The sun shone brightly, the beer flowed freely from the tap and there were brand new talents on stage. On Saturday afternoon, the Pettelaarse Schans was completely dedicated to the Together Is Leuker Dan Alone Festival, organized by singer Flemming. The party in his own city is a milestone for the Den Bosch resident.
“It feels a bit unreal,” says the singer from Den Bosch, while the speakers of the main stage are already blaring happily in the background. “I woke up this morning and thought: I’m going to my own performance. But it’s just my own festival, which is very cool.”
The singer knows the festival site at the Pettelaarse Schans almost like the back of his hand. “It all started in Den Bosch. I was also an ambassador of freedom before, and then I was here too,” he laughs. “It’s a beautiful location, so it’s great to bring the party here.”
“It’s nice to give new talents a chance,” says the singer. “They went absolutely crazy, they were also very nervous beforehand. It’s nice to give them the opportunity that I once had.”
Album party
A festival of his own was actually not on the agenda for the singer from Den Bosch. “I was actually disappointed that I didn’t do a release party for my second album,” he says. That’s why, instead of a small presentation party, he decided to go bigger. “That’s crazy.”
And not the least acts will be on stage in Den Bosch on Saturday. Mart Hoogkamer, Russo, Guus Meeuwis, Miss Montreal and the band Baby Blue, of which Flemming was the frontman for eight years, among others, provide the performances.
Competition
But not only seasoned artists get a prominent place on stage. The singer also allowed a number of selected novice artists to sing a song. He previously called a competition for that. From 350 applications, three candidates were chosen to be in the support program of the festival.
“It was really fantastic. It exceeded all my expectations,” says singer Milan van Dielen from Vught. He was one of the chosen ones who was allowed to sing at the festival. Milan still has a smile from ear to ear when he comes off stage. “The stage was bigger than expected and there was a big audience.”
New talent
“The adrenaline was at level one hundred, really,” he laughs. “To see all the people going wild here is cool. You see them completely shine.” And the young rising star is even received warmly by the audience. “Then suddenly people come up to you and want to have their picture taken. I think it’s great.”
“I’m just a really big fan of him actually,” Milan confessed after his performance. And as far as he is concerned, it doesn’t stop at this performance. “I’m looking for what suits me. But I hope to do these kinds of things more often: more performances, more songs and more festivals. I hope the audience goes completely crazy when they see me.”
