Must-see shows at this year’s Sziget Festival

Main StageFlorence Welch and her band swept in all major UK awards (except Mercury) with their first album, titled Lungs, and their success is still unbroken – after four years of silence, they released their third album, titled How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, which already became one of the greatest albums of the year. The epic, baroque pop hits are no longer wistful, either: as the singer stated in several interviews, she is not running away from life, but will try to enjoy it, and this life-affirming attitude will be reflected in the songs, as well. Florence & The Machine is doing better than ever, so their first concert in Hungary is definitely not worth missing. (08.11., 9:30pm)

Alt-J, one of the greatest discovered British talents of the 2010s, is almost unclassifiable by its style. Gently paired folk and electronic elements, strange androgynous voices, polyphonic, almost Gregorian vocals, captivating melancholy, peculiar tracks – all without swinging towards being hypocritical or excessively kitsch. It is no wonder that their first album, titled An Awesome Wave, won the most prestigious music award, the Mercury right away. Their second album, titled This Is All Yours, was released this year, and their set list at Sziget will likely feature the best tracks of both albums. (08.12., 9:30pm) With their album Antidotes, Foals almost reached the top of its career, just to change its mind and choose arenas instead of small, stuffy clubs. Total Life Forever in 2010 already indicated this direction, followed by Holy Fire and this year’s What Went Down: epicstadium rock, inspired festival anthems and hits we cannot even imagine a metropolitan Britpop party without. Moreover, the band is famous for its awesome concerts, during which they might play some songs from their upcoming album. (08.13., 7:30pm)

Welsh signer and songwriter Marina Lambrini Diamandis was second at the BBC Sound Of 2010, even before the release of her first album, but she acquired new fans with her – more electronic and poppy – 2012 album, titled Electra Heart. The good news is, for both fans and the general audience of Sziget, that Marina’s thematically announced third album, titled Froot, was finally released in March, so we can expect a brand new show from the indie-electro diva-princess. (08.14., 5:45pm) The American Kings of Leon, founded by the three Followill Brothers and their cousin, came an incredibly long way since its debut in 2003: starting out by playing ingenious garage rock, they evolved into a real stadium-rock supergroup thanks to their incredibly popular hits like “Sex on Fire”, “Use Somebody” or “Radioactive”. Their music often mixes the raw energy of southern rock with the styles of country, art punk, or even soul music. So let’s prepare for audience-sing-along hits, beautiful ballads, and two-minute rock anthems: Kings of Leon will arrive to the Main Stage of Budapest’s Sziget Festival with the best songs of the band’s oeuvre. (08.15., 9:30pm)

Martin Garrix is the youngest superstar DJ-producer of the mainstream electronic music scene, whose hit single, Animals, was the most popular and most sought track on Beatport, and led the charts in several European countries, as well. Despite his young age, he worked together with big names like Sander Van Doorn, Hardwell, who performed at this year’s Balaton Sound, Dimitri Vegas, Like Mike and MOTi, and he also worked with David Guetta a few weeks ago. A Martin Garrix performance in itself is synonymous with an amazing party, and on the last night of Sziget, we can expect a show of fireworks, lights and lasers more spectacular than ever. (08.16., 9:30pm)A38 StageSimultaneously emotional and energetic, new wave/synthpop recalling the best moments of New Order, with catchy refrains: Future Islands is the perfect festival band. This position is further strengthened by the fact that Samuel Herring is not only a great singer, but also an amazing theatrical figure, whose moves

fascinated even David Letterman. Their performance will probably be one of the most memorable gigs of this year’s festival. (08.11., 10:00pm)

Enter Shikari, combining powerful metalcore with electronic music (mainly trancecore and drum 'n' bass), returns to Hungary almost as if it was home, but as long as they plow up the stage with the same explosive energy at each gig like they did at last year’s sold-out concert, we do not mind at all. Although they withheld from the crazy grinding in their four-years-old album The Mindsweep, we do not complain about the more mature lyrics, more inclusive sound and invariably intense concerts – we rather look forward to releasing all our excess energy at their show. (08.12., 10:00pm)

The latest and freshest phenomenon of the Scandinavian pop music scene, Danish Mø, is only 24 years old, but already worked together with big names like Avicii, Major Lazer’s Diplo and Elliphant. Her songs, built on fine soul, thumping R&B, Spice Girls-effects, and electropunk, made her into one of the key figures of today’s crossover pop music almost immediately, complemented by her eccentric character and fantastic voice. Those who were there at her club concert last year know that the songs of the debut album (No Mythologies To Follow) sound the best live – and to those who were not there, we recommend checking out one of today’s most recent pop star, while they still can. (08.13., 8.15pm) Just like our most important preview, The Pogues, the Dropkick Murhpys is also the master of mixing folklore and punk, funky beats and danceable tunes. The music of the Boston band is Celtic punk in the noblest sense of the world – we only need to think of classics like Rose Tattoo or I'm Shipping Up To Boston. The seven-member band, also famous for their active political and charity investments, released their eight studio album in 3013, and are sure to arrive to Sziget with an insane party. (08.14., 11:45pm)

The British Louisa Rose Allen, also known as Foxes, can look back on an already astonishing career at the age of 25: in 2012, she held concerts in the United States with her single Warrior, and in 2013, she won a Grammy Award with Zedd’s song featuring her, Clarity. Last year’s debut album, Glorious became a huge success everywhere, following an invitation to tour together with Pharrell Williams, and the dance-pop princess even had an appearance in an episode of BBC’s Doctor Who. (08.15, 10:00pm) Most of us learned about the Argentine-born Swedish folk troubadour, José González, when he recorded an acoustic cover version of the song Heartbeats by the Knife. The fine, elegant, acoustic ballad was also featured on the singer-songwriter’s first album (Veener), which has been followed by two more, the latest (Vestiges And Claws) being released this February. González places his music somewhere between Shuggie Otis and Simon & Garfunkel, and regularly performs with his trio Junip, as well. However, just like in 2008, he will perform solo at the festival, and most probably give a breathtaking concert. (08.16., 4:45pm)ColosseumApollonia is the collaboration of thee Parisian underground DJs, who has been roaming clubs all over the world with their tech house sets since 2012. When they are not sorting their records in the French capital or working in studios of the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, they are regular guests of London’s fabric or DC 10 in Ibiza. (08.10., 11:00pm) Herman Cattaneo
Argentine DJ and producer genius, publisher owner and the king of Latino house, will return to Sziget Festival after his b2b set with Nick Warren at Balaton Sound last year and February’s crowded club concert in Budapest. He has been in the field for three decades now, and during this time, he became the internationally top ranked electronic musician of Argentina: his works mesmerized hundreds of thousands of the genre’s fans, and inspired many e-musical generations. (08.11., 2:00am)

Gui Boratto is a 21st-century polymath: he is an engineer, producer, composer and DJ, whose unique works has been regularly distributed by the world’s largest popular and electronic music publishers from the mid-nineties. He received numerous awards for his exciting and diverse electronic music: for example, at the 25th Dance Music Awards, he took the first prize for the best minimal/techno track with his classic club anthem, No Turning Back. (08.12., 11:00pm)

Dixon is a striking performer of Berlin’s electronic music scene, a DJ and producer, and the founder and leader of the publisher Innervisions, who is known for his solid, subtly eclectic deephouse and funky house works. He usually presents his sets at the German capital’s most exclusive clubs, and his unconventional music caters especially for a gourmet audience. (08.13., 2:00am)

Marcel Dettmann is an electronic musician and producer, and the resident DJ of Berghain since the opening of the club in 1999. His first album was released in 2006, and in the same year, he founded his own record label. In 2008, he was chosen as the year’s techno performer on Beatportal. (08.14., 1:00am)

Ellen Allien is an eccentric-minded, extremely colorful and creative German DJ-producer-designer lady, and the founder of the legendary record label BPitch Control. She has been to the world’s most important electronic music events, and released the works of artists like PaulKalkbrenner, Modeselektor and Apparat. In addition, her own music makes her one of the most successful performers of Berlin’s electronic music scene in the past 20 years. (08.15., 1:00am)

The British Damian Lazarus works in the genre of electro, hip-hop, soul, funk and deep underground techno, and the magic hides in his awesome, atmosphere-shifting mixes. According to DJ Magazine, Lazarus is often called the world’s best underground disc jockeys, so at Sziget Festival, we can also expect him to enchant the audience with his unique music. (08.16., 1:00am)MasterCard World Music Stage"The best team in the sphere of world music throughout the former Soviet Union" – wrote a critic of an influential magazine about DakhaBrakha. The Ukrainian band’s music is a luscious mixture of minimal techno, psycho-folk, acoustic triphop and trance. The band formed in 2004, and its archaic Ukrainian name means “give and take”. At the same time, the name also refers to the Centre of Contemporary Arts in Kiev (DAKH), where the band often performs in the productions of the theater, founded by Vladislav Troitskyi. (08.12., 6:15pm)LaBrassBanda formed in Munich in 2007. The brutal Bavarian jazzfunk formation’s music is a unique mixture of polka, rock, funk, reggae, as well as Balkan and German brass music, and their concert getup usually involves lederhosen. They give back the energy they receive from the audience multiplied, so prepare for beer and pogo at this brass band’s gig! (08.13., 21.15)

Besh o droM formed during the Sziget Festival in 1999, and has been inseparable from it ever since. It is one of the most famous bands of Hungarian world music, and stood out with its unique processing and reinterpretation of Eastern European and Balkan folk music. Their performance style is characterized by strength and momentum, much like the wildest Balkan brass brands, but they are still clearly distinguishable from Roma bands because of their incorporation of Hungarian folk music elements. (08.14., 11:15pm)Noura Mint Seymali from Mauritania appeared in the international world music scene in 2014, with her album Tzenni released by Glitterbeat, which immediately took the first place in the European world music radio chart. Tzenni is the name for a whirling dance performed to the music of Moorish griots, but also an orbit: the movement of the earth around the sun, the daily progression of light and dark, lunar cycles, tides and winds. This “duality” is present in Noura’s music as well, as her songs are partly traditional and partly her own; and her orchestration involves both archaic strings instruments (tidinite and ardine), electric guitars and a bass-drums duo, as well. (08.15., 9:15pm)

The northwestern Indian Rajasthan was the starting point of the XV. migration of Gypsies – and possibly their homeland, as well. But it is certain that even in the 5th century, Persian monarchs entertained themselves with Rajasthan musicians. Since then, many factors influenced Rajasthan music, but traditions connected to Muslim and Hindu, sacred and secular, and various Indian ethic groups, can still be detected in it. It retained its ecstatic rhythms as well, and the performance of fire eaters, fakirs and dancers are linked to it just as closely as in old times. This is reflected in the concerts of Dhoad – Gypsies from Rajasthan, too. In the past ten years, they gave a taste of Rajasthan gypsy music and its inseparable circus acts in 80 countries over the world.
(08.16., 7:45pm)Telekom ArenaJaguar Skills is a self-proclaimed ninja and mysterious British DJ, who has gained notoriety for his unique drum’n’bass and dubstep sets since 2002. He has made hundreds of mixes during his career, and many of his compilations were featured on BBC Radio 1. He famously wears a balaclava while performing, so his name and age are unknown to this day. (08.12., 2:30am)W&W is the super-production of two talented Dutch DJs in their mid-twenties. Their hypnotic, dynamic works can be connected to the world of trance, but are also linked to the more popular electro house genre. They are members of the increasingly influential Dutch electronic music scene, and thanks to their their irresistibly effective works, have a growing number of followers – at their concerts, more and more people party and rage with all their might. (08.13., 1:00am)

Sidney Samson is a dominant figure of the amazingly diverse Dutch electronic-music scene, whose first single from 2010, Riverside became one of the most popular party albums in that year. He worked together with huge names like Steve Aoki, Afrojack, will.i.am and Martin Garrix, and made remixes for Kylie Minogue, Kelly Rowland and David Guetta, as well.

(08.14, 3:00am)
DJ-producer Alesso has toured not only Europe, but Asia, South and North America, as well, and is a major talent of the Swedish electronic music school’s popular electro house department. At the age of 23, he worked together with bigshots like Calvin Harris and the giant of Swedish House Mafia, Sebastian Ingrosso. His music is monumental but accessible, funky, and perfect for dancing, jumping around and partying in rage. (08.15., 1:00am)

Sander Van Doorn is a Dutch trance DJ and producer with a number of serious professional awards in his pocket, as well as the favorite of Hungarian partygoers, who never disappoints the audience with his elementary and professional performances. He has been churning out elementary trance anthems on a wide range of musical styles since the beginning of his career, all of which are considered the most popular tracks in the genre, so we can expect a crazy gig at Sziget, as well. (08.16, 2:30am)