Rewire 2024 has fully begun! We hope everyone had a wonderful first day of the festival. Taking over the city centre of The Hague once again with screenings, installations, talks, and performances, Friday at Rewire was a delight for all attending this thirteenth festival edition. Look back with us at some of the highlights from the day captured by our photographers.

Lonnie Holley took to the stage at Amare to deliver a heart-wrenching set of beautiful songs. Accompanied by Nelson Patton – an instrumental duo, formed by musicians Dave Nelson and Marlon Patton – Holley’s perpetually captivating voice drew in everyone in attendance with its warmth and wisdom. 

Echoing out across PAARD I, Julia Holter’s beautiful voice demanded attention from a packed crowd of spellbound listeners. Weaving a set of wonderful songs from her latest album, Holter proved yet again why so many deem her the best of the best when it comes to experimental pop music.

Martin Messier’s astounding installation 1 Drop 1000 Years drenched audiences in wonder across its three performances on Friday evening, as did the NL premier of 33EMYBW & Joey Holder’s live A/V show that thrummed with cryptid imagination and ritualistic rhythm in its colourful visuals and frenetic sounds.

At a packed Amare Danstheater, The Necks delivered an incredible set of astounding percussion, imaginative melody, and unparalleled tightness. Poet, artist, activist, saxophonist, and wordsmith Alabaster DePlume returned to the festival to warm up Concordia with his signature avant-garde jazzy pop sounds. While Maya Al Khaldi & Sarouna took to Koorenhuis to deliver their rich music which pulls from Palestinian traditional vernaculars to envision new possible futures.

Amidst the pitch black stillness of Grote Kerk, Autechre took to the stage in darkness to perform an unforgettable set of electronic mastery. A different kind of darkness followed suit in the dystopian, industrial sci-fi audiovisual world of Meuko! Meuko! & NONEYE, whose Invisible General performance shook the entire room of PAARD II.

Earlier in the evening, this year’s artist in focus Annea Lockwood with MAZE Ensemble filled the Lutherse Kerk with gorgeous lively sounds, before One Leg One Eye took to the same stage later on to fill it with the abyssal drones of his uilleann pipes and vocal chords. The organs of Lutherse Kerk were then transformed later that evening for a special performance by Maxime Denuc.

As midnight struck, Deli Girls obliterated the basement of Grey Space in the Middle with their raucous set of gnarly industrial gabberphonics. Elsewhere, Aïsha Devi took to PAARD I performing an incredible set of her signature “Atherave” music, before Hi Tech took over, morphing the venue into a giant dance floor with their unparalleled ghettotech sounds. Finally, closing out proceedings in PAARD II was hometown legend Torus.

Photos by Alex Heuvink, Arianna Cavalensi, Baroeg Mulder, Esmee de Vette, Jack Parker, Jan Rijk, Maurice Haak, Mees Trouwborst, Parcifal Werkman, Pieter Kers, en Rogier Bogaard.