Simon Karolis + bye + Zo Lief

De Zwarte Ruiter sits on the Grote Markt in the centre of The Hague and has been part of the square since 1988. It works as a café and live music venue in one, open from late morning with coffee, food and beers on the terrace, then turning into a stage for bands as the evening goes on. One of its more unusual traits is that entry to the shows has been free every weekend for more than thirty years, a policy that has made it an easy place to wander into and discover something new. The venue's roots are modest. One description of it calls it a squat bar at heart that matured into an iconic venue, and that background still shows in the programming, which leans toward guitar music and the rougher, louder end of the local scene. Over the decades the stage has hosted acts such as Wodan Boys, Prince S. and The Goat, Stake and The Opposites. The venue's own story stresses how much of that history belongs to the city itself: Hague bands including Di Rect, The Deaf and Son Mieux played some of their very first shows here, which is a large part of why it is regarded as a proper breeding ground for local talent. The calendar is a mixed one. Recent listings include indie rock acts, a punk band marking ten years together, a heavy guitar and vocals show, a record release party with several bands on the bill, and a recurring indie disco night that turns the room over to dancing rather than a live set. The setting is as much a part of the appeal as the line up, since the venue stays open late into the night and keeps the Grote Markt lively well after the daytime crowd has gone home.