Throughout three days in The Hague, Rewire Festival 2023 made space for new projects to debut. One of which included Alto Arc, made up of Deafheaven’s George Clarke & Danny L Harle, and Hundred Waters’ Trayer Tryon. Additionally, Patti Smith premiered her spoken word performance “Correspondences” with Soundwalk Collective. With these live shows, Rewire also showcased some of the best names in experimental music, such as Tim Hecker, Daniel Blumberg, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, as well as pop acts like Fever Ray.

Tim Hecker & Vincent de Belleval

Rewire Festival at night

Rounding off each evening was a dance party with performances by Bitter Babe b2b Manuka Honey (cover photo by Sean Charlton White), Zoë Mc Pherson & Alessandra Leone, LSDXOXO CS + Kreme, Coucou Chloe, Silkback and Weirdcore, among others. Keeping with the theme of new live shows, Rewire Festival was the first time Zoë Mc Pherson & Alessandra Leone presented their A/V show around the cybernetic sound system experiments of Mc Pherson’s new album “Pitch Blender.” Also, CS + Kreme played their spaced out “horizontal-music.” This included left field bass guitar, heavy dub processing, sweeping post-punk, and chamber music soundscapes for the first time in the Netherlands.

Zoë Mc Pherson

Next edition planned

With the twelfth edition behind us, plans are already underway for next year’s Rewire Festival, from 4-7 April 2024. As a well-curated, and organised event, the event makes for an incredible, immersive experience. Throughout the event, the innovative spirit of the festival truly comes alive. This is due to how artists are pushed outside their boundaries and present fresh ideas. If you’re an audiophile, Rewire Festival provides a unique platform for experiencing sound. It invites audiences to step outside their comfort zone, and embrace the unknown. Also, it goes without saying, Rewire Festival’s diverse, inclusive lineup fostered respectful and open audiences.