Amsterdam, The Netherlands – On Thursday, June 16th, 2022, the time had finally come and Eefje de Visser played her show in Paradiso filled to the brim. It was a concert that should have taken place in March 2020, shortly after the release of her fourth album Bitterzoet. Despite the fact that the tour had to be postponed, Eefje has had great success with her latest album. After appearances in several TV shows, many awards including the Edison (the Dutch Grammy Award) for alternative and best album, a guest appearance in the opening show for the Eurovision Song Contest, and no less than two concert films later, she has become extremely popular. It is no surprise that this evening is only the first of the three concerts she will give in Paradiso this week followed by being the main act on one of the biggest Dutch festivals, Pinkpop.
Roufaida was the support act of the evening. Although she is from Rotterdam, she incorporates different cultures and languages in her music from English, Arabic, and Riffin (a language spoken in the north of Morocco). Her inspiration comes from artists like Björk and Aldous Harding. With nothing more than a guitar, Guembri ( a Moroccan bass guitar), and some samples and beats she makes indie-pop songs that have something mysterious. It was a shame that the people in the back were not paying as much attention to her and her music than she deserved. From what I have heard so far, her music is worth listening to and exploring.
The backdrop of Eefje de Vissers’s stage was a curtain covering the back wall and two sides, giving the same atmosphere as the concert film she released in 2020. The opening song, “Pixels” started with only Eefje with her guitar on stage. For the next song her band joined her and her latest single, “Startschot” followed by “Storm”, both from her latest EP Blauwe Regen. The solid beats of both songs with the synths immediately take the audience along and turn Paradiso into a swirling sea of people.
The choreography of certain songs with the background singers, Eefje´s unbelievably beautiful voice, and the band made it a spectacular concert. Songs like “Zwarte Zon”, “De Parade”, and “Maak Het Still” could be called some of the highlights, but to be honest, the whole show was one big highlight. She has the talent to let the music speak more than her words. This makes it even for non-Dutch-speaking people easy to listen to her music and feel the emotion of a song without having to understand the lyrics. Between the songs, she talked about how much she missed playing live and seeing people standing next to each other without any restrictions or masks. They managed to keep the audience’s interest until the last note was played. For the encore, the band returned and played a cover of “Running Up That Hill from” Kate Bush, and “Stilstand” and “Lange Vinnen”. The perfect ending to a magical night and the beginning of a great festival season.
Eefje de Visser
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Setlist
1.Pixels
2. Startschot
3. Storm
4. Bitterzoet
5. Staan
6. Jong
7. Ongeveer
8. Controle
9. Zwarte Zon
10. De Parade
11. Kom Op
12. Het Maakt Stil
13. Oh
14. Scheef
15. Groen
16. Running Up That Hill
17. Stilstand
18. Lange Vinnen
Show Date: June 16th, 2022
