Our third and final commissioned project for Roadburn 2026 features some homegrown Dutch talent, spearheaded by Kim Hoorweg. Kim first performed at Roadburn in 2023 with their band VULVA, a project that spawned the Rotterdam-based Vulvaverse festival – an event designed specifically with community and communication at its heart. Kim is an artist with classical training, a social conscience and a singular vision for their work. They will present their commissioned project with their band Teardrinker – a post-metal ensemble who made their Roadburn debut last year with a secret show at the skatepark.
Returning this year for a show on the Terminal stage, and an assignment in the form of this commissioned project; the five-piece have been hard at work for months to shape the music around Kim’s uncompromising ideas. Throughout this politically-charged performance, Kim will explore cycles of violence and oppression – bestowed upon individuals and society as a whole, informed by patriarchal expectations and delivered via both sweeping, broad strokes and exacting, needling microaggressions.
As well as shining a light into the dismal corners of society, Kim also seeks to offer hope in the form of resistance, through ritualistic practice, by taking up space, by lending their voice to those without a platform to speak directly to an audience. Teardrinker were motivated to create together after attending Roadburn in 2024, and are fast becoming a beloved part of the thriving Dutch underground with their sludgey screamo sound. This performance will close one loop, and perhaps even inspire others to set off on their own journey of resistance through creation.
Kim comments:
“This commissioned piece is meant to hurt, scratch and itch, and it is meant to be uncomfortable, mirroring the horrors of living in a persecuted body under patriarchal, colonialist, white supremacist and capitalist rule. Simultaneously it is meant to connect and radiate compassion, healing and a manifesto for choosing kindness collectively, by remembering on whose shoulders we proudly stand. I can’t emphasize enough how eternally grateful I am to have been given the space and platform to share our music and my story. Thank you, Walter and Becky, for your trust in me.
I hope this hurts.”
The first time we hear this project in its full glory will be at the same time as you – on a Friday afternoon in April – but we have high hopes, and absolute faith in Kim’s ability to deliver an unforgettable show.
