Fifteenth edition of this annual, fiercely independent showcase festival, initiated by indie label Subroutine Records and concert platform Lepel Concerts, both rooted in the Groningen scene.
We started hosting showcases in 2009 [using label catalog number SR020] to provide a platform and venues for underrepresented acts during the two days of Eurosonic. Since then, we invited over 100 acts to iconic Irish pub O'ceallaigh & illustrious subterranean stage of Cafe Bistro Kult.
Entrance free, no wristbands, no VIP/priority boarding.
Noise rock trio WOLVON have been a staple in the Dutch underground for almost a decade-and-a-half. While their sound evolved over time, the band remains known for their immersive live shows and dreamy pop melodies covered in a distinct sound cloak of distortion and dissonance.
Byinoar (Frisian for 'together') is the most recent solo moniker of Jaap van der Velde (The Homesick), in which he builds a vocal wall of sound, using various effects and vocoders. The result is a mesmerizing deluge of layered chants, think Orinoco Flow sung by the Tartan Army.
Thijs Kuijken, singular songwriter of Utrecht alt-folk band I Am Oak, opts to explore rather than reveal. That mindset is reflected in his music: always adrift in reverie, surrendering to the moment, as his voice rests between sound and poetry. New album 'Time Drifts' is out in April.
The Hobknobs are Yaël Dekker (The Klittens) and Arie van Vliet (Lewsberg), who have finally started working together after listening to each other's music for years. They balance out their innate love for rules with a healthy disdain for authority.
Tramhaus is the postpunk Shinkansen from Rotterdam, that released the massively acclaimed debut album 'The First Exit' last Autumn. After performing 105 shows in 22 countries in 2024, this show on mainstage O'ceallaigh is a logical next step in their international development.
Eigen Risico is the solo project of Groningen-based multidisciplinary artist Héctor Garcia Martin aka Hache. His live-shows are as energetic as they are unpredictable: raw vocals, electro-punk with industrial touches, and yes, also sentimental songs in a rarely seen expression of freedom.
Frontsector is a Groningen-based punk and hardcore quartet named after a Dutch resistance magazine, that quickly built a furious live reputation. Last year, they released a four track EP '44 Stomp' as a tribute to VERA, their stomping ground. Perhaps KULT will result in a next 2025 EP.
HOWRAH is a band known for their intricate, interwoven and often dissonant guitar patterns, repetitive grooves and melancholic vocals. Their recent, third album 'Ends and Means' received critical acclaim as the most coherent and robust recording yet, without losing a trademark edge
Versatile musician Lukas Dikker, using moniker LUIK, recently released 'Outrar': a collection of sketches in his characteristic, contemplative style. While his earlier work had a band sound and slowcore songs, now he follows a different approach: solo, minimal, guitar improvisations.
Brussels/Amsterdam-based Beatrix knows all about royal life -- Formed in 2021, the trio bridges the distance between these two cities, creating post-punk, noise rock, and experimental electronic music. They released an eponymous first EP in early 2024 with the Belgian label Kontakt Group
Alienbaby Collective is the solo-project of Berlin-based guitarist Liú Mottes (currently with Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys). Using mainly guitar and vocals she navigates between songs and adventurous improvisations, stitching them together with textures, short loops and stardust.
Apneu, well-coiffed heartthrobs and headmasters of the Amsterdam School of catchy guitar pop return from an indefinite hiatus for this occasion only, for a nostalgic reprise of Hard Feelings, their Subroutine debut from 2014. In O'Ceallaigh, the 2014 lineup will play the entire album - all 19 minutes.
Nouveau Vélo, three friends from around leafy Laarbeek, making healing indie/pop for the masses. Their forthcoming fourth album will be out in March 2025, and the album title 'Fruit' channels a healthy return to The Wheel of Five of their first releases 'Moestuin' & 'Courgette'.
Groningen-based post-punk/no wave quartet Geo, are like a sentient slot machine: whatever seems happenstance is by design, and the more mismatched the moving parts appear, the more their music starts to make sense. Where chaos and cacophony can sound perplexingly catchy.
