The 31st edition of the spring festival Les Nuits starts on Wednesday in the Botanique complex, one of Brussels' most unique locations. From Thursday 24 April until Sunday 5 May, the site in the north of Brussels will host performances by international artists as well as local names.
"Les Nuits, and Botanique in general, has set itself the task of supporting local talent. There will be many small unknown groups playing as support acts or on shared bills," Botanique's Filip De Groote told The Brussels Times. "Additionally, more niche groups in Belgium will have the chance to play to a larger audience."
Bigger names on the line-up are Mount Kimbie, Yard Act (also mentioned in The Brussels Times' Gig Guide), The Paper Kites, Jamila Woods, Jacques and Togo All Stars, as well as the alternative hip-hop of Jeshi and Clipping. and folk icons Sam Amidon, Timber Timbre and This Is The Kit.
Rising stars and different venues
French rising stars Lala &ce, Lewis OfMan and ELOI will be present, as will Turkish psychedelic pop by Gaye Su Akyol, Brazilian indie revelation Dora Morelenbaum and Le Cri Du Caire's jazzy/rock/spoken word with Sufi vocals. Those looking for darker sounds will be interested in legendary experimental artist Keiji Haino and the Canadian black metal of Thantifaxath.
Botanique aims to provide additional support to artists from the Francophone Community (Wallonia and Brussels). To do so, many local artists will be given the opportunity to present their latest album. "Discovering new, progressive, left-field acts is always on the agenda for Botanique and we can afford to do that because we have several halls," De Groote said.
The Orangerie is the largest concert hall (650 capacity), the Rotonde in the centre of the building has space for around 300 people, and the museum – with its spiral staircases and high ceiling – is also used. The large Chapiteau tent outside accommodates numerous music lovers. From this year, the Halles of Schaerbeek are also opening doors to host some artists.
Credit: Stéphane Risack / Les Nuits Botanique
"You can buy a day ticket for a venue and see all the acts performing there on that evening. Additionally, everyone has access to the general square, with food and drink stands," De Groote explained.
For the first time, the Botanique site will also display modernist artworks during this year's edition. "It is a bit of a reflection of what happened there in the 1800s, when what is now Botanique became the Botanical Garden and famous 19th century artists created sculptures for it."
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As well as the regular programme, three special events within the Les Nuits programme will also highlight multiple artists. On Saturday 27 April, Bota By Night will take place – in which an afternoon of chill music turns into a late-night party.
Wednesday 1 May (a public holiday) will have the Garden Party, featuring Bambii and Florentino. During the last weekend, Les Nuits Botanique: All Access gives access to all halls in the complex on Saturday 4 May. For this event the public should be attentive to timings, as programmers have tried to ensure that no two headliners in similar genres are scheduled at the same time.
During the entire festival, special attention is also being paid to the food and drinks (both in Botanique's restaurant and in the food stands outside). "We are going for interesting, healthy festival food that goes beyond what you get at the average festival."
More information and tickets can be found on the website.
