Mark your calendars for a weekend of underground culture like no other: the eleventh edition of The Netherlands’ renowned Grauzone Festival is hitting The Hague from February 9-11, 2024, and it’s shaping up to be a colossal gathering for the counter-culture vanguard. Known for drawing an eclectic mix of people from all corners of the globe, Grauzone remains a cultural touchstone and melting pot that celebrates the unorthodox and rebellious power of counterculture creativity as a vital force in our societal discourse.
Grauzone Festival 2024 has recently added new names to an already stacked lineup that includes some of the most renowned names in the darkwave scene. This year’s event features headline acts such as She Past Away, The Soft Moon, Cold Cave, and Drab Majesty, among others, as well as rising stars such as Spike Hellis, Buzz Kull, Curses, MVTANT, Lathe of Heaven, SDH, and Harsh Symmetry.
Here are the newly announced acts:
Dream Wife: A British feminist art-punk trio and one of the most exciting live acts at the moment, known for their unparalleled energy and performances at festivals like Lollapalooza, Primavera, and Laneway. An act not to be missed, especially for fans of Hole and Le Tigre. Check out their single Love You More below:
ULTRA SUNN returns to Grauzone! Following an overwhelming performance last edition in the packed small hall, the band will elevate to the main stage of Paard this year. The band has just returned from an extensive Latin American tour and is ready to capture hearts with their powerful ‘cold wave with EBM’ sound.
Italian/American Italo/synthpop trio Nuovo Testamento is on the verge of becoming a major name. Their second studio album, Love Lines, was mixed and mastered by Maurizio Baggio (Boy Harsher; The Soft Moon) and was our choice for album of the year, 2023.
A multi-faceted talent from France, Malvina, a singer, composer, pianist, and conductor, makes her debut at Grauzone Festival with a live electro/techno set infused with influences of trap and metal.
Hailing from Iran, Khorshid Dabdeh is an accomplished tar, tanbour, and setar player who established a musical collective, “Jansouz,“ named after the artistic name of her grandfather; a renowned maestro in the field of singing and the cultural history of Iranian music. In the Netherlands, she has performed at Le Guess Who and on national television.
Another Dutch premiere comes from the delightful Gent-based band Lézard. They create a danceable sound of ‘geometric-proto-disco punk’ with influences from New York No Wave, Talking Heads, and XTC.
Bowl, a quintet from Utrecht, will also make an appearance. They stood out at Popronde with their intense, razor-sharp, and fresh post-punk that drips with energy and determination.
Lastly, we have another premiere with the very young Dutch duo Desinteresse, who is already making waves worldwide and will steal the hearts of Grauzone visitors for the first time with their pitch-black coldwave. More dark sound from Dutch soil is The Hague’s Lifeless Past, for fans of Sisters of Mercy.
There will also be some terrific DJ sets: S.A.T.I.N, is the electrifying collaboration between renowned UK DJ and producer Ireen Amnes, and Ash Luk (infinity division / minimal violence). Rotterdam-based DJ Samira, a resident of Operator Radio, will mix dark electro and wave tracks. Kim Peers will do a post-punk, wave and techno set, as well as Grauzone newcomer Graftak. With his renowned Drag Me to Hell parties, Graftak has carved his name into the European music scene with his electrifying blend of darkwave, electro, EBM, and hard techno.
Grauzone Festival is gearing up to transform some of The Hague’s most iconic venues into hubs of artistic and musical revelry, including Paard, Het Koorenhuis, The Gray Space In The Middle, and the Paardcafé. Each of these venues will play host to a segment of the festival’s diverse offerings. Vegan food will be available in the foyer of PAARD. This year, in addition to Karma Kebab (delicious, 100% plant-powered kebab with local vegetables and grains), Koko will offer authentic vegan Surinamese dishes.
Grauzone is also ramping up to unveil an expansive GRAUKUNST art exhibition, along with a series of performances, a curated film program, and thought-provoking seminars.
The festival’s knack for innovation and excellence hasn’t gone unnoticed: this year they were nominated three times for the prestigious Ijzeren Podiumdier prize by The Association of Dutch Pop Venues and Festivals (VNPF). Grauzone is contending for Best Festival, Best Marketing and Best Sustainability Performance, underlining their commitment to not just entertaining but also making a positive impact.
“This feels like a recognition of the hard work of the past years,” said organizer Natasja Alers. “Especially now that we have been nominated twice in a row, and also for Sustainability, which is a great acknowledgment for us as a Vegan festival since 2013.”
The lineup for Grauzone Festival 2024 is divided across three days. Here’s the full list of acts announced:
Friday, February 9:
– Drab Majesty
– Nuovo Testamento
– Harsh Symmetry
– Slow Crush
– Follakzoid
– The Underground Youth
– Kendal x Quatuor Zaïde plays John Carpenter
– Melenas
– Bestial Mouths
– Powerplant
– Nuha Ruby Ra
– Gloria de Oliveira
– Skelesys
– SDH
– General Dynamics
– Jennifer Touch
– Khorshid Dadbeh
– Plexi Stad
– Cruush
– .S.a.t.i.n.
– Desinteresse
DJ’s for this day include:
– Legowelt
– Samira
– Belaria
– Mouissie
– Mayo
Saturday, February 10:
– Cold Cave
– The Soft Moon
– Dream Wife
– Nuovo Testamento
– Buzz Kull
– Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys
– Grandmas House
– Jennifer Touch
– Die Verlierer
– Maria Uzor
– Staatseinde
– Genn
– DRAHLA
– Cate Hortl
– Skemer
– Mary Bell
– Dorpsstraat 3
– Mvtant
DJ’s for this day include:
– Curses
– Ireen Amnes
– Kendal
– Kimmah
– Kim Peers
– Graftak
Sunday, February 11:
– She Past Away
– Ultra Sunn
– Curses: live set
– Buzz Kull
– GHOSTWOMAN
– Benjamin Herman: Nostalgia Blitz
– Lathe Of Heaven
– Malvina
– Spike Hellis
– Grandmas House
– CLT DRP
– Lifeless Past
– Lézard
– Bowl
– Sophia Djebel Rose
Here is the festival’s official playlist featuring all the announced artists on the lineup:
Hurry, if you’d like to attend, the festival is about to sell out! More information about Grauzone 2024 can be found below, and a limited amount of tickets can be found here:
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