Nathanaël & The Horde of Travesties Bring Folk-Rock to Ixelles

A garden bar, summer drinks, games and a band with “travesties” in its name: the first Buurt Bar de Quartier of the season in Ixelles is setting a welcomingly offbeat tone. Nathanaël & The Horde of Travesties perform at 8pm, bringing folk-rock with a funky, danceable twist to the garden of Elzenhof. The free neighbourhood event runs from 6pm to 11pm and offers an easy, low-pressure way to discover a queer-adjacent local live act outside the usual club circuit.

A neighbourhood bar with a stage

The Buurt Bar de Quartier is back after the summer break with an evening designed for lingering rather than rushing. From 6pm, the bar and terrace open for drinks, garden games and music; the concert starts at 8pm.

The setting is Elzenhof, the Dutch-language community centre in Ixelles, at Avenue de la Couronne 12. It is not a conventional rock venue, and that is partly the point. The evening turns a local garden into a shared social space where neighbours, friends, music lovers and curious passers-by can meet without the financial barrier of a ticketed night out.

For queer audiences, accessible events like this can matter just as much as late-night parties. Not every community moment needs a packed dancefloor, a 2am finish or a steep entry price. Sometimes the most inviting format is simply a drink in the garden and a band that gives the evening a bit of bite.

Folk-rock with a funky twist

At 8pm, Nathanaël & The Horde of Travesties take over with a sound described as folk-rock with a funky edge. The project moves between emotional intensity and softer, more danceable moments, drawing on soul and R&B-flavoured vocals alongside funk, folk-rock, jazz and alternative indie influences.

That mix makes for a promising live proposition: music that can hold both close listening and a little movement. Rather than staying inside one genre, Nathanaël’s universe appears to embrace contrast — powerful and intimate, groove-led and guitar-driven, tender but not overly polished.

The name The Horde of Travesties also brings a welcome sense of theatricality and unruliness. While the available event information does not specify whether the concert itself includes drag performance or a dedicated safer-space policy, the choice of name playfully disrupts conventional rock-band imagery. It offers an opening towards a more fluid, less macho idea of what a live band can look and sound like.

Why local stages matter

Brussels’ queer cultural life is often associated with major venues, nightlife institutions and big festival line-ups. But it is also built in community centres, small bars, gardens and neighbourhood initiatives — the places where people can try things out, form connections and encounter artists before the hype arrives.

A free concert in Ixelles will not solve every question around cultural access. But it lowers at least one barrier: cost. It also places live music in a shared public-facing environment rather than behind a club door.

For LGBTQIA+ people and allies, seeing artists and organisers create more varied ways of gathering matters. Representation is not only about explicitly queer programming; it is also about expanding who feels welcome in cultural spaces, which stories and aesthetics are allowed to appear there, and how easy it is to take part.

A gentle post-summer reset

The first Buurt Bar of the year arrives at that awkward moment between summer freedom and September schedules. Its format suggests a softer kind of restart: come as you are, have a drink, play a game, catch a concert and stay for the atmosphere.

Nathanaël & The Horde of Travesties may be the musical centrepiece, but the broader invitation is collective. A neighbourhood garden becomes a small stage for connection — with enough groove to keep the end-of-summer feeling alive.

Practical information

What? Buurt Bar de Quartier with Nathanaël & The Horde of Travesties
When? Concert at 8pm; bar and terrace open from 6pm to 11pm
Where? Elzenhof, Avenue de la Couronne 12, 1050 Ixelles
Admission: Free
On the programme: Summer drinks, garden games, music and a live folk-rock concert with a funky twist
More information: Visit Brussels event listing

A free garden concert with feeling, groove and a proudly unconventional name is a pretty good way to ease into Brussels’ cultural autumn.

KET Magazine is a community‑driven, non‑profit magazine run by volunteers and based in Brussels. You can find our other music and nightlife stories on ket.brussels, and you can always write to us to share your projects or pitch a story: info@ket.brussels