Ansgari Stage
Never change a winning team – that's why the "Songs & Whisperers" artists are back again this year. With sensitive acoustic music, impressive soloists, and moving ensembles, they'll deliver goosebumps and emotional musical moments. The special ambiance, with atmospheric wine stands and comfortable seating, provides the perfect setting for these musical insider tips on Friday and Saturday.
Robert Carl Blank
At times gently melancholic, at times drivingly stormy, Robert Carl Blank moves through the waters of folk, Americana, soul, and blues. Like a living road movie, the Hamburg native radiates a sense of freedom with every pore. On his 2024 tour, he will present his new and first German album, "ungefähr genau hier."
Rosy Daze
The Bremen duo Rosy Daze positions their music on their album "Be Longing" between Americana flair and pop sensibility. Silke and Marc Gutzeit create songs that impress with both emotional power and compositional quality. Rosy Daze also impresses with delicate two-part vocals, whose extraordinary sensitivity is no coincidence: Silke and Marc Gutzeit are a married couple. "Be Longing" follows the 2010 EP "The Minute You Met." While Rosy Daze was still an acoustic duo on the latter, they enlisted Bremen musicians as collaborators for the album. Together, they created a large, brightly shimmering, yet grounded sound for "Be Longing."
Axel Kruse
Bremen singer/songwriter Axel Kruse performs a duet with Katharina-Dorothea Lichte, and the songs represent a cross-section of Kruse's long-standing work and will be reinterpreted with guest musicians or a choir. Axel Kruse has been part of the Songs & Whispers network since its inception in 2009 and has shared the stage with all participants. It will be interesting to see what overlaps emerge this time.
Daisy Chapman
Singer-songwriter, pianist, and string arranger Daisy Chapman is a widely traveled musician influenced by both anti-folk and classical music. Daisy Chapman's own style is difficult to describe—a fictional meeting of Neil Hannon and Regina Spektor might be the first attempt. Live, each song tells a dark story of love, lust, and loss, interpreted by Daisy Chapman's voice and Sue Lord on violin.
Someday Jacob
70s songwriting meets Americana: The Bremen/Hamburg band Someday Jacob has been causing a stir since their 2015 album "It Might Take A While." The quartet, led by singer and guitarist Jörn Schlüter, combines the golden glow of California with the austere romanticism of Northern Germany with their songwriting folk. Most recently, this music was produced with Ryan Hewitt (Johnny Cash, Avett Brothers, Red Hot Chili Peppers) on an album that is as touching as it is precise ("Everybody Knows Something Good," 2017). The new album, "Oxygen Will Flow," was recorded in Bremen and various locations in the UK. Impressionistic instrumentals, flutes, saxophones—Someday Jacob's sound has become more amorphous, impressionistic, and organic, the gentle 70s flair now even more pronounced.
Olly Wills (The Epstein)
Olly Wills is a singer-songwriter and frontman of the legendary Oxford alternative-country-folk band The Epstein. Now rebranded as The Olly Wills Band, he returns to Bremen in 2025 to perform a festival series. Olly will present brand-new material as well as tracks from Epstein's three acclaimed albums: "The Last of the Charanguistas" (2008), "Murmurations" (2013), and "Burn The Branches" (2020).
