As part of Arooj Aftab's curated program at Le Guess Who? 2024, surrealist blues poet aja monet performed live on the closing night of the festival: a moment in which we were reminded of the strength and touching character of the spoken word. You can now relive the performance with our concert film.
On her 2023 breakout album 'when the poems do what they do', aja monet is unblinkingly honest, vulnerable, and open, but at the same time, subversively strong. This delicate balancing act makes aja monet a performer impossible to look away from. Live, the poet's voice is a 'balm and a barb', as NPR put it: at times soothing, at others piercing - but it is definitive, always. By centering Black resistance, love, and the inexhaustible quest for joy in her work, aja monet fiercely follows in the long tradition of poets participating and assembling in social movements, baring words' shining teeth.
Le Guess Who? Recordings
The publication of this recording is part of Le Guess Who?’s ongoing expansion of the festival’s recordings archive, with 120+ recordings from past editions now freely available online.
This archive contains audio and/or video recordings of performances by DARKSIDE, Meshell Ndegeocello, Kim Gordon, Wu-Lu, Kamilya Jubran, Alan Sparhawk, Stereolab, Tom Skinner, Selda Bağcan, clipping., Aldous Harding, Deerhunter, Art Ensemble of Chicago, The Microphones, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Lightning Bolt, Neneh Cherry, Arooj Aftab, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, and many more.
Captured at TivoliVredenburg's Grote Zaal on Sunday, 10 November 2024.
aja monet - vocals
Chelsea Carmichael - sax
Micah Collier - bass
Javier Santiago - keys
Niek de Bruijn - drums
Direction: Dammes Kieft
Camera: Anaïs Saebu, Emily Duurland, Jonathan Sipkema, Nicky Pajkić, Rikash Gobardhan, Yuma Eekman, Nando Dullaart
Production: Studio Dammes, Ramon de Lima
Montage & Grade: Dammes Kieft
Sound recording: Marc Broer