Fotoverslag | Stef Kamil Carlens & The Poem - KVS

Stef Kamil Carlens @ KVS

In the intimate setting of the Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg (KVS), last night’s performance by Stef Kamil Carlens and his trio The Poem felt less like a standard concert and more like a carefully crafted piece of musical theatre.

Alongside keyboardist and singer Nel Ponsaers and multi-instrumentalist Rahmat Emonds, Carlens presented a minimalist yet ingeniously constructed set where technology, storytelling and harmony singing took center stage. The trio’s concept revolves around narrative songs and strong vocal interplay, with their three voices, Carlens’ husky tenor, Ponsaers’ warm alto and Emonds’ soulful soprano, forming the emotional backbone of the project.Carlens himself moved between instruments with ease, even picking up a striking double guitar-bass hybrid at one point to switch seamlessly between both roles. Rahmat Emonds’ violin proved just as versatile, occasionally played like a ukulele, adding a playful texture to the arrangements. Musically, the set wandered freely between quiet, introspective pieces and darker or funk-leaning moments. The repertoire blended songs from Belgian and American artists with the trio’s own material, echoing Carlens’ ongoing fascination with the wider singer-songwriter tradition.

What immediately stood out was the engineering behind the performance. There was no traditional drummer on stage; instead, a small mechanical snare drum driven by a computer rhythmically tapped away with two sticks and a brush, surrounded by a curious collection of small instruments and electronic devices. It looked almost like a miniature laboratory of sound, but together it recreated the pulse of a full band. To add to the charm, a white and a blue bunny were quietly observing the musicians from their spot among the instruments. As a photographer, it was one of those rare concerts where the visuals were so thoughtfully composed that they occasionally distracted from the job at hand. At one point I caught myself reflecting on the elegance of the entire construction rather than focusing on the next shot.

The encore brought the evening to a personal close with a song written collectively by the three musicians, each verse reflecting on a memory from their youth. It summed up the spirit of the project perfectly: intimate, inventive and deeply human.

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Donderdag, 5 mars 2026, KVS (Brussel, BE) | Foto's & tekst: Cristina Vergara