{"id":1761347,"date":"2026-02-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1761347"},"modified":"2026-02-11T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T21:00:00","slug":"wonderland-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1761347","title":{"rendered":"Wonderland"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\tWonderland<\/span>
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\n\t\t\tEUROSONIC AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SHOWCASE FESTIVAL<\/span>
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Is Dove Ellis the next Rufus Wainwright? Is Sofie Royer the reason behind NxWorries? Do showcase festivals still rule the roost? Ben Tibbits discovers the answers \u2013 plus many more \u2013 on an icy trip to Northern Holland for Eurosonic.<\/h3>\n
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\"Eurosonic
Photography by Ben Houdijk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Anything that has existed for 40 years will likely boast an enduring, reputable legacy. But also face a plethora of challenges \u2013 how do you keep something new, exciting and progressive while remaining true to your lineage? These questions are what showcase festival Eurosonic has had to face this year, as it completes its fourth decade as a leading force in European music culture and business.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Based in Groningen, a quaint city in the north of the Netherlands that is about as Dutch as you can get (all bicycles, canals and tall, genteel people), Eurosonic has led the way in the global showcase festival sphere since its inception, bringing scores of artists and a coterie of industry professionals to the city every January. Alongside evenings teeming with live shows across the city\u2019s various venues, there are conferences, meet-and-greets, and award shows. Global phenomenons like Dua Lipa, Sam Fender, James Blake, AURORA and many others have all made the rite of passage through the smiling gates of Groningen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Showcase festivals are a quintessential facet of music\u2019s eco-system. They book future superstars before you\u2019ve heard of them, putting hidden gems and rising talents into the consciousness of bookers, managers, agents, journalists, etc. In other words, they are often the first point of call for discovery. And yet with the industry\u2019s vast and drastic evolution across the past decade \u2013 an increasing reliance on social media, the plateauing of the music press, and the changing methods of talent booking \u2013 some may doubt if Eurosonic and its contemporaries still hold the weight that they historically will have. But those people have probably never attended. I have.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The train from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Groningen is an Arcadian delight. Fields of verdant pastures envelop into each other, with little to splice up the endless rurality but giant windmills, grazing livestock, and the reminiscence of early January\u2019s heavy snow.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, the weather has mellowed since the blizzard that coated Europe\u2019s streets the week prior. I step off the train and stretch violently. It\u2019s been a long morning, having been up before dawn to make my insufferably early flight to the Dutch capital. But I find vigour in the prospect of my week ahead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s my second time in Groningen for Eurosonic. Last time<\/a>, in a Heineken-fuelled blaze of glory, I discovered and\/or grew to love the likes of CMAT<\/a>, yun\u00e9 pinku and English Teacher. I arrive with high expectations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"Eurosonic
Photography by Ben Houdijk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

I drag my suitcase to my hotel and check in, unfortunately joining the queue moments after a party of university-aged young adults who, double-figured in number, are too excitable for my tired brain. After a quick freshen up, I amble around looking for a suitable place to dine\/line my stomach. I\u2019ve recently withdrawn meat from my diet, and finding a veggie spot is difficult. I conclude my search at an empty, warm-looking place.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dimly lit, obscurely decorated; cultish religious country music surround me. I\u2019m the only person in there except for the waiting staff and a rather liquored man who appears to be in charge. We have a tasteful conversation about vegetarianism and his favourite types of beer. I order his preferred lager, as well as a falafel burger. The portion is massive.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fed and watered, I make my way to Oosterpoort, the cultural centre at the crux of Eurosonic. The queue is elongated. I\u2019m confused by what\u2019s about to happen. But things become clear when a luxury black car pulls up outside the building, accompanied by a police escort. The Queen of Holland is in town. Queen M\u00e1xima. She\u2019s not Dutch, but Argentinian. She\u2019s a local legend, though \u2013 and a defier of autocrats<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a big ol\u2019 opening show with speeches, performances, and dinner for those people of utmost significance. I skulk around in a back corner and observe. The Eurocentric rhetoric is far grander than 24 months prior. Everyone \u2013 from M\u00e1xima to the artists on stage to the ESNS Managing Director, Anna van Nunen \u2013 feels solemn in the face of the world\u2019s mounting danger. But the mood is hopeful, one of unity, an emblem of the power of community that is only growing across the continent, shown here through the music industry. It\u2019s a powerful moment.<\/p>\n

Onto some music. The first artist I see is also by far my most anticipated. Dove Ellis, the Manchester-based Irish enigma who has never done an interview but has supported Geese, released one of the best debut albums of 2025 and been backed by scores of publications in their start-of-year ones to watch lists \u2013 this one included<\/a>. I arrive well in advance, and plenty of punters have the same idea. The venue is full to the brim as Ellis and the band step on stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His set is breathtaking. Luscious in tone, sophisticated in style. Softly stinging, emotionally potent and mature. Part Thom Yorke, part Elton John, part Jeff Buckley. Part Rufus Wainwright? He feels destined to be an immensely important artist in years to come.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"Eurosonic
Dove Ellis by Niels Knelis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Eurosonic
Man\/Woman\/Chainsaw by Ben Houdijk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

I catch some of the spiky colour and deft grooves of Belgium collective L\u00e9zard, before checking out Man\/Woman\/Chainsaw. I\u2019ve seen them a few times before, and their hectic medley of fiercely entertaining art rock, post punk and folk tendencies is more of a visceral treat on each passing occasion. Then, with drooping eyelids and still blown away by Ellis, I stroll off into the night and a world of fantastical dreams.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I begin the next morning with a delightful meet and greet with the fellow press, as well as an introduction from the gregarious and charismatic Anna van Nunen. It\u2019s always nice to get to know other journos \u2013 fellow word warriors on the frontier of finding work and reinventing their craft in a fledging era. It makes me feel at home, not alone, and if you\u2019re lucky, hopeful about a brighter future.<\/p>\n

Speaking of which, after filling my coffee cup one too many times, I buzz my way up to an interesting conference, discussing the significance of showcase festivals. On the panel sit my old friends FOCUS Wales<\/a>, Iceland Airwaves, and more. The rhetoric isn\u2019t dissimilar to the opening ceremony \u2013 all those taking part shine light on the importance of collectivity in their work, and the specific issues that affect their festivals\u2019 respective futures. It grips me that what is happening in the festival market and music industry feels so in tune with the wider world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After the eye-opening discussion, I embark to the Stadsschouwburg Theatre for some catch ups with two acts who are nominated for the festival\u2019s annual Music Moves Europe Awards 2026. First up \u2013 Sofie Royer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not as subversive or as mysterious as people think I am,\u201d the singer-songwriter, producer, painter, DJ and model says, grinning as we sit down for a quick chat in one of the many (many) rooms in the grand old building. The Austrian-Iranian by way of California is refreshingly open in conversation, depicting an idiosyncratic scenic route to releasing her own music. She\u2019s 34-years-old, but only began sharing her solo stuff in 2020 with a stunning and excellently-named debut, Cult Survivor<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The reasons for her late blooming to the spotlight are like pulling together adventures from an imaginary scrapbook. A musician since she was a young child, Royer played music throughout her life, studying classical music at the Conservatory of Vienna as a teenager, after moving to the city at 12, having spent her early years in the States. After finishing school, she wasn\u2019t sure if she wanted to be a musician, and studied computer science, while \u201ctrying to find any type of excuse to leave Vienna.\u201d She missed the sun and serendipity of California.<\/p>\n

Such a motive finally came with an internship at Stones Throw Records, the independent label founded by legendary disc spinner Peanut Butter Wolf in 1996, to whom she has been signed to since she began releasing. It was a \u201ctotal shot in the dark,\u201d but she found the light at the end of the tunnel, and couch surfed her way into living her teenage dream. There, she learnt how to DJ from Wolf himself, alongside other legends like Jay Rock and D\u0101M FunK. Talk about a schooling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"Eurosonic
A triumphant Sofie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Eurosonic
The MME nominees<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

We don\u2019t have much time together, which is a shame really, as I find Royer to be a fascinating person. She explains, with ridiculously breezy sentiment, how, at one stage, she lived with two artists who just so happened to be Knxwledge AND Anderson .Paak. NxWorries was inaugurated there. She\u2019s got a few A&R credits at the label, she tells me coyly. Royer is as mysterious as she seems \u2013 at least to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I ask her, as a creative with such industry experience and now an artist who has an excellent catalogue of music (her aforementioned debut, its 2022 follow-up Harlequin<\/em>, and last year\u2019s Young-Girl Forever<\/a><\/em>, my favourite), how it feels to be here at Eurosonic, very much a festival marketed for newcomers. \u201cIt\u2019s very cool that you\u2019ve heard of me but I do think for the majority of people I\u2019m vastly unknown,\u201d she giggles.<\/p>\n

Royer is sort of self-depricating when it comes to her music. Or maybe just bitingly honest. She thinks she doesn\u2019t have a core fan base. She feels that she walks a middle ground as an artist \u2013 \u201cI sit musically in a very weird little void of maybe too much of an indie darling for the mainstream, but definitely too pop for the art world.\u201d I\u2019m not sure I agree. On which point, I\u2019m not sure yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oh, and she\u2019s just handed in her latest album. It\u2019s called Before\/After<\/em>. She shows me a meme that inspired the cover art. We laugh so much I spill fruity tea on my lap. I hope she doesn\u2019t notice. Someone comes to look for us as we\u2019ve run over our allotted time slot, and I\u2019m keeping my next interviewees waiting. We bid farewell for now.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry!\u201d I exclaim to the table full of label execs guarding their prized asset. Irish band Florence Road were, unsurprisingly, the artists that most of the press wanted to grab time with. I\u2019m one of fourteen, they think. They had a meteoric 2025, shooting from complete obscurity to supporting Olivia Rodrigo in less than a year. \u201cIt was kinda insane,\u201d they say as we settle in for a zippy chat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meeting and forming as a band in school, the group \u2013 now 21-ish \u2013 initially put out a debut single, \u201canother seventeen\u201d in 2022. Fast forward a few years while they finished school, the four-piece consisting of Lily Aron, Ailbhe Barry, Emma Brandon, and Hannah Kelly signed to Warner Records, and unleashed a re-debut. \u201cHeavy\u201d it\u2019s called, shared accompanied by a video filmed live from a garage. It\u2019s fair to say it captured the imagination of indie kids.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think it\u2019s because that\u2019s who we are in our nature,\u201d the band say on the decision to unveil their re-debut release with a live video. \u201cWe love playing live. One of the most rewarding parts of being a musician is getting to go to these different places and meet all these people who like your music. It\u2019s also just nice to see a band being a band and you can see everyone doing their parts. That was the thought we wanted to put forward first instead of a super polished music video. Especially for the first single, like \u2013 this is who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hype snowballed into an avalanche, and the band shared their debut project, the five-track \u201cFall Back\u201d, in June last year. Support slots with Wolf Alice and Olivia Rodrigo ensued. \u201cIt\u2019s such a well-oiled machine watching a bigger act,\u201d they comment on the experience of seeing the British band and Rodrigo in action. \u201cWatching all their crew and everything. It\u2019s really interesting. And it\u2019s just super encouraging. Everyone we spoke to has been so lovely and so accommodating, making sure that we\u2019re okay, we have everything we need. It\u2019s been such a joy to watch and be behind the scenes. It kind of feels like, should we be here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Well, they definitely should. The band follow in the footsteps of recent Irish stars like Fontaines D.C., CMAT and Kneecap in threatening to go global. There\u2019s something in the air. \u201cIt\u2019s a country with so much heritage. It goes with the backstory, dare I say. We went to some stuff. There is such an amazing sense of community in Ireland. I think we feel that a lot. We feel very supported and we also have a lot of love for other Irish creatives, even if we don\u2019t know them, there\u2019s just this unspoken thing. I\u2019m so proud of everyone because the Irish are doing things or not doing things. It\u2019s such a lovely place to be from and we are so proud to be Irish and Irish speakers as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Finishing up our swift but lovely chat, I say my goodbyes and head out into the crisp early afternoon, grabbing a tasty sandwich from a local bakery. Then I\u2019m back in the hotel for a bit of typing, before having a few meetings with industry heads over an ice-cold Heineken. Next, I grab a solo dinner at a neon-soaked Japanese bar down a side street. It feels quite out of place in the city, but I enjoy it all the same. I think they do karaoke.<\/p>\n

Music! First off I check out Wesley Joseph, the Walsall-born, London-based polymath who is sharing his long-awaited debut album in April. It\u2019s his first show in three years, he says, but there\u2019s no rust in his performance armour. To a crowd of punters who aren\u2019t necessarily his target audience, he is immensely impressive, executing his immersive R&B-tinged rap numbers with charm and character.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"Eurosonic
Wesley Joseph by Jessie Kamp<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Eurosonic
El\u00edn Hall by Daniek Snijder<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Eurosonic
Child of Prague by Jessie Kamp<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

A solid start to the evening continues with El\u00edn Hall, the Icelandic singer-songwriter and actress proving there is more to the nation\u2019s music scene than Bjork. Hall\u2019s gorgeous and melancholic pop is deeply engaging and emotive, as the crowd watches on silently, serenaded by sadness. Child of Prague comes next, Ireland\u2019s answer to the Midwest emo renaissance currently sweeping the western market. The fresh-faced Dublin-based six-piece are towering musicians, merging atmospheric, swirling guitars with trad folk condiments. Their debut EP<\/a> is well worth checking out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The final act I muster is one we\u2019re all now familiar with; Sofie Royer is a delectable live presence. The attendees again don\u2019t feel like a natural fit for her music, and the large room feels fairly empty, but it doesn\u2019t faze her. I find her performance spellbinding \u2013 so much so that it requires eight hours sleep after. Goodnight.<\/p>\n

I know it\u2019s boring, but I spent the entire next day locked in my hotel room \u2013 it\u2019s Friday after all<\/a>. So let\u2019s save the word count. I finally find my way out and explore somewhere to eat. I get chatting to a waiter who is studying to be a lawyer. She gives me a free shot. I\u2019m geared up for some tunes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Firstly, I catch Irish rap raconteur Curtisy. The crowd is the smallest I\u2019ve seen, but the man himself doesn\u2019t seem too fussed. His zippy lethargy is a hit with me, though. Next, I cram myself in for snuggle, one of the hottest acts in the entire line-up. I\u2019m a big fan of their debut record<\/a> from last year, but I\u2019m slightly disappointed in the show. The trio lacks a bassist, for one, and the sound feels a bit barren and raw. Their stage presence could do with some tightening. Still, a very promising band.<\/p>\n

I wander over to catch an old pal mustbejohn<\/a> next. I\u2019ve been following him for years, and I\u2019m pleasantly surprised (and slightly annoyed) to find a queue outside. By the time I get into the jam packed room, he\u2019s on the last few tracks of the set. The crowd sings the words back to him. I\u2019m happy for him, he deserves it.<\/p>\n

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\"Eurosonic
mustbejohn by Siese Veenstra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Eurosonic
Groningen by Ben Houdijk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Eurosonic
Keo by Daniek Snijder <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

I manage to see some of L\u00e9onie Pernet\u2019s set, a boundary-pushing producer, composer, singer, and drummer who merges the barrier between pop and poetry with soaring effect. But I rush off for Keo, the British band at the front of the indie renaissance. The line outside Huize Maas is huge, but I hack it, and get inside just in time. The set is decent\u2026 a little too similar for Wunderhorse for my liking. But still, some hair-raising tunes and a strong stage presence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yawn, my battery is running low. I had hoped to see the incredible Portuguese act Fidju Kitxora, who previously provided me with an existential experience in Braga<\/a>. But I\u2019m dead. I turn in early.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The travel home is relatively painless, bar a replacement bus from Gatwick to some fuck off town in Kent or Surrey, one of those places below London that come with a litany of Union Jack flags. But the journey allows time for retrospect.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Do showcase festivals still matter? Arguably, more than ever. With the line between quality and quantity getting increasingly lost, it feels imperative to keep a structure, to keep community in the music ecosystem. I\u2019ve felt reassured by the collectivity, positivity and honesty of the Eurosonic team and attendees. The music wasn\u2019t half bad either.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So there we have it. Dove Ellis is in fact, the new Rufus Wainwright (or Thom Yorke or Jeff Buckley), Sofie Royer did in fact, have an impact on NxWorries. And showcase festivals \u2013 specifically Eurosonic \u2013 uphold great importance. Glad we got to the bottom of that. Until next time!<\/p>\n

Words \u2013 Ben Tibbits<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t11 February 2026\t\t\t<\/div>\n
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A Trip To…<\/a><\/div>\n
Music<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tAnne Sofie Madsen Isn\u2019t Scared of Ghosts<\/span> <\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\tMarc Jacobs Is in a State of D\u00e9j\u00e0 Vu for AW26<\/span> <\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wonderland EUROSONIC AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SHOWCASE FESTIVAL Is Dove Ellis the next Rufus Wainwright? Is Sofie Royer the reason behind NxWorries? Do showcase festivals still rule the roost? Ben Tibbits discovers the answers \u2013 plus many more \u2013 on an icy trip to Northern Holland for Eurosonic. Photography by Ben Houdijk Anything that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,257],"class_list":["post-1761347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-wonderlandmagazine-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1761347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761347\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1761347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1761347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1761347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}