SFSH : Victoria Canal + Christof Van Der Ven
Doors 11:30am | Show Midday
Victoria Canal is a Spanish-American, London-based artist known for her deeply introspective songwriting and genre-fluid sound. After years of navigating extremes, her debut album Slowly, It Dawns finds her embracing all sides of herself—honest, vulnerable, empowered. A classically trained musician with a globe-spanning upbringing, Canal draws from jazz, indie pop, and Latin roots,
crafting songs that reflect love, loss, identity, and growth. Recognized with Ivor Novello Awards for her song “Black Swan,” she has toured with Hozier, performed with Coldplay at Glastonbury, and earned praise from The New Yorker and The Observer. The album, shaped over three years between London and L.A., features collaborators like Ross MacDonald (The 1975), Kevin Farzad, and Eg White. From euphoric queer anthems to raw ballads, it charts emotional highs and lows like a day in the life. Above all, Canal is intent on being seen for her artistry—nuanced, limitless, and unapologetically real.
Christof van der Ven is a Dutch-born, London-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist renowned for his introspective lyrics and atmospheric folk sound. He has released several solo albums, including Empty Handed (2018) and You Were the Place (2019), which showcase his tender vocals and rich acoustic textures. Van der Ven is also a longtime collaborator with the band Bear's Den, contributing both on tour and in the studio. His music often explores themes of love, identity, and personal growth with a quiet emotional intensity.
In April 2025, van der Ven released his third full-length album, Is This What We've Become?, via Mahogany Songs. The 10-track album, delves into themes of personal reflection, addressing loved ones and past selves, and contemplating years of promise, regret, and loss.
Christof is excited to return to Cork to perform at SFSH25