Stoemp! is back: 12 free concert nights to discover Brussels’ emerging music scene
1 October - 28 November 2026
Brussels’ cafés and cultural hotspots are turning into stages again this autumn. From 1 October to 28 November 2026, Stoemp! returns with 12 free concert evenings bringing emerging artists, established names and some of the city’s most interesting new sounds into intimate venues across Brussels and its surroundings.
Organised by VI.BE, the support centre for artists and the music sector in Flanders and Brussels, Stoemp! has spent more than 15 years giving artists a place to perform while encouraging audiences to discover both new music and new corners of the capital. The concept is refreshingly simple: free live music in cafés and cultural spaces, with a strong focus on discovery.
And its track record shows why initiatives like this matter. Artists including Bazart, Stikstof and Whispering Sons played Stoemp! during the earlier stages of their careers. Today, the project organises around 25 concerts annually, mixing emerging and more established talent across Brussels.
The 2026 autumn programme: our highlights
The autumn edition gets underway on 1 October in Bellingen, near Halle, with a crossover between Stoemp! and Zenne op Toer. Young rock band Chaos in Control opens the season before Brussels band Vlerk brings its catchy folk songs to the stage.
Back in Brussels on 7 October, Muntpunt Stadsoase hosts a very different double bill. mudawi collective blends soul, hip-hop and groove, followed by Dubadours, shifting the evening towards reggae and dub.
One of the first Make Your Own Stoemp! evenings arrives on 18 October, curated by Louis Topper and featuring Manon Scuttenaire, Frozzze and Blu-fi in a programme built around rhythm and poetry.
The musical borders expand further on 22 October at ’t Smiske, another collaboration with Zenne op Toer. The Gospel reinterprets traditional songs about freedom through contemporary gospel, while Ursula VI combines classical vocals with electronics, guitars and samples.
From post-punk to hyperpop
One of the nights that particularly catches our attention takes place at the recently renovated Metteko on 27 October. Echo Mesh brings electro-post-punk before Brussels singer and producer 4nouki moves into more experimental territory, mixing art-pop, melancholic hyperpop and ambient sounds. It is exactly the kind of genre-crossing double bill that makes Stoemp! interesting as a discovery platform.
Two days later, on 29 October at Continental, senna JMB presents the new EP OX. The new material crosses melancholic guitars with Brazilian samples, cloud rap, post-punk and unconventional pop — and Stoemp! audiences will be among the first to hear it live.
November continues the genre-hopping. Amaea Rae and Saving Nico bring soul and folk to GC De Markten on 5 November, while Make Your Own Stoemp! curator Marjolein Velleman takes over Flamingo on 18 November with Justees and TWEEDEDAG, two projects connected by thoughtful, lyrically driven hip-hop.
And if you prefer your concerts louder, mark 19 November in the calendar. Sound Track laureates Mixed Waste and Gender Reveal Atomic Bomb take over Cheval Marin for a night dedicated to punk.
Dub, singer-songwriters and a Balkan finale
Stoemp! then joins forces with Solid’air and Saintklet on 21 November for a dub-focused night at Brasserie de la Mule, bringing sound-system culture and selectors together with Brussels’ dub community.
For something much more intimate, Alice George Perez and Zachary Bloemperk perform at the iconic Het Goudblommeke in Papier on 24 November, putting singer-songwriting at the centre of one of Brussels’ most distinctive historic cafés.
The season closes on 28 November with perhaps one of its most multicultural evenings.
Make Your Own Stoemp! curator Foteini Terzaki celebrates her Greek roots at Yassou, where Rebetiko Trio brings traditional Greek music to the programme alongside Mediterranean food. The tables then make way for dancing as Albanian DJ King Kovaci closes the evening with sounds from across the Balkans.
Discovering Brussels one concert at a time
Stoemp! is ultimately about more than a series of free gigs. It creates a low-threshold meeting point between artists looking for audiences, young people learning how the music sector works, independent venues and people simply looking for their next musical discovery. VI.BE’s own impact research found that around three quarters of Stoemp! visitors are from Brussels, while almost a quarter come from Flanders or abroad. Around 40% of its audience each year is new to Stoemp!, suggesting that the initiative continues to reach beyond an established circle of regular visitors. And perhaps that is the best reason to give Stoemp! a try this autumn: you don't necessarily need to recognise the artist on the poster. The whole point is discovering them.
Check the complete programme and practical information on the official Stoemp! website. Explore the full Stoemp! programme
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