Homemade instruments from demolition waste, Dadaist poetry set to punk jazz, the queen of Kenyan Luo music, and irresistible Italo-pop: more than fifty acts bring music from around the world to Oerol Festival on Terschelling from 12 to 21 June.
Today, Oerol announces its music programme. Not one genre, but a collection of musical worlds. Listen closely, and two currents run through the programming: punk and funk. But between them moves a world of music that defies definition.
Music of extremes
Those who dive deep enough into a tradition surface with something that could not have come from anywhere else. El Khat frontman Eyal El Wahab changed course when he discovered Yemenite folk music from the 1960s. Since then, he has been making enchanting folk from the Yemenite diaspora on instruments built from scrap wood, pans, and wire. ODD OKODDO brings together avant-garde electronics and centuries-old Kenyan Luo folk music, dubbed ‘dodo blues’ by singer Olith Ratego. At Oerol, they will be joined by legendary folk singer Ogoya Nengo, who keeps the Dodo tradition alive. From Buenos Aires comes Rolando Bruno & Grupo Arevalo with ‘cumbia trash’: a raw, psychedelic mix of Peruvian chicha, Argentine cumbia, and more.
New names from the Netherlands
Frank Arnold made a strong impression at Noorderslag this year with their dark new wave and wobbly indie pop – sounding like a quintessentially Dutch Talking Heads with a touch of Doe Maar. Naga Kirana may be the most exciting new name in the programme: singer Inda Duran sings in Indonesian about the playfulness and mysticism of everyday life, backed by analogue synthesizer sounds.
De Nachtelijke Escapades from Leiden make danceable, Dutch-language music that moves between rap and funk, laced with saxophone solos and lyrics full of humour. Meanwhile, The Hague-based band Heath breathes new life into progressive and psychedelic rock. Julia Sabaté, the Dutch-Spanish singer from Zwolle, sings in Spanish about identity and doubt, turning the stillness of her debut EP Callada into dancefloor energy.
Poetry, punk, and the chanson
Kruidkoek & Joost Oomen bring one of the programme’s most unpredictable pairings: punk jazz as a stage for the spoken word. Poetry influenced by Dada, Ginsberg, and John Cooper Clarke. Theo Wesselo, better known as one half of Rembo & Rembo, performs under the name De Andere Kant van Hausmagger with an intimate, acoustic set: never-before-performed songs that never made the setlist amid the band’s full force.
And then there is Raffie de Driver: what started as a supporting role, Goldband’s chauffeur, has grown into something entirely his own. Sentimental Dutch pop full of longing, doubt, and self-deprecation. That same wilfulness resonates in Mexican-American San Cha, who blends traditional rancheras, cumbia, and electronics from the queer drag and nightlife scene. And in Rotterdam troubadours Knaap & de Vos, who bring the chanson back to its core: to the bar where people listen, sing along, and sway.
Girl group harmonies, Italo-pop, and Brazilian rhythms
New York trio TCHOTCHKE combines girl group harmonies and rock into something that sounds as if it was unearthed from a dusty record crate, with sharp, witty lyrics that betray the present. GiGi Girls transport you to the Italian Riviera with their irresistible Italo-pop, while Pedro Kastelijns & QBAE let Brazilian rhythms collide with experimental sounds and jazz.
Also performing: Woody Grooves, Born A Tribe, Change The Mood, Vals Alarm, M2K, Talee & The Romantic New Wave, FLOSS, Brik Tu-Tok, The Etters, BARBARA., Lieverds, Grote Geelstaart, and Nonchelange with a sound he describes as “Blur, but more annoying”.
Popunie, DJs, and more
The collaboration with Rotterdam’s Popunie provides a platform for emerging talent: Anton de Bruin, Troy Dominiq & The Frequency Club, Artrodese, and Magasin Band. The DJ programme takes you on a journey through distinctive online radio stations, record labels, and collectives: from Coco Coquelicot (Relate Radio) and Bordello Soundsystem (Bordello A Parigi) to KLUP SOUNDSYSTEM & PETE BLAKER from Leeuwarden, Space Age DJ Collective, and the indispensable Terschelling party starters: Lab Tarab, Uit Je Duinpan, Brandaris Records, and Tranceschelling. Also on the decks: Krismika (Operator Radio), Hellie (Voortouw), and crowd favourite Shady Lady (Supernature).
Previously announced acts include Maria Iskariot, Stuzzi, The Zawose Queens, Kaat van Stralen, Grote Geelstaart, KAGAMI, Politie Warnsveld, C’est Qui?, and Fellatio.
The music programme at the festival heart requires a festival wristband. Now €60 – from 7 May €75. 35 or under? You pay €40 with a Jopie festival wristband.
