The festival starts today and the press have noticed. A selection of the best reads from this week, if you want to go in prepared.
Stephen O'Malley on deep listening in Knack Focus
Knack Focus interviewed the Sunn O))) chief ahead of his Ideologic Organ day at the Vanhaerents Art Collection on Saturday. On why concentrated listening has become almost a radical act in an age of shrinking attention spans, and why Timothy Archambault is his personal highlight of the day. Worth reading before Saturday.
Keeley Forsyth on Friday night in Bruzz
Bruzz sat down with the British singer and Friday curator. On discovering her voice after forty, on what she looks for in the artists she selected (Rainy Miller, Kukuruz Quartet x Julius Eastman), and on the unexpected second wind of her acting career. A good entry point into the night she's built.
Los Thuthanaka explains in Humo
Humo took a deep dive into Pitchfork's Album of the Year — who they are, why they're barely on streaming, and what their live show actually is. Hint: "urban ceremonial music." Read it before Sunday night.
Six Belgian acts to catch in Humo
A clean rundown of the homegrown talent across the weekend. Fenne Kuppens (solo debut, AB Club residency), Youniss, KVR, Klinck Trio, Frederik Croene, Berlinde Deman and her serpent. Useful if you're still building your schedule.
Knack Focus ran a full signalement on the AD 93 vocalist ahead of her Saturday show. On growing up feeling like an alien in the Cotswolds, on the politics of performing, and on what it means to strip a record back to almost nothing.
A festival-wide portrait in French that frames BRDCST as a cosmopolitan tastemaker event with a rare kind of audience trust. Good context piece, and a nice one to share with French-speaking friends still on the fence.
