What Is It Like to See MEROL Live?
A theatre-trained Dutch pop star in a latex shark suit, lifted overhead by her dancers, while a room full of friends shouts the explicit chorus of "Hou je bek en bef me" straight back at her.
What to Know Before You Go
- 1Learn one chorus
"Hou je bek en bef me" is the loudest singalong of the night (more in Fan Culture below).
- 2Stay near the front for "Mannen met gevoel"
That's the song where she leaves the stage and comes into the crowd (more in Fan Culture below).
- 3Don't leave early
"Lekker met de meiden" usually closes the night, and at Paradiso in December 2024 it came as a quiet, stripped-down version rather than the club banger.
- 4It's a Dutch-language show
The banter is in Dutch, explicit and very funny if you follow it. If you don't, the costumes, props and dancers still carry you.
- 5Look up in [Paradiso](/venues/paradiso)
On the last tour she sang "Merel met een E" alone from the first balcony opposite the stage. Fans logged it on setlist.fm as "Merel on the balcony."
- 6The new album comes first in 2026
Expect "Rode Seks Feeks" to open and the older hits saved for the last stretch.
- 7The shock lines are the point
The jokes about orgasms and "rattenbaby's" are part of the act. She uses them to land a point about shame and bodies.
- 8Opener
MAHA supports at Annabel in Rotterdam (7 November 2026). Hyperpop artist Alice Olsthoorn opened her June 2026 garden show in Deventer. Other club-tour supports hadn't been announced at the time of writing.
At a Glance
- Show Length
- 1h 30m
- Songs Per Show
- 19 to 23
- Costume Changes
- 4
- Setlist Variety
- Fixed per tour, staples carry across eras
- Punctuality
- Starts on time
- Venue Type
- Clubs
- Career Shows
- 150+
- Touring Since
- 2018
More theatrical than most artists
Relatively few shows to date
MEROL plays more costume changes but fewer career shows than most artists we cover.
What It's Actually Like
An actor plays a pop star, and plays it all the way
MEROL trained as a stage actor before she ever released a song, and you feel it from the first minute: characters, props, costume reveals and stage talk built to shock you and then land a point. At Lowlands 2023 her "Dankspeech" bit came with a trophy shaped like her own backside, which 3voor12 described as "een doodnormale reet" (a perfectly normal behind). At Pukkelpop 2026 she told the tent "Vanavond zijn jullie mijn rattenbaby's" (tonight you're my rat babies) and called a gig "one long, drawn-out orgasm," and Dansende Beren reported the crowd happily went along with it. Between songs at OLT Rivierenhof in Antwerp in 2023 she told stories about old interviews and her rise and fall in the Dutch press. You laugh, then you notice she's talking about body shame.
The biggest hit goes out quietly
"Lekker met de meiden," the 2018 breakthrough, is the near-permanent closer (71 setlist.fm performances, second only to "Hou je bek en bef me"). The surprise came at Paradiso in December 2024, when she played it stripped down, with only her tour manager on keys, and 3voor12 lokaal called it "een verrassend ingetogen versie" (a surprisingly restrained version). In the open-air OLT Rivierenhof in 2023 the whole amphitheatre stayed seated for it and then jumped up for the finale. At Lowlands that summer 3voor12 called it "een bonafide moderne popklassieker die iedereen hier kent." On the 2026 festival run "Rat" closed the sets at Bevrijdingsfestival Brabant and Pukkelpop instead (setlist.fm; Dansende Beren), so don't assume.
“Op het podium ben ik gewoon de baas.”
Her voice is a debate, and the backing changes by era
Reviewers genuinely split on the singing. At De Roma in 2023 she sang the opener "Applaus" a full note too low, then settled and stayed strong all night. At OLT Rivierenhof that June the reviewer felt she was holding her voice back. At Lotto Arena in Antwerp in November 2024 Dansende Beren wrote that her vocals were sometimes "iets te veel op tape" (a bit too much on tape), while OOR singled out the breakup song "Niet meer met mij" at Paradiso for its range. The backing shifts too: a band with a bassist who took solos on the 2022 to 2023 run, dancers and heavy tracks in 2024, hard drums and pounding beats in 2026. Go for the character and the theatre. The ballads are where you hear the real voice.
Belgium gets the bigger rooms
Here's the odd thing: she's bigger in Flanders than at home, and the Belgian crowd is wider too. Since her ten-episode run on the Flemish TV quiz De Slimste Mens ter Wereld she says she sees "echt van alles" at her shows, down to an 80-year-old who came with her daughter and granddaughter (MEROL Substack, September 2025). Belgium is where she plays two-night stands at De Roma, Vooruit in Ghent and Het Depot in Leuven, and in 2024 she headlined Lotto Arena in Antwerp. She even wrote a Substack post titled "Waarom ik in België populairder ben dan in Nederland" (why I'm more popular in Belgium than the Netherlands). In the Netherlands she stays in clubs like Paradiso and TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht. If you want her at her biggest, cross the border. If you want her up close and sweaty, the Dutch clubs are better, and the Lotto Arena reviewer said as much: the hall "voelde tegelijkertijd ook wat te groots aan" (felt a bit too big to fill).
Leve de Feeks Tour (2026-2027)
The Leve de Feeks album (spring 2026) is the punkiest thing she's made, built with Jeroen De Pessemier of The Subs, and the tour behind it runs a Netherlands and Belgium club leg from 31 October 2026 (De Oosterpoort, Groningen) to 17 December 2026 (De Roma, Antwerp), then seven Belgian dates in March and April 2027 (festivalinfo.nl).
The show is angrier and louder now
Dansende Beren called the new album "een explosieve mix van dance, techno, rock en punk," and the stage version follows. At Pukkelpop in August 2026 the set ran on hard drums and pumping beats, with her delivery compared to a successful cult leader. The opener "Rode Seks Feeks" is framed as a gender-equality statement, and "Skinroutine Bikinilijn" goes straight at the taboo around women's body hair. On the bridge of "Geen Seks Meer" she screams, and the reviewer said that's exactly why the extravagant show is needed. The anti-beauty-standard hook of "Uitstekende Kut" gets the whole crowd shouting along.
Doll heads, a milk pistol and a new setlist order
The 2026 look is skimpy and strange: an outfit hung with doll parts and doll heads worn as horns. On "Mommy" she fires a breast-milk water pistol into the crowd, which Dansende Beren called a good summary of the "feeksrave" energy. The festival set front-loads the new record, running "Rode Seks Feeks," "Skinroutine Bikinilijn," "Baby" and "Jij Laat Mij Komen" before "Hou je bek en bef me," with "Sorry lul" and "Mannen met gevoel" pushed to the end (setlist.fm, Paaspop April 2026 and Vierdaagsefeesten Nijmegen July 2026).
The fan verdict so far
The Pukkelpop review was fully on board: it called her "relevanter dan ooit" (more relevant than ever) and the show "goed in elkaar" (well put together). The honest caveat, from the same review: casual festivalgoers may have wanted more hits. Full headline club shows on this tour only start on 31 October 2026, so the headline-length version is still to be seen. Tickets for Paradiso on 14 November start at $40 (€34).
Supports
MAHA opens at Annabel in Rotterdam on 7 November 2026. The June 2026 Burgerweeshuis garden show in Deventer had Alice Olsthoorn, a hyperpop artist from internet and queer rave culture. Expect support in that hyperpop and queer club vein: her recent openers include REINDIER (Vooruit, December 2025) and Luna Morgenstern (Paradiso, December 2024).
Going to a Show?
Seeing MEROL on this tour? Add the date to Concerts Remembered now. You'll have the setlist and your own notes from the night instead of trying to remember it a year later.
MEROL · artist guide
MEROL crowd traditions
Four documented rituals. One need you to bring something. The other three happen to you.
Bring something
Shouting the "Hou je bek en bef me" chorus
PermanentLearn the chorus: the whole room shouts her most explicit song back at her, and that shared shout is the joke.
Just show up
The "Mannen met gevoel" crowd run
PermanentEvery tour, "Mannen met gevoel" is the song where she leaves the stage and comes into the audience.
Fans pick the encore
This tour onlyNaar De Haaien & Weer Terug Era
On the 2024 tour, "Plek voor Jack" came back into the encore because fans asked for it online.
The red underwear bit
This tour onlyNaar De Haaien & Weer Terug Era
On the 2024 tour, "Slettenperi" stopped dead for a distorted "slet" echo, the room danced, and she threw her red underwear into the crowd.
Concerts Remembered Artist Index · traditions documented from fan communities, tour reports and press · reviewed October 2026
Merch
What's Exclusive
Merch follows the album era rather than the tour date. The Leve de Feeks era brings a black tee, a "Ratkapje" satin scarf (the rat theme again) and a ribbed top. Older items still in stock include the "Zeg gewoon sorry lul" tees, a "Shark Summer Shirt," a red "Slettenperi" slip and vest, a "Prinses Pil" tee from her song with Elmer, and Naar De Haaien & Weer Terug vinyl in "Red Velvet Baby" and "Haai Speciaal" variants. Every item is sold on her webstore (merol.merchstore.nl); there are no venue-only or city-specific pieces on record.
Prices
Prices converted at 1.16 dollars to the euro and rounded.
- Tour tees: $29-46 (€25-40).
- Crewneck: $81 (€70).
- Scarves: $23 (€20).
- Socks: $17 (€15).
- Vinyl: $29-41 (€25-35).
No hoodies, posters, hats or long-sleeves were listed in the official store at the time of writing.
The Strategy
Don't stress the merch stand. Everything is on the webstore and nothing was marked sold out at the time of writing, so you can buy after the show.
MEROL · merch
Is the merch at a MEROL show worth queueing for?
Not what it costs. The price card answers that. This is whether the queue is optional, which has different inputs.
- Can you get it later?
- Yes, online store
- When do you queue?
- No rush
Concerts Remembered Artist Index · exclusivity, quality and queue behaviour compressed from this guide · reviewed October 2026
MEROL · tour history
MEROL has played clubs since 2018
Room size by tour, across 4 documented tours. A bar spanning two rows is a tour that played both.
| Year | Tour | Room size |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | The breakthrough | Clubs |
| 2022 | Troostprijs era | Clubs |
| 2024 | Naar De Haaien & Weer Terug Tour | Arenas and clubs |
| 2026 | Leve de Feeks Tour | Clubs |
Concerts Remembered Artist Index · 4 documented tours · room size as described in each tour entry · reviewed October 2026
MEROL · turning points
What made MEROL's show what it is
4 moments that changed the live show, or changed who is in the room.
2026
Leve de Feeks turns the show into a rave
Sets now open on the punk-techno new album over hard drums, older hits are pushed to the closing stretch, and the pit opens on "Mannen met gevoel"
2024
November
The shark-fin tour rebuilds her show as theatre
Shows were rebuilt around four dancers who lift her across the stage and four costume changes covered by instrumental interludes, a completely new staging built for the album
2021
De Slimste Mens ter Wereld wins over Flanders
Ten episodes on the Flemish quiz broadened who comes to her Belgian concerts, from her original fans to an 80-year-old attending with her daughter and granddaughter
Concerts Remembered Artist Index · each moment sourced on its card · reviewed October 2026
Tour History
Leve de Feeks Tour
Club and theatre run across the Netherlands and Belgium from 31 October 2026, with seven Belgian dates in spring 2027.
Naar De Haaien & Weer Terug Tour
Her most theatrical staging: a shark-fin latex suit, four dancers, props for every song, a balcony ballad at Paradiso and a glitter-snow "Kerst met de fam" second encore there on 13 December 2024 (setlist.fm).
Troostprijs era
The first real tour behind the debut album, with an extra TivoliVredenburg night added for demand and two sold-out nights at De Roma.
The breakthrough
A small-hall Paradiso test run in March 2019 sold out and moved up to the Grote Zaal, where fans were already chanting her name between songs (Ticketmaster NL blog).
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a Dutch-language pop show played like theatre, funny and filthy and then suddenly sincere. Expect costume reveals, and dancers or hard drums depending on the era. 3voor12 lokaal called her December 2024 Paradiso show an evening where she showed every side of herself.
Her headline sets run 1h 30m, going by the Vooruit Ghent timetable from December 2025. Festival sets are shorter, about an hour (Pukkelpop 2024 ran 4:20 to 5:20 PM on setlist.fm).
She starts on time. At Vooruit in December 2025 the venue posted exact stage times (support at 21:15, MEROL at 21:50 on the Thursday), and no review we found mentions a late start, so plan around the posted time.
No, but it helps a lot. The lyrics and banter are in Dutch and much of the humour lives in the wordplay. If you don't speak it, the shark suits, doll-head horns, milk pistol and crowd dives still make the night readable.
Each era replaces most of the set, but the staples survive. In 2026 the new record leads and "Hou je bek en bef me," "Sorry lul" and "Mannen met gevoel" are saved for later in the night (setlist.fm). The Pukkelpop 2026 review noted casual fans might have wanted even more hits.
As a performer, yes. As a pure vocalist, reviewers split from show to show (the details are in What It's Actually Like above), so go for the character and the theatre rather than a flawless vocal night.
Yes. After her December 2024 Paradiso show OOR wrote that she makes a ticket for an international pop star unnecessary. If you can follow some Dutch, you'll get twice as much out of the banter.
Beyond the two big hits, "Supermarché" was already a singalong when it was a brand-new song at OLT Rivierenhof in 2023 (Dansende Beren), and "Chocoladefontein" was the 2024 moment her dancers lifted her and floated her to centre stage (3voor12 lokaal). In 2026 "Uitstekende Kut" and "Geen Seks Meer" are the new peaks.
The 2024 show was a costume-change theatre piece with four dancers lifting her through imaginary water. The 2026 version is harder and rawer, built on punk and techno, with doll-part costumes in place of the sea-creature looks (Dansende Beren).
Think hard first: the lyrics, banter and props (a breast-milk water pistol, thrown underwear) are openly sexual. Families do still come, especially to the Belgian open-air shows, as the Belgium section above shows, but this isn't a kids' pop show.
MEROL Links
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This guide is based on fan accounts, touring data, and community discussion. Claims we can’t source are left out rather than estimated, and the charts render only where the sample is large enough to trust. It is not sponsored by or affiliated with MEROL.
Cite this guide
Concerts Remembered, "MEROL," concertsremembered.app/artists/merol, updated October 2026.