WIEGEDOOD / VENTILATEUR – TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht

On May 16, TivoliVredenburg’s intimate Ronda hall played host to a night of extremes — both sonically and emotionally — as Belgian acts Ventilateur and Wiegedood delivered two vastly different, yet strangely complementary performances. What began with delicate intricacy ended in a cathartic storm of sound.

Ventilateur – Intricate, atmospheric, and boldly unclassifiable

Opening the evening was Ventilateur, a three-piece instrumental band blending math rock, jazz, and post-rock into a sound that’s as cerebral as it is hypnotic. With no vocals and minimal stage banter, the focus was squarely on musicianship — and it was nothing short of dazzling.

Tracks unfolded like sonic architecture: angular guitar lines, polyrhythmic drumming, and fluid bass grooves weaving into tight, dynamic compositions. At times meditative, at others bursting with rhythmic tension, their set felt like watching a structure being built and deconstructed in real time. The crowd, surprisingly attentive for an opening act, responded with focused silence and explosive applause between songs.

Wiegedood – Relentless fury and ritualistic catharsis

If Ventilateur was cerebral, Wiegedood was visceral. From the moment the Belgian black metal trio took the stage, bathed in blinding white strobes and thick fog, the mood shifted dramatically. Their set was a continuous assault — no breaks, no banter, just raw, unrelenting sound.

Opening with “FN SCAR 16”, the band launched into a wall of tremolo-picked fury and blast beats, yet beneath the aggression lay a deep sense of emotion — sorrow, rage, transcendence. Vocalist/guitarist Levi screamed with a kind of primal desperation, his face rarely visible behind curtains of hair and smoke. The band’s ability to maintain this level of intensity for nearly an hour without pause was both impressive and exhausting — in the best way.

Songs like “Now Will Always Be” and “Noblesse Oblige Richesse Oblige” showcased the band’s knack for building atmosphere without losing ferocity. By the time the final notes rang out, the audience stood in stunned silence before erupting into cheers — it felt less like applause and more like release.

A night of contrasts that somehow made total sense

While Ventilateur and Wiegedood exist on opposite ends of the musical spectrum, the pairing worked brilliantly. Both bands delivered immersive, emotionally charged sets that demanded full attention — one through quiet intricacy, the other through sheer force.

TivoliVredenburg proved once again that it’s the ideal venue for genre-defying nights like this. For those in attendance, it was more than just a show — it was a journey from tension to transcendence.

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