LINE-UP

ELMER

Elmer is a live wire. A collision of rigor and chaos, instinct and craft. She slips between disciplines like it’s nothing, snatching whatever feeds her vision, and the mastery in this is palpable. She’s fierce, unruly, wickedly funny, the kind of artist who doesn’t just ask you to engage but dares you to keep up.

Donny Ronny

Donny Ronny (once known as Stefano Keizers) is our festival wildcard, because we came to him with only one question: Can you bring this vision together? Be our red thread.

No pressure there.

Stanley Brinks & Freschard

Two extraordinary people, one stage. Stanley Brinks and Freschard create something magical together: absurd English-language lyrics, unusual instruments, and a hefty dose of charm. From folk to lo-fi pop, anything goes.

Elvis de Launay

Her performances are a bit like love letters: romantic, bold, and sometimes so sharp it takes your breath away. Emerging artist Elvis de Launay graduated last year from the Arnhem Theatre School and creates work where language always takes center stage.

Roos Rebergen & SunSunSun Orchestra

Roos Rebergen commands the stage, strings weaving around her, and everything familiar twists into something new. Her songs cast a different light with the SunSunSun Orchestra, deepening their tenderness, sharp, dangerous, and breathtaking.

Joost Oomen + Kruidkoek

Poetry can be a riot, especially when Joost Oomen hits the stage with garage-jazz band Kruidkoek. Frank Zappa, Remco Campert, and the Talking Heads collide in a blender, then someone throws glitter and popcorn on top.

Emma Hessels

For anyone who loves to say, “I was there when…”: here’s your chance with Emma Hessels. Artistic director Juliet Gagnon saw her in a small room at the Mezz in Breda and knew immediately: this is a future hero.

Ismaîl Mamo

With his debut Mam, ik ben geen crisis (Mom, I’m Not a Crisis), Ismaîl Mamo made a powerful entrance into the Dutch literary scene last year, quickly becoming one of its most distinctive new voices. Born in Kobanî, Syria, he arrived in Ter Apel eight years ago and made a promise to himself: I’m going to tell everyone why I’m here — and why I’m staying.

Lucky Fonz III

Lucky Fonz III steps on stage and everything shifts. He’s brilliant, funny, achingly human, and completely unpredictable. These songs of his bite, they lift, they make you laugh, cry, and dance all at once.

AWKWARD i

The thing is, the game is rigged. Our love for Djurre and his band knows no bounds. And not just because he is a freaking PEACH of a human, but because he is a brilliant lyricist, and that band of his is fire.

Porcelain Id

Porcelain Id sounds like what would happen if Blood Orange and David Bowie started a band. Folk? Check. Soul? Check. Lo-fi electronics? Also check. Fortunately, Hubert Tuyishime’s alter ego (they/she) needs only one thing: that incredible voice, both fragile and razor-sharp.

Damaris

There is a resonant power in the performances of Damaris. One fed by a confidence in the flow and understanding of how language, beat, and intuition can bring goosebumps to your skin. Words and rhythm, music and beat that divenates meaning as a sacred source.

Rico

Rico steps on stage and will lead you into a musical presentation of his biography Mijn eigen wereld, (My Own World), a story with guts and a pulse. Rising, recovering, and most importantly is to never stop rapping.

Simon Joyner

Simon Joyner is a singer-songwriter from Omaha with a voice and story that softly creaks, leans into traces of the past. His songs explore love, loss, and all the things you forget to carry along the way. Beck is a big fan, and he’s been a major inspiration for artists like Bright Eyes and Kevin Morby.

Joep Vermolen

Joep Vermolen is a professional late bloomer. Born in Eindhoven, this actor and writer makes shows where awkwardness, self-mockery, and vulnerability rule the stage. You might know him from his autobiographical Netflix comedy TOON, but live, he’s something else entirely.

Herman & Samba

There are some people you meet and you think, if only I could bring them together, that would be magic. Jerron Herman and Michelle Samba are both performers ánd writers. Jerron is an acclaimed (disabled) dancer from New York, Michelle Samba is a wellknown percussionist, poet and performing artist from Friesland. Together they develop a story without words especially for Lazy Listeners.