Thundercat

On March 14, 2026, Thundercat will perform at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht. Born in Los Angeles, bassist and singer Stephen Bruner, known as Thundercat, first gained experience as a session musician — among others with Suicidal Tendencies — and later found his place in the Brainfeeder scene around Flying Lotus. On stage he weaves jazz fusion, funk, soul and R&B: melodic basslines in the foreground, a falsetto that carries the melodies, and psychedelic hues that make the whole thing shine.

His albums form the backbone of the set. The Golden Age of Apocalypse (2011) and Apocalypse (2013) lay the foundation, Drunk (2017) continues the thread with pop-culture references and dry humor, and It Is What It Is (2020) balances groove, refined harmonies and subtle electronics. Live he shifts between compact songs and more open passages, leaving space for detail in both playing and interplay.

Thundercat moves between rap, contemporary jazz and electronic music, and has contributed to projects by Kendrick Lamar, Kamasi Washington and Erykah Badu. That cross-pollination comes through in the show: rhythmically flexible, harmonically rich and driven by the dialogue between bass and voice, with a flow that holds the entire evening together.