Bibelot Poppodium, 21st February 2025
I have been a big fan of Charlotte Wessels since discovering Delain, back in 2011, when I saw them performing at the Assembly Rooms in Leamington Spa. They quickly went on to become one of my favorite bands.
When her Patreon was announced back in May 2020, I joined straight away. The music nerd in me could not wait to hear what she had in store for us. Almost 5 years later and the surprises keep coming. Patreon also gave her the opportunity to reinvent herself as an artist after departing from Delain.
Personally, being part of the community has allowed me to connect with people from around the world, some of whom I am happy to call friends. These awesome people helped me to regain faith in humanity after a difficult relationship breakdown following the pandemic. The music, the laughter and the adventures we have shared have been a source of hope and the inspiration behind this blog.
Charlotte is one of the international artists I have seen the most. A total of 6 times as solo (and 4 times when she was with Delain). By now, you might be able to tell I am going to be fairly biased writing this post.
The show in Bibelot was an extra opportunity to hear The Obsession, her first full band studio album. The setlist also included a selection of songs of the month, some of them only released through her Patreon.
I made the snap decision to buy a ticket earlier this year. Was eager to see Charlotte and The Obsession (unofficial name for the band) and meet up with friends from the community again. Was also curious to check out Dordrecht, a city I had not visited before.
For this occasion, Charlotte also took the time to organise a pre-show meetup for patrons. There were about 60 of us! I managed to get a good spot just off the centre of the stage. The venue had no barriers up, I was literally leaning on the stage.
The pre meetup consisted of a few fun activities led by Charlotte, including a bingo game. I loved that there were cards with large print, it made it easier for everyone to participate. We also had the chance to give some gifts to Sophia as a send-off for her time with the band. After a group photo, it was time for the music.
Support act was Hungarian / Dutch band Ann My Guard performing tracks from their upcoming semi-acoustic album. I listened to a couple of their latest singles and left myself open to discover what they could deliver live.
Ann My Guard put out a fantastic set full of haunting melodies, the perfect opening for Charlotte’s dark fairy tale themes. Ezter delivered a mesmerising vocal performance. The acoustic guitar solos, enhanced by the use of pedals were also quite impressive. Keyboard, cello, drums and additional percussion helped adding atmosphere and momentum to the set. I have been listening to them quite a bit since coming back. Can’t wait for the new album!
From the first chords of Chasing Sunsets, I loved the sound setup of that night, which allowed each of the instruments to stand out. I could appreciate Otto’s chunky bass riffs, Timo’s signature guitar tone, the skilled drumming of Joey beautifully enhanced by Sophia’s work on keys.
The Crying Room was one of the many memorable moments of the show. Beginning with Charlotte’s intro telling the story of the song, followed by a quick wardrobe change into the I love Crying t shirt. The heaviness and intimate softness between verses and chorus during that evening, added extra emotion. It’s one track where the chemistry of the band worked as an additional magic ingredient to the performance. Special mention to Timo’s solo.
Praise truly set the place on fire! Originally recorded with a gospel choir, is a great example the innovative music Charlotte is producing. The full band arrangement, adding heavy elements to what would have normally been a gospel song, translates incredibly well live.
I always get emotional with Soft Revolution. This night was not going to be the exception. I thought it was quite an epic performance from Charlotte, superbly accompanied by the band. Special mention to Timo with another fantastic solo. The intimate exchange between Charlotte on vocals and Sophia on keyboard to finish the song was bittersweet to see, it was her last show with the band.
The evening closed with The Exorcism, where soft storytelling gradually built up to an outburst of emotion in the chorus. Charlotte’s growls and Joeys tribal drums, alongside heavy instrumentation, transported the audience into a space of pure catharsis. The last chorus with a long high note on vocals switching to harsh was mesmerising to see live.
What a great night it was, no matter how many times I see Charlotte and The Obsession, each show I discover something new. Can’t wait to see them at Graspop later this year.
Venue accessibility
- Bibelot offers wheelchair tickets.
- Lift access available.
- Comprehensive venue accessibility information is available via the venue’s website (Dutch only)
- Venue can be contacted for additional accessibility queries via email
I used Firefox translation function to translate the page (very useful, similar extensions like Google Translate are also available for other browsers). I decided to email the venue in English to see if it was possible to organise using the lift / gaining early access. They replied within a day and where more than happy to organise it. The Patreon pre-meetup meant getting in the room early in a smaller group which ended up working well for me. The use of the lift was very helpful.
I am still quite new arranging access for concerts abroad, this interaction definitely made me feel more confident.
Travel
- Bibelot Poppodium is located in Dordrecht (West Netherlands), about 20min walking distance from the train station.
- Direct trains to from Amsterdam Airport run several times a day.
- Tickets can be bought in advance using the NS app. They are valid to travel any time on the day of purchase.
- Staff at Netherlands train stations can be approach to request assistance to platforms.
- Some NS trains main seating area can only be access via internal stairs.
- Disabled seats are located close to train doors.
Getting to Dordrecht from the UK was a bit of a journey. I had read very nice things about it and thought it was worth it.
I took an early flight to Amsterdam for which I organised special assistance. On arrival, I asked to be guided to a coffee place close to Schiphol Train station entrance, where I met with a friend from Charlotte’s community. Soon after we hopped on a train to Dordrecht, only to realise it stopped nearly everywhere. Since it would get us to our destination close to the time to check in at the accommodation, we decided to stay on and enjoy the beautiful Dutch scenery from the train window.
Dordrecht turned out to be quite pedestrian-friendly. All the pedestrian crossing around the train station had traffic lights equipped with sound signals for blind / visually impaired people. There were a few bikes parked outside houses which made the pavement narrow at points. The city itself felt quite easy to walk around. By the time the weekend ended, the regular routes already felt familiar.
For my return to Amsterdam, a member of staff at Dordrecht train station guided me to the platform after I asked how to get to it. It was fairly quiet, which made it easy to board the train. It was a double decker one, I found a bench close to one of the train doors and settled.
On arrival at Amsterdam airport, I had a few hours to kill. It was nice to have a slow walk around the airport. I found a nice place to have lunch and eventually make my way to the accessible travel area. Everything was taken care off from there.
I would have normally taken a train back home on arrival at the UK, however I had been dealing with quite a bit of back pain during the weekend. Thought it was best to be kind to myself and contact my local trusted cab company to arrange the ride.
Accommodation
For this trip, I found a lovely studio flat close to both the venue and the train station through Booking.com. It was on the ground floor which made it quite accessible.
The lighting in the Netherlands tend to be atmospheric. Most places with have eco-friendly light bulbs that take a while to get to full brightness. I am glad to have packed my trusted flashlight.
This was an intense weekend; it didn’t quite go to plan. Mostly because I had a flare up of back pain the day before I set off for Amsterdam, which presented its own set of challenges. Looking back, I am glad to have found ways to manage the pain so that it didn’t prevent me from having a fantastic time.
Meeting with dear friends I have made through the years in Charlotte’s Patreon community and seeing how far we have come along was very special too. There were many moments of laughter and shared camaraderie that still put a big smile of my face. I made a few new friends that weekend too. Could not be grateful enough to them for all the patience and care whilst I was unwell.
We managed to take a good look at Dordrecht. Highlights of the trip were learning to eat kroketten (croquets) with bread and salad the Dutch way, fresh stroppwafels at the farmers market and having brunch at the town’s own cat café on Saturday. Cannot recommend this enough!
There is still another gig adventure from February I have to tell you about.
Will be back soon!
Leave a Reply