The Bullfight: "Swaying Dimly in Darkness" live video

Watch Dutch folk noir band The Bullfight perform Swaying Dimly in Darkness at Beauforthuis in Zeist on October 4th. It is a song about couple who have been together for many years and now both of them that the boat they are in is no longer big enough to hold them both. Originally released on their One Was A Snake album, the song was also included on the bonus disc with that album in full that came with Shame, Guilt, Deception - Individuals Chapter I and the retrospective 3CD set The Storm Behind Our Smiles.

The Bullfight: tour dates

Dutch folk noir band The Bullfight have added a couple of shows to their tour in The Netherlands to promote their latest album 81 Bedford St., a soundtrack for a film noir movie that does not exist: "Most soundtracks are connect-the-dots affairs, with a few well-known popular songs and a run-of-the-mill theme that a composer won't lose any sleep over to create to something memorable. Not so for 81 Bedford St. on which the band's resident writer and multi-instrumentalist Thomas van Vliet went above and beyond with a bunch of songs that are closely linked to create a narrative, but also can hold their own and be enjoyed as such. There is jazz, industrial noise, torch singing, avant-garde, pastoral violin driven baroque pop, and much, much more."

The Bullfight: tour dates

Dutch folk noir band The Bullfight will be on the road in The Netherlands to promote their latest album 81 Bedford St., a soundtrack for a film noir movie that does not exist: "Most soundtracks are connect-the-dots affairs, with a few well-known popular songs and a run-of-the-mill theme that a composer won't lose any sleep over to create to something memorable. Not so for 81 Bedford St. on which the band's resident writer and multi-instrumentalist Thomas van Vliet went above and beyond with a bunch of songs that are closely linked to create a narrative, but also can hold their own and be enjoyed as such. There is jazz, industrial noise, torch singing, avant-garde, pastoral violin driven baroque pop, and much, much more."

The Bullfight: rescheduled show in Nijeveen

Dutch folk noir band The Bullfight had to reschedule a couple of shows, due to a mishap for guitarist Thomas van der Vliet, who broke his finger. The February 28 show in Nijeveen @ De Vegafabriek has been moved to October 31. Emma Hessels is the support act.

Expect many song from their latest album 81 Bedford St., a soundtrack for a film noir movie that does not exist: "Most soundtracks are connect-the-dots affairs, with a few well-known popular songs and a run-of-the-mill theme that a composer won't lose any sleep over to create to something memorable. Not so for 81 Bedford St. on which the band's resident writer and multi-instrumentalist Thomas van Vliet went above and beyond with a bunch of songs that are closely linked to create a narrative, but also can hold their own and be enjoyed as such. There is jazz, industrial noise, torch singing, avant-garde, pastoral violin driven baroque pop, and much, much more."

HCTF's best of 2025 (5-1)

• 20-16
• |
• 15-11
• |
• 10-6
• |
• 5-1

» Best of playlist

» Listen here

HCTF's annual list of the 20 albums that will be in regular rotation for many years to come. As per usual many genres are represented. Here Comes The Flood covers a lot of ground and it shows in this eclectic, final tally. Caveat: only albums that got a review are in these listings. I listen to a lot more music than I have time to write about.

Today: final countdown from number 5 to 1.

Please shop at your local record store. Most of the stores have a pretty good website where you can order your stuff. It might even be cheaper than the big ones on the 'net. The folks who work there know their stuff and can recommend artists you might like.

Buy directly from the artist, attend live shows and stop by the merch table. And be sure to tell your friends about that great new act you discovered. Word-of-mouth can't be beat as the prime source to discover new music. Algorithms always play it safe, which is fucking boring.

The Bullfight: 81 Bedford St.

1

Dutch folk noir band The Bullfight always do things differently. Inviting fellow artists to act as spoken word contributors for an album? Check. Write a novel and provide the soundtrack? Check. Oddly enough they never did a film score, but that gap in their resume is now filled with 81 Bedford St., an imaginary neo-film noir set in the Seventies, with lots of booze, a femme fatale and the CIA being up to no good, as the main characters are trying to make sense of it all in that foreboding building after which the film was named.

Most soundtracks are connect-the-dots affairs, with a few well-known popular songs and a run-of-the-mill theme that a composer won't lose any sleep over to create to something memorable. Not so for 81 Bedford St. on which the band's resident writer and multi-instrumentalist Thomas van Vliet went above and beyond with a bunch of songs that are closely linked to create a narrative, but also can hold their own and be enjoyed as such. There is jazz, industrial noise, torch singing, avant-garde, pastoral violin driven baroque pop, and much, much more.

The Bullfight: The Mezzanine

Dutch folk noir band The Bullfight have unveiled The Mezzanine, a track from their new album 81 Bedford St., the soundtrack for a film about a drunk and a femme fatale getting into loads of trouble, starring Jack Bennett and Anne Coleman. The song pictures a woman wondering if she should play the guitar she got as a present by a man who might be up to no good.

81 Bedford St. will be released on November 21st (180 grams salmon 45rpm vinyl, CD) via Brandy Alexander Recordings & Sonic Rendezvous.

The Bullfight: updated tour dates

Dutch folk noir band The Bullfight will be on tour in The Netherlands to promote their new album 81 Bedford St., the soundtrack for a film about a drunk and a femme fatale getting into loads of trouble, starring Jack Bennett and Anne Coleman. A few changes were made to their previous announcement. The show in Sneek on December 13 is no longer happening. Vorden on January 9 is added to their itinary.

81 Bedford St. will be available as a limited edition LP on 180 grams coloured vinyl, CD and digital. Release date: November 21.

The Bullfight: tour dates

Dutch folk noir band The Bullfight will be on tour in The Netherlands to promote their new album 81 Bedford St., the soundtrack for a film about a drunk and a femme fatale getting into loads of trouble, starring Jack Bennett and Anne Coleman. It will be available as a limited edition LP on 180 grams coloured vinyl, CD and digital. Release date: November 21.

The Bullfight: Nuhr...Schmerz!

Dutch folk noir band The Bullfight have unveiled Nuhr...Schermz!, a track from their new album 81 Bedford St., the soundtrack for a film about a drunk and a femme fatale getting into loads of trouble, starring Jack Bennett and Anne Coleman. It is pretty dark and jarring, almost a clash between percussion, vocals, strings and saxophone,, but as the song's title implies, it is supposed to hurt.

81 Bedford St. will be released on November 21st (vinyl, CD) via Brandy Alexander Recordings & Sonic Rendezvous.

» thebullfight.nl
» 81bedfordst.com

The Bullfight: new album "81 Bedford St." in November

On November 21st Dutch folk noir band The Bullfight will release their new album 81 Bedford St., the soundtrack for a film about a drunk and a femme fatale getting into loads of trouble, starring Jack Bennett and Anne Coleman. It will be available as a limited edition LP on 180 grams coloured vinyl, CD and digital.

The Bullfight: The Storm behind Our Smiles - An Introduction to The Bullfight

When a band does a "best of" or "introduction" to their music, the track listing is limited back to the highlights most of the time. Dutch folk noir band The Bullfight may have labeled their lavish The Storm behind Our Smiles 3CD set as an introduction, but this collection, that ties in with their 20th anniversary, is much, much more than that. While the first disc contains a carefully curated sequenced collection of studio tracks - including the rarity Another Man that was released on a split 7" in 2007, the real treats can be found on CD2 and CD3, with great sounding demos and outtakes, and live recordings - including ones from the intimate Whisper In The Dark For Me album and recent ones from a show at De Roode Bioscoop in Amsterdam.

They are a band who are always giving their all as soon as the "recording" light up, the people at house concert have settled down or the lights in a club are dimmed. Fronted by lyricist Nick Verhoeven, who is blessed with a voice that can whisper and holler with equal power, The Bullfight bring the music of resident multi-instrumentalist Thomas van der Vliet to life. The band found their sound early on, incorporating elements from folk, post-punk, jazz and blues that will be recognized by Tom Waits and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, with Esther Vroegindeweij's violin acting like an extra vocalist if the song needs it. Every song is a short story of sorts - spoiler: happy endings are quite rare.

The Bullfight: "How Do You Do?" video

Dutch folk noir band The Bullfight have shared a video for How Do You Do?, one of the tracks form their forthcoming 3CD box set to celebrate their 20th anniversary. They wrote it in 2004, but never got around to getting a recording they liked until they finally nailed it last Summer.

• CD 1: an introduction to The Bullfight - studio recordings 2006-2024
• CD 2: unreleased tracks and demos from 2004-2024
• CD 3: live - and radio renditions spanning from 2006 to 2024

» thebullfight.nl

The Bullfight: 3CD box set coming soon

Dutch folk noir band The Bullfight will celebrate their 20th anniversary with a 3CD box set, filled to the rafters with unreleased music. More details TBA.

• CD 1: an introduction to The Bullfight - studio recordings 2006-2024
• CD 2: unreleased tracks and demos from 2004-2024
• CD 3: live - and radio renditions spanning from 2006 to 2024

» thebullfight.nl

HCTF's best of 2022 (20-16)

• 20-16
• |
• 15-11
• |
• 10-6
• |
• 5-1

» Best of playlist

» Listen here

HCTF's annual list of the 20 albums that will be in regular rotation for many years to come. As per usual many genres are represented. Here Comes The Flood covers a lot of ground and it shows in this eclectic, final tally.

Today: countdown from number 20 to 16.

Please shop at your local record store. The folks who work there know their stuff. And most of the stores have a pretty good website where you can order your stuff. It might even be cheaper than the big ones on the 'net.

Buy directly from the artist, attend live shows and stop by the merch table. And be sure to tell your friends about that great new act you discovered. Word-of-mouth can't be beat as the prime source to discover new music.

The Bullfight feat. Henry Rollins: "I Know You" video

Rotterdam based folk noir band The Bullfight have posted a video for I Know You, an intense spoken performance featuring Henry Rollins. It is a track from their Some Divine Gift album, nine spoken word pieces accompanied by intricate soundscapes, rock and jazzy excursions written by the band's resident versatile composer Thomas van Vliet: "Spoken word and poetry are not necessarily easy on the ears. In most of popular music the words are an afterthought, preferably with a catchy refrain. On Some Divine Gift it is the other way round, with the music as a vessel for the thoughts and musings of the man or woman at the microphone". The clip was directed by Hugo Goudswaard.

Live dates:

• 01/08 Gorinchem, Netherlands @ Het Zevende Huis
• 01/15 Rotterdam, Netherlands @ WORM
• 01/20 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ De Nieuwe Anita

» thebullfight.nl

HCTF review of Some Divine Gift

The Bullfight & Guests: Some Divine Gift

Rotterdam based folk noir band The Bullfight have raised the bar once again with their new album Some Divine Gift: nine spoken word pieces accompanied by intricate soundscapes, rock and jazzy excursions written by the band's resident versatile composer Thomas van Vliet. For their previous album Eggs & Marrowbone the band invited artists to illustrate the songs, an excellent idea that is once more part of the package, but they did not stop there. Barry Hay (of Golden Earring fame), Spinvis, David Boulter (Tindersticks), Alex Roeka, Daisy Cools, Henry Rollins, and Mark Ritsema all said yes when they got the call to lend their voices to a piece.

Spoken word and poetry are not necessarily easy on the ears. In most of popular music the words are an afterthought, preferably with a catchy refrain. On Some Divine Gift it is the other way round, with the music as a vessel for the thoughts and musings of the man or woman at the microphone. Hitting the ground running with Barry Hay solemnly working his way through Ozymandias, the fabled sonnet written by Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1818, it instantly becomes clear that this an album that deserved undivided attention. Dutch experimental lo-fi artist Spinvis is next with the sad De Ogen Van de Bruid - he will likely reconsider his own shoestring budget approach after recording with such a wealth of accomplished musicians.

The Bullfight: "Some Divine Gift" release date + more tour dates

Rotterdam based folk noir band The Bullfight will release their new spoken word album, Some Divine Gift, on November 11 via Brandy Alexander Recordings (vinyl, CD). The album features contributions from Barry Hay (Golden Earring), Spinvis, David Boulter (Tindersticks), Alex Roeka, Daisy Cools, Henry Rollins, Mark Ritsema, and Nick Verhoeven.

Like they did for their previous studio album Eggs & Marrowbone they invited visual artists to provide the artwork for the songs. Confirmed so far: James Johnston, Henk Schiffmacher, Bianca van der Werf, Jaco Putker, and Bastiaan Mol. The art will be displayed in Rotterdam. Some Divine Gift pays tribute to the films, posters and books of the 1940s and 1950s about murky detectives, corrupt cops, femmes fatale, sex, violence and betrayal.

Live dates:

• 10/30 Egmond @ Hoeve Overslot
• 11/03 Rotterdam @ Worm (late night)
• 11/12 Rotterdam @ Studio de Bakkerij (album release show)
• 11/17 Haarlem @ Patronaat
• 11/18 Leiden @ Galerie De Leidse Lente
• 11/20 Rotterdam @ Worm (Frontaal)
• 11/26 Amsterdam @ De Nieuwe Anita
• 11/27 Den Haag @ Paard (w/ Alex Roeka)
• 12/02 Delft @ Rietveld Theater
• 01/08 Gorinchem @ Het Zevende Huis

» thebullfight.nl
» L'étranger Noir on Facebook

HCTF review of Eggs & Marrowbone.

The Bullfight: "Some Divine Gift" trailer

Rotterdam based folk noir band The Bullfight have posted a trailer for their new spoken word album, Some Divine Gift, with contributions by Barry Hay (Golden Earring), Spinvis, David Boulter (Tindersticks), Alex Roeka, Daisy Cools, Mark Ritsema, and Nick Verhoeven.

Like they did for their previous studio album Eggs & Marrowbone they invited visual artists to provide the artwork for the songs. Confirmed so far: James Johnston, Henk Schiffmacher, Bianca van der Werf, Jaco Putker, and Bastiaan Mol. The art will be displayed in Rotterdam.

The Bullfight: new "spoken word" album in the Fall + our dates

Rotterdam based folk noir band The Bullfight have nearly finished recording their new spoken word album, Some Divine Gift, with contributions by Barry Hay (Golden Earring), Spinvis, David Boulter (Tindersticks), Alex Roeka, Daisy Cools, Mark Ritsema, and Nick Verhoeven.

Like they did for their previous studio album Eggs & Marrowbone they invited visual artists to provide the artwork for the songs. Confirmed so far: James Johnston, Henk Schiffmacher, Bianca van der Werf, Jaco Putker, and Bastiaan Mol. The art will be displayed in Rotterdam.