TRADITIONAL-SOUNDING DUTCH BALLADS WITH THEMES LIKE RACISM, SEXISM, AND INEQUALITY
Sophie Straat is the frontwoman of the band Sophie Straat – a group, a movement – where the message always comes first. Through cleverly crafted Dutch smartlappen (sentimental ballads), she sings about social issues, addressing topics such as racism, abuse of power, sexism, and inequality. In a short time, Sophie Straat has become the undisputed queen of a new generation of protest singers.
This fall, she’s releasing a new album: Wie de fak is Sophie Straat, which she’ll perform in intimate, raw punk venues across the Netherlands – including ACU. On the album, she writes about how the Netherlands is crammed full of rules, and how we already know who the “winners” and “losers” are. A new album, a new sound – united against the same damn mess.
The chaotic garage punk quartet C’est Qui makes fast, crooked music with enough groove to make your hips swing. They floor the gas and their performances are full of dynamics and energy, with a pounding guitar and an equally pounding bass guitar. Determined, they drive their slick post-punk with a political punch straight through your eardrums.
This show is part of a pilot by EKKO and booking agency Friendly Fire. For all concerts co-organized by EKKO and Friendly Fire in 2025, we’re offering three different ticket price options: a regular ticket, a reduced-price ticket, and a higher-priced support ticket. The latter two are available in limited quantities, while supplies last. Since financial considerations often play a big role in the decision to go out — and not everyone has the same budget — we want to explore the impact of offering tiered ticket pricing. The higher-priced support tickets exist to make the reduced-price tickets possible, not to generate extra income for EKKO, Friendly Fire, or the artist.
