Amplified music booms over the Hungarian border into Austria during the annual Volt Festival, held in a sprawling forested campground in the hills above Sopron, a historic city of western Hungary. While maintaining a laid-back atmosphere for over two decades now, this summertime extravaganza is renowned for drawing fresh musical superstars along with living legends like Moby, Billy Idol, and Primus – and naturally, the biggest names of the Magyar music scene all appear here.
As of press time, passes are still available for each day of this year’s Volt Festival (July 2-6); complete ticket information is available here or at the festival’s information booth in Budapest’s Nyugati Square. Getting to the festival from Budapest is probably easiest by rail – direct trains depart from Keleti Station every day at 8:10am, 10:10am, 2:10pm, 4:10pm, and 6:10pm (see www.mav-start.hu for complete timetables), and a round-the-clock shuttle bus takes partying passengers from the Sopron train station to the festival entrance.
Driving to the Volt Festival from Budapest requires some countryside navigation, as Sopron is not located along any of Hungary’s major highways. Begin by taking Motorway M1 west from Budapest, continuing around Győr until reaching the turnoff for main road 85. Travel west on this road through Enese, Csorna, Kapuvár, and Fertőszentmiklós (you will get many bemused looks from the grannies and pub-terrace dwellers that line this route), until main road 85 intersects with main road 84. The city limits of Sopron lie just a few kilometers north of this confluence, and signs clearly point the way to the festival grounds from there – and of course, those with GPS can simply type “Lövér Camping, Sopron” into their robot navigators. Parking is free, but spaces become scarce by Thursday afternoon, after which point it becomes practical to park downtown and take the aforementioned shuttle from the Sopron train station.
Once arrived, guests can drift amid tree-shaded attractions in a happy daze between diverse concerts – this year’s lineup features some 150 performances held on ten stages, with headliners including MGMT and Morcheeba on July 2, Thirty Seconds to Mars and Steve Aoki on July 3, Bring Me The Horizon and Nero on July 4, Hurts and Netsky on July 5, and the Arctic Monkeys on July 6. In addition, here are some lesser-known-but-not-for-long acts that we definitely recommend, including some up-and-coming Magyar musicians.
Dub PhizixJuly 2, 01:30 – Aquarium StageThe Manchester-based producer doesn't follow trends – he sets them. Three years ago, he released his now cultic single, Marka, a futuristic and unique take on drum 'n' bass. The song introduced a new way of the well-known style: minimalistic, dark, and aggressive with weightier rhythms. Marka was followed by a load of other dancefloor bombs (Run It Like A President, I'm A Creator, Never Been) and collaborations with artists like S.P.Y., Skeptical, dBridge, or Shy FX. Apart from being a great producer and the creator of a new d'n'b style, Dub Phizix is also a great DJ that always mixes neglected classics with the freshest upfront material.
Ivan & The ParazolJuly 4, 16:00 – Telekom Main StageClassic blues rock from the best Hungarian followers of Jack White! Even though the band is less than five years old, they have two great albums (the second, “Mode Bizarre”, came out this year), they’ve performed concerts at the SXSW and CBGB festivals, and they have thousands of fans under their belt, so calling them an up-and-coming indie-rock quartet is an understatement. But what really matters is that they explode onstage, and after they've opened for Deep Purple with such energy and confidence, we're sure that their gig is gonna be one hell of a ride!
TricotJuly 5, 16:00 – OTP Junior/Petőfi Radio Stage If you are familiar with Japanese indie/alternative rock, it is enough to say that Tricot is like a poppier Number Girl or Zazen Boys. If you are not, think of an all-female Slint, Jawbox or Don Caballero – intense math-rock with melodic post-rock soundscapes and poppy tones. When it comes to concerts, the energy and passion of this all-girl group would kick any boy band's ass. This is their first time in Hungary, and one of the most interesting and unmissable concerts of the year.
VolbeatJuly 5, 19:15 – Telekom Main StageElvis-metal? Is there something like that? If you ask Volbeat, their answer is a loud YES! All of the bands' albums sounds like Metallica jamming with Elvis freshly resurrected from his grave, located in the heart of Stephen King's Pet Sematary. Or King Diamond playing with a bunch of grindermans in a small, dirty western pub. After five albums and 13 years, they still have their balls and their unmistakable passion for rock 'n' roll, and they didn't even forget to write earth-shattering hymns like The Hangman's Body Count or Room 24. Don't miss them!
Mary PopkidsJuly 6, 17:30 – Telekom Main StageIf a band of fresh-faced indie kids can open for Arctic Monkeys, they surely know something. When it comes to Mary Popkids, they know how to to mix the influences of Jamie Lidell, Dire Straits, and Shuggie Otis into songs that can be enjoyed by pop souls and elitist hipsters alike. Their first album, “The Blue Inside”, is only a few months old but is already mentioned as one of the finest Hungarian debuts. Their future is surely bright, so catch them before they grow too big for a Hungarian festival.
