Amsterdam, The Netherlands – The Brave festival is a one day outdoor festival that lays just outside the centre of Amsterdam and focuses on singer-songwriter and folk music, both local and international. The unique characteristics about this festival is that it takes place in an orchard with different varieties of fruit trees and only organic food and drinks are served. The glimpse of airplanes overhead are the only giveaway that you are actually still in one of the biggest cities of The Netherlands.
As I arrived to the grounds, the beautiful Dutch Sofia Dragt was mesmerizing the audience with her solo performance at The Pit, the mainstage of the festival. Playing the classical piano since the age of 5, she mixes cinematic pop music with classical elements inspired by her love of nature.
PHOTO GALLERY Sofia Dragt
Walking through the fruit trees, you come to one of the other stages, Siddharta, where Louisa Wenderoth is playing with her band. Louisa’s music can be described as a mix of traditional folk and country styles with pop music elements. At first, people seem to have to find their way to this stage, as only a few people are gathered. However, Louisa knows how to lure in an audience, and a larger crowd began to form. She will be having a European release tour in the fall of 2019 for her upcoming EP Whisper.
PHOTO GALLERY Louisa Wenderoth
At the third stage of the festival, The Cherry Garden, we find Wynnm. She lets the crowd dream away with her amazing voice and melodic guitar riffs. Normally, a solo artist, Wynnm has brought a band along to accompany her. If you get the chance to see her live, I would recommend it!
PHOTO GALLERY Wynnm
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Back to the main stage, we find the young Soham De from the UK. His new single, “Deer”, was released this year and he has played many shows in 2018. He seems very comfortable on stage, switching between keyboard and acoustic guitar during the performance with ease. With his raw voice and really recognizable and unique style, he seems to have a promising future ahead!
PHOTO GALLERY Soham De
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After Soham De, it was time for Graeme James. The New Zealander really knows how to get a what seemed an almost sleeping crowd transformed into an instant party. The crowd clapped and began singing along with his uplifting music. There were many instruments on stage, from violins to different kinds of guitars and even an electric fiddle, which all had to be sampled for every song he played. I personally love it when you can really see that the artist is also having fun on stage and enjoys what he does. With Graeme James this is certainly the case – the most energetic and fun performance of the day!
PHOTO GALLERY Graeme James
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The sound of Ash Radford began traveling through the trees. The passion he has for sustainability and safeguarding the planet echos in his music. The perfect music to take a break, have something to eat, and just relax and enjoy.
PHOTO GALLERY Ash Radford
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Going back again to the main stage, it is clear that the next artist to perform, Rhys Lewis, already has some fans here in The Netherlands. With his easy smile and touchy songs, he knows how to keep his audience interested throughout the performance.
PHOTO GALLERY Rhys Lewis
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When the sun starts to set, Roo Panes, hailing from the UK, takes the stage. Even though he has a beautiful deep sound, he did not seem to be able to keep the crowd interested. Trying to make the best of the 360 degrees stage, all the band players faced a different direction. With the arrangement, this also means that you will be watching someone’s back at all times. I expected a little more and was a little disappointed by this performance.
PHOTO GALLERY Roo Panes
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The last act of the evening was a singer-songwriter from York, Benjamin Francis Leftwich. He has released two albums, with the last one, After The Rain, released in 2016. Having only his acoustic guitar and his husky voice, he captivates the crowd and makes it a perfect end of a beautiful day full of good music, beautiful weather and amazing people!
PHOTO GALLERY Benjamin Francis Leftwich
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Festival Date: 8/24/2019
