Subbacultcha Summer 2025 Highlights

As days get shorter and darker, it’s only natural that we reminisce on the shows and events of the summer. From fun and bold lyrics that made us dance, and hypnotic acts that forced us to stand still, the warm months were full of shows to remember. Here’s a glimpse.

Great area and Helen Island at Subbacultcha x Knekelhuis 

In the sweltering midsummer heatwave, great area remains cold. Nonchalant. Hardly moving. Detached. Focused.

great area at Dokzaal. Photo by Anni Nöps

In the sweltering midsummer heatwave, great area remains cold. Nonchalant. Hardly moving. Detached. Focused. The golden glimmers in the video on the backdrop slowly melt into her monotonous vocals, pulling you inwards, but leaving you out. The loop still going, she leaves the stage before the music comes to a halt. Peak Relaxin Records. 

helen island at Dokzaal. Photo by Anni Nöps

The maxed-out autotune matched with high energy and agile synths of helen island are ethereally captivating and uplifting – a rare feat unattainable for most alternative producers. 

Just brought out by Amsterdam’s Knekelhuis, his tracks are so catchy one might wonder – is it even underground?  

Jazz Lambaux at Seedlink

Jazz Lambaux at Garage Noord

Never have I ever seen a bigger fool on stage, and I mean this literally, than Jazz Lambaux. With a partner in pipes, Enora Morice, and a jester headpiece covering half of his sight, they narrate a perverse and emo folklore story for us to, rather unexpectedly, mosh to. It has been a long while since I saw a music performance this disorientating, self-deprecating yet impossible to not move to. Jazz Lambaux is one to not shy away from blurting out his deepest insecurities and inner child desires. A psychological trip through an adult’s wish to be playful, and with a crowd like Seedlink+’s, he was totally seen in that.

Jazz Lambaux is one to not shy away from blurting out his deepest insecurities and inner child desires.

Zenith Festival

Zenith Festival at De Nijverheid. Photo by Gosia Kalisz

On a hot day in Utrecht, there was hardly a better escape than immersing yourself in the variety of sonic experiments at De Nijverheid. Moving from one stage to another would usually mean travelling between genres, but here the boundaries were never established in the first place. Each artist pushed expectations, making every journey through the venue feel new. And while the sun warmed our skins, and sounds warmed our souls, we also got to swim in the waters nearby and travel through the venue’s labyrinth, admiring its quirks and enigmas. 

Subbacultcha presents: Cortisa Star + umru

Happy Birthday, Cortisa! – exclaims Cortisa between each song, urging the room to celebrate with her. There is a rare balance in the crowd – just enough people to feel connected, but small enough to ensure everyone knows what’s up. Feralessly authentic, unapologetically herself, Cortisa pulls the crowd in. Her lyrics – the crowd knows them by heart and just like her, they are not afraid to shout regardless of how bold. Not taking herself too seriously, Cortisa radiates energy that makes the whole room feel like they have found their people.

Deer Park  at Seedlink+ & Subbacultcha invites Deleted (NY)

Deer Park at Seedlink+ with Deleted. Photo by Gosia Kalisz

As the sun went down and the evening unfolded, Deer Park’s haunting voice echoed against the walls of Dokzaal. Without any special effects and barely any light, the focus shifted entirely to what made the show truly special – the music. The artist’s silhouette emerging from the darkness gave him a ghostlike aura. Surely, this impression has lingered as the performance remains haunting to this day. 

Subbacultcha’s Fundraiser Performance Dinner

Subbacultcha fundraiser performance dinner 2025. Photo by Sam Morsink

Zamity’s stage presence is confident, penetrating us with poetic wisdoms and analyses.

A rich night like this deserves its own page, but let’s zoom in to the sonic performances of this evening. The evening started with Anni Nöps performing a heavy visceral live ambient performance, setting the mood for the dinner. Her bass heavy reverberations fill the space with a mass of sensorial textures, demanding one’s attention, transferring one elsewhere. After Zamity Mitelembe performed a poetry dense musical performance accompanied with live acoustic guitar. Zamity’s stage presence is confident, penetrating us with poetic wisdoms and analyses. Knee Deep in Custard closed the night with a melancholic audio-visual show borrowing inspiration from British occult post-industrial music like COIL and Drew Mcdowell. The twins gothic allure fit this sound like a glove, pulling us into their waters (that have shadows of birds reflecting upon them).

Subbacultcha fundraiser performance dinner 2025. Photo by Sam Morsink

Farida Amadou at Bimhuis

Farida Amadou at Bimhuis. Photo by Anni Nöps

A powerhouse of free improvisation and electric bass, the rising star Farida Amadou departed from known territories and took a new exploratory step expanding her oeuvre at this special one-off show at Bimhuis. Flanked by some of her favourite instrumentalists brought together from across Europe to form Farida’s first large ensemble, the show was punctuated by personal storytelling and spoken word. Reflecting on her heritage, she weaved in influences from her background musically and lyrically, holding a mirror to the society. A voice to listen and follow.