Bonnie Prince Billy

On August 7, 2026 Bonnie 'Prince' Billy will perform at Caprera in Bloemendaal. Behind that alias is Will Oldham, the American singer‑songwriter from Louisville, Kentucky, who since the late 1990s has developed a spare, intimate folk language nourished by alt‑country and Americana. In the early 1990s he surfaced with Palace Brothers and Palace Music within indie rock, before definitively continuing as Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. Records such as I See a Darkness (1999), Ease Down the Road (2001) and Master and Everyone (2003) set the tone: fragile vocals, sparse guitars and narrative lyrics about doubt, faith, relationships and rural life.

He was later followed by The Letting Go (2006), Beware (2009) and Wolfroy Goes to Town (2011). He enjoys collaborating—among others with Matt Sweeney on the joint Superwolf and with Tortoise—and remains loyal to the independent label Drag City. Live he moves between stripped‑down arrangements and rougher, electric colours, always with the song at the center. At Caprera he will dig into three decades of repertoire, from hushed folk to more robust accents, with a focus on lyrics and detail.