Since 2022 Hillyweird has been organizing DIY shows in Hilversum, the Netherlands. Our aim is to grow, inspire and encourage the local scene after it was decimated by COVID-19, overgrowth of cover bands and the disappearance of grass roots venues. Our first event was the yearly Planespotting Music Festival next to the Hilversum Airfield.

In 2024 we found a home at Vonk In De Wijk where we converted a basement into a DIY venue. There, we've been hosting shows with local acts along with artists from all over the world and from many different alternative genres.

We are non-profit and volunteer run. One of our core principles is accessibility, both financial and in other ways. Entrance to our events is donation based, our basement has an elevator so we are wheelchair friendly.

It is also very important to us that everyone feels safe and welcome. Age, gender, etc. is very diverse in both our volunteer group and our audience.

We have multiple shows every month, so have a look at our upcoming events and come by!

Upcoming Shows

Final shows at Vonk!

10/07 Hardcore night with Extinguish (US) + Provisional + Premonition

18/07 Discomfort Dispatch

19/07 L'orne + Grote Geelstaart + Idleyes

25/07 Mannequin Death Squad (AUS) + Ioana Iorgu + Servals

09/08 Designer Violence Release show

15/08 Hiphop night

17/08 Grind night with Nganga (UK) + NN17

23/08 Aquelarre Release show

27/09 Planespotting DIY Music Fest #4

Past Shows

30/09/2022 Planespotting DIY Music Fest #1 with Clitteband + Servals + Bug, Drekka + Criminal Criticologists + Panterprint + Rebetiko Against The Machine (in collab with Stichting Magdalena and Discomfort Dispatch)

17/11/2022 Hate & Merda (IT) + Skuv (IT/DE)

10/06/2023 Lifeless Past + Park and Ride at the original Vonk In De Wijk

30/09/2023 Planespotting DIY Music Fest #2 with Clitteband + Servals + Staatseinde + Dear Omens + Karnabahar + Tonto (IT) + Dunebender + Kraters (in collab with Stichting Magdalena)

24/02/2024 Toprot + Burlers + Velveteen Rabbit at the original Vonk In De Wijk

19/05/2024 First show at the Hillyweird venue with Battery Farm (UK), the Pagans SOH (UK) and debut of Aquelarre

07/06/2024 Leslie Nielsen (IT) + Meteor (IT) + Secret Drummer Trio

21/07/2024 Discomfort Dispatch #52 with ao Alma Juhlin

10/08/2024 Escalpo (BR) + Rattenburcht + Kort door de Bocht

06/09/2024 Insect Ark (US/DE) + Nistaa

27/09/2024 Planespotting DIY Music Fest #3 with Clitteband + BB & the Binkie Boys a Who Cares Frank? + Catsnout + Worst Karaoke and debut show of Crashing (in collab with Stichting Magdalena)

01/10/2024 Omni Selassi (CH) + Tonto (IT) + PEB (DE)

16/10/2024 Pamphlets (US) + Crashing

02/11/2024 Death Sells + EDLP + Servals

05/11/2024 Thisquietarmy (CAN) + Eternal Void in the stairwell at Vonk

15/11/2024 Discomfort Dispatch #54 with ao Markus Warheim

16/11/2024 San Leo (IT) + SARRAM (IT) + Sunwell (FR)

23/11/2024 Ottone Pesante (IT) + Rettungspunkt + Velveteen Rabbita

03/12/2024 Feral + Poo Poo Talks (IT)

18/01 Refugiadas (BR) + Stachel + Bot Mes

19/01 Discomfort Dispatch #56

30/01 035 Popprijs: Clitteband + Tonto + Fl1pperkast + Cherry Hayes

02/02 Speelman, solo debuut van Clitteband's Emmi bij Gluren bij de Buren

06/02 Spurn + Ultragoblin + The Mono Kids

15/02 Plant een Olijfboom benefit with Woody Grooves, Citrus Blossom, Zialaida and Pandaemon (Cyprus)

23/02 Battery Farm (UK) + The Pagans SOH (UK) + Bogwater (NL)

01/03 Torena (US) + Curselifter + Swell

15/03 Eyesores + Rotzorg + Arbeidsongeschikt + Valerian Swing

23/03 Discomfort Dispatch #57

28/03 Clitteband + Aquelarre + Shitman benefit show

29/03 Pillowcase Shoegaze night: Crashing + Thrilled + Plant Garden

13/04 Escalpo (BR) + Toprot + Combimagnetron

18/04 Lady Lazarus (AUS) + Clitteband + The Wicked Cones

30/04 Joliette (Mex) + Dooie Mus + Grozlan

25/05 Karnabahar + Ineptitude + 3 Eyed Kids

05/06 Hoon (AUS) + Outahead + Ratsmack

15/06 Discomfort Dispatch #58 with Dalila Kayros

19/06 Los Intrusos (MX) + Holocausts (ISR) + Pissebed

27/06 Gula + The Benzo's + Psytrance DJ night

What We Do

Although our main activity is the organization of concerts, we also work beyond that. For instance, we give workshops in live sound engineering and screen printing. Our volunteers also get a chance to get experience in stagecraft and help out putting on shows. We also give starting bands the opportunity to rehearse on a stage and even better play their first show to an audience. Bands Aritsts like Clitteband, Servals, Aquelarre and Crashing played their first show at one of our events.

We are also open to other organizers that share our principles and are looking for a non-commercial space to have events in. Besides concerts this can also be for other performing arts, comedy, rehearsals, recording sessions (our mixer can do 32 channel multitrack), movie screenings, etc. Have an idea? Send us a message!

Partners

What Hillyweird does would be impossible without the support of our volunteers and specifically two partners.

The majority of our sound system comes from Stichting Magdalena. They have been converting temporary empty spaces in the Hilversum area into art studios, exposition spaces, ateliers, etc. for a very long time. They were also the first place who offered a space for us to organize shows. This became the Planespotting Music Festival.

Our venue is housed in the Vonk In De Wijk building. A massive office building that has temporarily been converted into a space for artists, freelancers, startups and bands. Without them we wouldn't have the semi-permanent space we have now.

The Hilversum Scene

CLITTEBAND debuted at our first Planespotting Festival, Clitteband has been playing all over the place, becoming one of the most well known HIlversum acts. Punkrock with a riotgrrl attitude with outspoken Dutch Lyrics.

SERVALS is inspired by post-hardcore and noiserock like Sonic Youth, Fugazi, Cloud Nothings and Drive Like Jehu, sinc their debut at Planespotting Servals play a dynamic mix of snarling riffs, melancholic arpeggios and walls of noise, often within the same song.

AQUELARRE*'s debut was opening the very first show at our venue, but it sure as hell didn't feel like it. Intense screamo mixed with shoegaze influences, flailing limbs and sweaty bodies.

HHEATDEATHH is the solo project of Serval's Ralph Lindsen. Modular synths, drumsynths and vocals through guitar fx are used to create an ominous and anxious form of industrial techno(?).

CRASHING is the shoegaze project led by Jasper Smits, inspired by the noisy side of shoegaze and alt-rock like Dinosaur Jr. and My Bloody Valentine.

SPEELMAN is the acoustic solo singer/songwriter project of Emmi Speelman, the singer of Clitteband.

DVDOK is the mysterious black metal outfit inspired by the history of Hilversum.