturally, they decided to jam together. The grapevine is buzzing already, Girl Scout have been making a name of themselves playing live shows around the UK and Scandinavia, supporting Holly Humberstone and securing festival spots. They released their first singles, one of them the dreamy “Do You Remember Sally Moore?”. Give them a listen!
The People's Pleasure Grounds
The People’s Pleasure Ground is like a vision upon endless beaches with deep blue waves rolling upon a lost paradise. With Jimmy de Kok functioning as the captain, this band will be able to turn venues and meadows into Californian scenes. During live-shows De Kok is accompanied by Malenzie Mac-Donald Jr., Gijs van der Heijden and Eno Aronds. Together they will daze the listener with a strong dose of reverb-loaded guitars and dreamy lyrics. The People’s Pleasure Ground is the absolute must-see for everyone embracing the sixties surfscene.
The Joy Hotel
Welcome to The Joy Hotel. It’s as good as the quality of a fine wine and the satisfaction of a tequila shot and a ciggy. The everyman’s band that is not so much a band as an experience. The Glasgow 7 piece bring a rolling musical thunder of influences that may sound unknown and simultaneously familiar, and impossible to pin down. It’s a multi-genre exploration that touches on dreamy pop, psych rock and alt-country and warps it into something completely new. Make sure to check in.
The Indien
The Indien is the project around Rianne Walther. They blend past influences, crafting lively pop songs with a unique touch. Their tracks feature Rianne's distinct vocals, often paired with stripped-down percussion, cinematic layers, and guitar melodies. "At its core, it's pop music with a hint of alternative," Rianne explains. "We usually start with live recordings as the foundation, but a significant chunk of production happens during home sessions. It's pop, it's vibey... but with a DIY vibe too."
THAMES
THAMES is a brand new post-punk band centered around lead singer and guitarist Merlyn Baartman. With family ties to Suffolk, England, he is no stranger to British (and Irish) punk and new wave influences (including The Cure, Fontaines D.C. and IDLES). Although his UK predecessors have proven to be a great source of inspiration, it was only after he moved to Amsterdam that he realized how emotionally closed the British can be. Whilst struggling with the slowness of the emancipation of toxic masculinity and behavior, THAMES makes sure to combine high energy morality with modern post-punk sound.
Porcelain id
Rwandan artist Porcelain id, aka Hubert Tuyishime, burst onto the scene in 2020 with a unique blend of raw vocals and emotional depth. They effortlessly switch between Dutch and English, crafting lyrics about identity, gender, and racism. Influenced by artists like Destroyer, Bon Iver, and Daniel Johnston, their music has made them a standout talent in Belgium. While their debut ‘Mango’ was a concept EP about queerness, police brutality and identity, follow-up 'Reprise' is an intimate and poetic state of affairs. The lo-fi sound has been replaced by breathtaking minimalism. It's highlight? Vlaanderen, a heartfelt gospel song sung in Porcelain id's Flemish accent and a poignant ode to life's struggles, echoing their own childhood challenges as a black and queer individual.
Neighbours Burning Neighbours
Sloppy math-rock for the masses. Steady contributors to the Rotterdam music-scene and the noise/shoegaze genre, the members of Neighbours Burning Neighbours organically gravitated towards each other early 2018 and quickly became popular in the international underground music scene. From four different perspectives comes an unapologetic sound filled with unexpected structures and dynamics - with vocals that shoot back and forth vigorously and arrangements that effortlessly switch between melancholic post-punk and threatening noise rock. A distorted, sultry sonic mix, that twists and turns and is as explosive as it is harmonious. Their first album is set to be released next year, but you can already catch a glimpse of them at Hit The City festival.
M. Lucky
M. Lucky is a restless musician from Amsterdam who tries to find romance in everyday reality by writing poetic pop songs. Her millennial anthems dissolve the fear of boredom while life thunders past like a tragic comedy.Accompanied by members of Weval, Jungle by Night, Personal Trainer, Kovacs & EUT, M. Lucky delivers a smoky, sharp and edgy show with echo's of the seventies.
Loupe
Amsterdam indie rock formation Loupe has the unique gift of sounding both impulsive and hypnotic: a fluid sound in which styles such as synth pop, alternative folk and indie rock are expressed through their unique chemistry. The smooth, aerodynamic grooves of Annemarie, the melodic bass lines of Lana and the dynamic, virtuoso playing of Jasmine form a kind of secret language. Songs like “I Keep Changing”, “Vortex” and “Holding Me Too Tight” are full of subtle twists and turns that address some of life’s bigger coming-of-age dilemmas.
Library Card
In the summer of 2021, Library Card emerged from a close friendship within the vibrant music scene of Rotterdam. Since then, Library Card has navigated the balance between expressive and contemplative, cultivating a dynamic and intense sound that alternates between discordant and suddenly melodious. The band delivers a blend of nervous and elusive post-punk, where bursts of unexpectedly grand post-rock are ever-present. Quitz, Kalkman, and Karayalçin provide the foundation for Lot van Teylingen's sardonic spoken word, which is increasingly transforming into captivating storytelling. It's striking how the band resonates with the contemporary, but in a way that remains authentic and entirely their own.