One of the city's great hidden treasures, the Brussels music scene hosts some of the biggest and best up-and-coming artists and bands in the international, European and Belgian scene.
Every month, Europe's capital has no shortage of thrilling concerts – and picking out the best gigs can be tough. This is why we have put together a monthly guide to discover the best live acts in the city, perfect for new and old Brussels folk alike.
Carefully selected by music journalist Simon Taylor, here are The Brussels Times' choices for the concerts and gigs that you and your friends should not miss throughout June 2025.
Best gigs this month:
7 June
Trá Pháidín
AB Club
Trá Pháidín ('Paddy’s beach') are the latest band to emerge from Ireland’s rich seam of traditional musicians making modern music infused with atmospheric echo effects. Now a nine piece, the band hail from Connemara, County Galway, on Ireland’s Atlantic coast. Hence the reference to the beach in the band’s name. The area is a 'Gaeltacht', i.e. where Irish is spoken as a first language by the local community, and the band’s communications are all in Irish.
Trá Pháidín
The band combine acoustic instruments from the Irish folk tradition and add guitars and two drummers plus a wash of atmospheric effects. Most of the tracks are instrumentals but some have vocals. Imagine Irish folk mixed with Middle Eastern woodwind and percussion and then the whole lot produced by Brian Eno, and you might be close. Better still, check them out on Saturday at AB Club. For fans of Lankum and Shovel Dance Collective.
13 June
Citron Citron/The Space Lady/The Mauskovic Dance Band
Ancienne Belgique (part of the 10th anniversary of the Bongo Joe record label)
Since its launch in 2015, Swiss label Bongo Joe has released a truly eclectic mix of music from around the globe. They’re home to Dutch Anatolian psychedelic funk band Altin Gün, German-Turkish psych-folk outfit Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek, Dutch jazz funk eclecticists YĪN YĪN and French musical surrealists Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp (one of my favourite ever band names with its reference to the godfather of the Surrealist movement and west African bands).
Citron Citron. Credit: Nikita Thévoz
For the showcase to celebrate their anniversary, I recommend checking out Citron Citron, an electronic brother-and-sister duo from Switzerland, and The Space Lady from San Francisco who performs covers of cult tunes such as The Sweet’s Ballroom Blitz and Steppenwolf’s Born to be Wild on a battered accordion and an even more battered Casio keyboard.
14 June
Bai Kamara
Toots Jazz Club
This venue, named after Brussels’ most famous jazz son, Toots Thielemans, opened its doors for the first time in June. On the 14th, the Brussels Rhythm’n’Blues club, a project run by a former European Commission official, will hold its first gig at the venue with an appearance by Bai Kamara. Bai, originally from Sierra Leone, plays a mixture of soul and R’n’B and always gets the crowd up on their feet.
20-21 June
Jazmyn/Uwase
Fête de la Musique, Parc Cinquantenaire
This year’s music festival features lots of home-grown talent to see for free. Jazmyn is a neo-soul singer in the vein of Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. She studied at London’s Institute of Contemporary Music Performance before returning to Brussels and starting to write her own songs.
Jazmyn
Last year, she released an EP, Chapter One, and got rave reviews for the launch at Beursschouwburg. She usually appears with her very talented backing band of hand-picked Belgian musicians. Uwase, also appearing on Saturday, is a singer-songwriter from Brussels who writes indie-pop songs in the style of Beabadoobee.
24 June
Lucy Dacus
Ancienne Belgique
Singer-songwriter Dacus, from Richmond, Virginia, emerged in 2016 with her first LP No Burden, followed by Historian in 2018. That year, she formed the female singer-songwriter supergroup boygenius with Phoebe Bridgers and Julian Baker. The trio produced two EPs, including the self-titled one with the classic track Me and My Dog, and an LP The Record.
Lucy Dacus
Dacus released her third solo LP, Home Video, in 2021 and followed it up with Forever is a Feeling last year. Dacus has a stunning voice, capable of soaring to match the passion of her lyrics. While I am a big fan of her bandmates in boygenius, I think Dacus has the best voice of the trio.
27 June
Little Simz
Couleur Café, Square de L’Atomium (Friday)
Little Simz is simply one of the most talented and exciting artists out there at the moment. She is up there with people like US hip-hop polymath Kendrick Lamarr, who has praised her music. Known for her superb live shows, Couleur Café has secured a much anticipated coup by getting her to headline the Friday night at the three-day festival. She has just released her sixth album, Lotus. On it, she features several African artists, perhaps from a desire to explore her own Nigerian heritage (though she grew up on a council estate in Islington).
Little Simz
Her nickname “Simbi” is short for her given name, Simbiatu. The album includes South African artist Moonchild Sannelly and Obongjayar, a Nigerian singer based in London. Simz’ lyrics combine social consciousness with a frank exploration of her own insecurities. Check out tracks such as Introvert and X which addresses mental health problems in the hip-hop community. Simz’ distinctive lyrics and flow are backed up by great musical backing and her live band is always superb. Simz’ shows have been my gigs of the year every time I have seen her. I expect the one at Couleur Café to be the next.
Jordan Rakei
Couleur Café, Square de L’Atomium (Friday)
Couleur Café has pulled off another impressive feat by booking New Zealander Jordan Rakei. Rakei masters musical genres from soul and R’n’B to indie-folk in the style of Bon Iver. His singing voice sounds like British blue-eyed soul artist James Blake or Australia’s Ry X. Rakei released his fifth album, The Loop, in May.
Jordan Rakei
Pa Salieu
Couleur Café, Square de L’Atomium (Friday)
For fans of Little Simz, UK rapper Pa Salieu's first gig in Belgium will treat Couleur Café to his signature fusion of drill and Afrobeats – derived from his upbringing in the English city of Coventry with parents from Gambia. Since breaking into the UK rap scene with the single Frontline in 2020, the artist has released two studio albums and collaborated with artists such as Kali Uchis and FKA Twigs.
Pa Salieu
Why has it taken him five years for his first concert in Belgium? Well, mainly due to his trouble with the law in spite of his burgeoning music career. The rapper, having already survived a shooting, was sent to prison in 2022 for his involvement in a brawl after one of his best friends (the grandson of Neville Staples, from fellow Coventry rock royalty, The Specials) was stabbed to death. Since leaving prison, the rapper has matured both as an individual and in his music, with his new album Afrikan Alien skewering societal hypocrisies on immigration, poverty and racism – while also getting audiences dancing (check out his single Belly).
