U?
U?, the freely accessible city program of Le Guess Who?, celebrates local and creative communities. Rooted in Utrecht's cultural and creative diversity, the festival presents live performances, exhibitions, communal dinners, talks, participatory formats, and educational activities that foster social connection.
On Saturday, 7 November, U? presents a festival playground in the Cartesius area, featuring multiple music performances at De Nijverheid, including vixnde, the artistic project of singer-songwriter Viana Afoumou, who incorporates the contradictions of being a female artist in the music industry into her own aesthetic and identity. Her self-defined genre, raw pop, combines an imperfect, deconstructed sound with a strong focus on her voice and the raw energy of her live performances. Also performing are Tamboreiras de Rotterdam, the first Cabo Verdean all-female drumming group from Rotterdam, who perform powerful rhythms that celebrate the islands' rich musical and cultural heritage; and BigBobbyBitch, an artist who's known for his energetic blend of trap, plug, punk, pop and hip-hop. C*NDY BR34K, curated by noise artist Etta Harkness Bartholdi (aka Etta HarBar), is a program at Boot122 featuring glitchy, bass-heavy sounds presented through a wall of speakers. At NAR, independent Utrecht-based collective, record label and radio platform o3o presents a program with artists who find new connections between improvisation, songwriting and sound design—creating music that feels both exploratory and engaging.
U? also features many other activities and events, such as a multidisciplinary program at Keen Coffee presented by Utrecht based music label and art collective death by dagger, exploring the tension between our fast-moving digital reality and the enduring value of tradition, craft and physical presence. Hof van Cartesius presents Some Call It Love, Others Biodiversity, a daylong multi-media manifestation that turns the site into a living ecosystem of sound, art, food and experimentation—exploring how, as cities grow less hospitable to many forms of life, alternative forms of living can emerge from everyday practices and encounters: fermenting, cooking, listening, making and moving together.
Explore the full program of U? via leguesswho.com/u/lineup.