De Kleine Boterhammen: Dutch-language afternoon concerts in an intimate setting

In 2026, our summer festival will be conspicuous by its absence, only to return stronger than ever in the summer of 2027. That’s why we’re launching De Kleine Boterhammen: a modest alternative that gives young, fresh Dutch-speaking talent every opportunity to shine in the meantime. All this with a view to progressing to the ‘De Grote Boterhammen’ at the renowned bandstand in the heart of Brussels Park.

From September 2026 to June 2027, on the last Thursday of every month, we’ll be organising a free afternoon concert in the newly renovated AB Salon. Everyone is welcome to come for lunch and enjoy some fine homegrown music at the same time. We will provide small sandwiches (€2,50) to nibble on, including the favourite sandwich of the artist performing that afternoon.
You can look forward to seeing in autumn: singer/pianist FULCO (De Beren Gieren, BeraadGeslagen), the cynically cheerful bon vivant Frans Kalf, cabaret innovator Camilo Donoso and Mooneye frontman Michiel Libberecht, who is venturing into Dutch for the first time. 
 
12:30 pm -1:30 pm 
Frans Kalf
 
Words haven’t yet disappeared from the world, but they’re almost all used up. How do you still find the words to say what really matters? Meet the cynically cheerful bon vivant Frans Kalf (22). Half Amsterdammer, half Ghent native.
 
Catchy songs and poignant lyrics take you into his bittersweet world, under the approving gaze of Ramses Shaffy and Jacques Brel. A place where there is room for a broken heart and a hearty laugh. Not what you’d expect and yet better than you thought.
 
His debut single Terwijl Je Voor Me Stond was released in early 2026. A song that immediately defines Frans Kalf’s sound: there where chanson intertwines with indie and folk. Follow-up Nou En – with a nod to Spinvis - is yet another gem:
 
“Ik drink mijn koffie in de avond 
Ik snij mijn uien niet door de helft 
Ik lees ook eigenlijk nooit boeken 
En mijn was doe ik altijd zelf 
Ik laat mijn wekker altijd lopen 
Ik douche op twintig graden lauw 
Ik durf condooms gewoon te kopen 
En nog wat ben ik toch ontzettend trouw” 
 
Despite his limited discography, he has already enjoyed plenty of airplay and been featured as support-act for artists like Dressed Like Boys, Kaat Van Stralen and Johannes Is Zijn Naam.

On the menu (€2,50): a Frans Kalf sandwich (currant bread with butter and mildly aged Dutch cheese, spread in the morning and left in the lunchbox for a few hours)