When Dark Fairy Tales Come to Life: Dutch Goth Symphonic Metallers Blackbriar Hit Orto Bar in Ljubljana on September 29, 2026!
BLACKBRIAR
»A THOUSAND LITTLE DEATHS«
EUROPE PART II: THE ANEMONES CHAPTER
September 29, 2026 at 9 PM,
Orto Bar, Ljubljana
WHEN DARK FAIRY TALES COME TO LIFE: DUTCH GOTH SYMPHONIC METALLERS BLACKBRIAR ARE COMING ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2026
TO ORTO BAR IN LJUBLJANA!
Dutch outfit Blackbriar, one of the strongest forces in the symphonic and gothic metal scene in recent years, will play the legendary Orto Bar club in Ljubljana on September 29, 2026 at 9 PM. The show is part of their eagerly awaited European run, »A Thousand Little Deaths« Europe Part II: The Anemones Chapter, in support of the album of the same name, which came out last year on Nuclear Blast.
Known for cinematic storytelling through their music, dark fairy-tale imagery in their lyrics and a seriously commanding stage presence, the band will take listeners on a deep emotional journey through themes of love, loss and death. With their third studio album »A Thousand Little Deaths«, produced by their longtime collaborator Joost van den Broek, Blackbriar keep pushing the boundaries of their sound. This fall they’ll deliver an unforgettable night in Ljubljana for all gothic metal fans, and especially for their devoted fan community, the Thorns.
The band is also conquering the digital world and has firmly carved out its place on the global metal scene. On YouTube they’ve racked up over 71 million views, and on Spotify they pull in more than 190,000 monthly listeners. With over 12 million streams a year, Blackbriar will wrap the Orto Bar stage in a magical, dark atmosphere on September 29 and put the crowd under a spell with their unforgettable »siren songs« and dreamy melodies. The album digs into love, loss and death, taking listeners on a passionate, moving journey full of enchanting imagery, top-notch lyrics and mighty, dark symphonic metal.
Tickets are already on sale through Eventim and Entrio, and soon at the Orto Bar box office in Ljubljana too.
BLACKBRIAR BIOGRAPHY
The band was formed in 2012 by Zora Cock, René Boxem, Bart Winters and Frank Akkerman. Their first single, “Ready to Kill”, came out in 2014, but it was only the second single, “Until Eternity” from 2015, that really put them on the musical map. A catchy tune backed by an equally enchanting and gorgeous video, it has racked up more than 20 million views since release and still draws in new listeners today.
As interest in the band grew, they recorded and self-released their first EP, “Fractured Fairytales”, and a second guitarist, Robin Koezen, joined the ranks. That EP laid the foundation for their ethereal, stunning sound and opened plenty of new doors, including shows in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and beyond, where they shared stages with Epica, Halestorm, In This Moment, Delain and MaYaN.
To keep complete creative control over their music, the band successfully ran a crowdfunding campaign for their next EP, “We’d Rather Burn”, which dropped in October 2018. It was their first project with producer Joost van den Broek. The EP brought an even more dreamlike mood and dark tales of witches, banshees and mermaids. Around this time, keyboardist Ruben Wijga also joined the band on the live stage.
2019 brought the single “Snow White and Rose Red” with Ulli Perhonen and the EP “Our Mortal Remains”. Sold-out tours with Epica and a show with Delain followed, before the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to further plans.
After the pandemic hit, the band stayed fully independent creatively and, with help from their fans, successfully crowdfunded the recording of their first studio album in 2020. They hit their €25,000 goal in under 24 hours, and the campaign wrapped up at over €70,000.
In 2021 they signed with Doomstar Bookings and released their debut album “The Cause of Shipwreck”, once again produced by Joost van den Broek. The record pushed their signature style of dark gothic storytelling even further. After six sold-out club shows in the Netherlands, they took the tour across Europe.
In December 2021 they put out the single “Fairy of the Bog”. After picking up the Drents Talent Award Culture 2021, they performed “I’d Rather Burn” together with the Noordpool Orchestra in 2022. In April 2022, Frank Akkerman left the band and was replaced by Siebe Sol Sijpkens.
In 2023, Blackbriar signed with Nuclear Blast Records and recorded the album “A Dark Euphony”. A successful pre-order campaign followed, along with Zora’s collaboration with Charlotte Wessels on a cover of “Mary on a Cross” and their first co-headlining European tour with Ad Infinitum. The video for “My Soul’s Demise” won the award for best video in the province of Groningen, and the album made Metal Hammer’s list of the best releases of the year.
In 2024, Blackbriar headed out on their first North American tour as special guests of Battle Beast. They also played Wacken Open Air, Summer Breeze and Rock Imperium Festival and released the single “Moonflower” with Marjana Semkina. They closed out the year on Kamelot’s European tour.
Around the same time, they recorded their third studio album, “A Thousand Little Deaths” under the production guidance of Joost van den Broek. Part of the creative process took place in the castle from the “Until Eternity Ends” video, where they found fresh inspiration after all these years.
The album came out on Nuclear Blast Records, after which the band set off on their first headlining European tour together with Danish band Forever Still. Blackbriar remain instantly recognizable for their one-of-a-kind blend of dark beauty, fairy-tale imagination and symphonic metal.
Ticket sales:
https://www.entrio.si/event/blackbriar-a-thousand-little-deaths-tour-europe-part-ii-33260
Orto Bar box office.
Ticket price: €29.00.
