Antwerp Queer Arts Festival 2022 (AQAF) opens with a live concert by Eyemèr and ex-Amatorski Hilke at Kavka Oudaan.
Eyemèr is an indie singer-songwriter whose work is influenced by artists such as Soko, Daughter, Bon Iver and Waxahatchee. Arlo Devreese’s fragile, raw voice and dark lo-fi sound have become their trademark. 2022, Eyemèr delivered a 3rd EP: ‘Transition Town’. This album tells the story of their physical and mental transition as a transgender person in these past few years.
Hilke is a former member of the Belgian dream pop outfit Amatorski and released some electronic tracks under the moniker Hroski. Now she shows herself in all honesty under her own name: Hilke. During the creation process of her debut album, Hilke was searching for her own voice, somewhere on the spectrum between male and female. The songs on Silent Violent are sometimes danceable, often slow, both deranging and soothing, fragile, but confident, like you would be dancing on ice. Pumping basses and banging electronic beats are combined with angelic vocals and melancholic atmospheres, dystopian vocal chops and chilling and breath-taking build-ups. ‘Silent Violent’ has become a disturbing journey wandering between the dance floor, consoling goosebump moments and socially critical contemplation.
