NYK—mag 0425
04. Three highlights from Concerts
The festival moved fast – people rushing between sets, artists carrying their gear through narrow doors, lights changing colour from one block to the next. I followed the flow, trying to take in as much as possible.
What struck me wasn’t just the amount of music, but the range of expression. Every act carried its own world – visually, politically, emotionally.
Bia Ferreira (BR)
Bia Ferreira played guitar with focus and spoke with intent – mixing humour, politics, and vulnerability in a way that felt effortless. Between songs she talked about colonialism, sexism, and patriarchy, blending personal conviction with collective purpose.
At one point she joked about founding a “lesbian church,” half serious, half ironic, but the energy that followed wasn’t laughter – it was alignment. People understood her message. It felt like she had turned a concert into a space of awareness, not by preaching but by performing with honesty.
Two silhouettes framed by light. Voices folding over each other, shifting between tension and calm. Exotica Lunatica performed like a shadow phantom – part ritual, part concert. The operatic harmonies and dark electronic rhythms built a sense of gravity that held everyone still.
Their performance reminded me how softness can hold strength, how stillness can speak louder than movement.
Aziz Konkrite (FR)
Aziz Konkrite’s set was pure momentum.
Behind him, visuals told fragments of his story – Morocco, vinyl records, fragments of protest and joy. His music looped tradition into futurism, merging deep percussion, hip-hop sampling, and raw analogue textures.
The crowd moved instinctively, led by rhythm and storytelling through motion. The smoke, the lights, the pulse of bass; everything pointed to a deeper history carried through the body. Watching him play made me think about what it means to perform and explain your identity live on stage.
These nights reminded me that sound travels deeper than language. It crosses boundaries, histories, and identities – not as something to decode, but to feel. Every performance felt like a reminder that connection doesn’t need translation.