Mary Ocher + gala dragot - PALMARIUM 2026

Ocher has been exploring the boundaries between pop and avant-garde for twenty years, with a playful, colorful form and clever content. De Berlijns Mary Ocher cannot be pigeonholed. Her repertoire stretches from traditional folk to raw garage from the '60s, from ambient soundscapes with ethereal vocals to experimental pop peppered with African and South American rhythms. Mary Ocher weaves a soundscape like no other. While one half of this double bill has 20 years of career under their belt, the other is barely 20 years young, but she has a timeless voice and a matching feel for music. Gala dragot releases one musical masterpiece after another into the world, luring everyone into her world thanks to her husky voice and warm, yet sometimes biting lyrics. The concert series PALMARIUM brings seven evenings of music to the beautiful Botanical Garden of the Gents Universiteitsmuseum. This series is a collaboration between VIERNULVIER, Democrazy & GUM. De Berlijnse Mary Ocher has been exploring the boundaries between pop and avant-garde for twenty years, with a playful, colorful form and clever content that winks at anyone who recognizes her cultural and historical references. Her new album, 'Your Guide To Revolution', is once again a gem in a series of apocalyptic and politically charged concept albums. The joyful ode to hope was released just six months after its predecessor, the edgy and experimental 'Approaching Singularity: Music for The End of Time'. The new recordings feature collaborations with Mogwai, Les Trucs, composer Roberto Cacciapaglia, pieces by fusion harpist Dorothy Ashby, poetry by the 12th-century Persian poet Omar Khayyam, a tribute to electronic pioneer Delia Derbyshire, and much more. They cover a broad musical spectrum: from post-punk, folk, and field recordings to cosmic synth compositions and deconstructed techno. At twenty years old, she moved to Berlin, a city known for its cultural melting pot and its openness to outsiders from all walks of life. There, she quickly became an inseparable part of the Berlin underground circuit, while simultaneously building a loyal audience worldwide – an audience that traveled with her on a whirlwind world tour, enchanting stages in 40 countries with her genre-transcending work. Gala dragot first made a name for herself in 2020 by winning The Voice Kids (VTM). The single 'contagious' that she released afterward received a lot of attention and airplay. She did that back then under the name 'Gala', but has since adopted the stage name of her father Robert Aliaj Dragot, one of the most prominent figures in the Albanian showbiz scene and a contemporary artist. In 2024, she debuted as an actress in the film COME BACK, with Veerle Baetens and Zwangere Guy. She also co-wrote the title track 'EQUINOX' with Zwangere Guy for the 5-star series about Brussels, 'PUTAIN'. 'femcel anthem', the first advance single from her new EP, builds on the previously set tone, and how! It sounds warm, promising, full, and leaves you wanting more.