Cabaret, opera, Balkan folk, avant-garde, schlager, and dark poetry merge in the enchanting universe of Bulgarian artist Ivo Dimchev. When the chameleonic choreographer, performer, and queer activist visits ALICE, any persona from his colorful world can take the stage and elegantly pull the rug from under the audience. iB101 will open the night.

Bulgarian Ivo Dimchev has been infamous and beloved for many years as a performance artist, choreographer, and queer activist who, with extreme stagings and his chameleon-like ability to change expressions, can provoke and create stir and sensation. In recent years, the 48-year-old Dimchev has delved into music, resulting in an irresistibly captivating project.

With lyrics weaving dark poetry around a sound that resonates with cabaret, opera, Balkan folk, avant-garde, and schlager, Ivo Dimchev’s expression is equally whimsical, dramatic, and elegant. His tender and emotional vocals, reminiscent of Anohni and the Johnsons as well as grand disco divas, shifting from bluesy to melancholic, can make even the flattest tire pumped again. On stage, Dimchev can appear as a rock star one moment and a prima donna the next – it’s simultaneously enchanting, touching, and humorous.

As a musician, Ivo Dimchev has three albums and several singles under his belt, all venturing in different directions and curiously exploring all possible and impossible genre mixes and expressions. He has performed at venues and festivals around the world, most recently receiving much acclaim for his concert at Eurosonic 2024. Dimchev has won numerous awards for his work as a choreographer and performance artist, and in addition to his artistic work, he also gives masterclasses at institutions such as the National Theater Academy in Budapest, the Royal Conservatoire of Dance in Antwerp, Belgium, and the Hochschule der Künste in Bern. A wonderful and rare live experience awaits when Ivo Dimchev performs at ALICE in April.

Said about Ivo Dimchev:

“Animalistic one moment, delicate the next, he meshes darkness and lightness with verbal and physical dexterity.” – The New York Times

“A queer performance artist who improbably became one of the most famous Bulgarian singer-songwriters.” – The New Yorker

“Ivo Dimchev is a cultural phenomenon.” – BBC Radio

“Wherever it says Ivo Dimchev, there’s pure entertainment inside.” – European Cultural News

iB101
iB101 (irrelevantbitch101) aka Martin Tangsgaard opens the evening. With uncompromising lyrics over lo-fi pop productions and soulful harmonies, iB101 is a truly unique songwriter and performer who manages to blend inspiration from Nicki Minaj, The Emotions, Shania Twain, and Prince into one seamless expression. The follow-up to the outstanding debut “Enfant Terrible” (Escho, 2022) is on the horizon. On “Destruction Babe,” iB101 shows a more fragile side, trading the usual comedic lyrics for universal themes of suffering, loss, and grief, but also love and joy.

ALICE at Stairway
While the concert hall at Nørre Allé 7 is undergoing renovation, ALICE is located at the music venue Stairway in Vanløse.