First, here is the runner-up of Sziget’s wish list, Muse – retaining an incomprehensibly diverse and exciting oeuvre, and returning with the album “Drones”, released just last year. The band’s musical impact and significance is unquestionable when talking about 21st-century rock music. Since their formation in 1994, they won more than 40 awards. Today, they are one of the world’s most important contemporary rock bands; they fill stadiums on their tours and are regarded as the main performer at every festival they play, and even though they already captivated the audience of Sziget twice, we are sure that they will be one of the biggest sensations of the Main Stage again.
As one of the world’s most famous and most popular DJs making electronic dance music, David Guetta returns to Sziget with another spectacular show. Whichever continent he visits, he always steps behind the turntables in front of tens of thousands of people; on Facebook, he has nearly 60,000,000 likes, and the watch count of his videos on YouTube already exceeded the number of half the world’s population. His latest album, “Listen” was released in November 2014, and this year, he will be the composer and performer of the anthem of this year’ s UEFA European Championship.
Only one band could take the lead over Muse on Sziget’s wish list: Arctic Monkeys. However, frontman Alex Turner is devoting this year to the formation of the Last Shadow Puppets, and so he will come to Sziget with this band. The supergroup, put together by Turner and his pal Miles Kane, was one of the greatest sensations of pop music in 2007. After eight years of silence, the award-winning band returns with the single “Bad Habits”, and on the first of April, they will release a second studio album, titled “Everything You’ve Come To Expect”. Their spring concerts are already sold out, and the new songs and performances are eagerly awaited, so we can definitely say that the Last Shadow Puppets will be one of the major bands of Sziget 2016.
The incredibly catchy indie-folk hit “Ho Hey” has been gathering fans ever since its release in 2012, and made the debut album of America’s Lumineers into a platinum record. The band combines folk, indie, and country in a stylish and loveably way, and their songs are catchy and nice, so it’s no surprise that their fans are awaiting their next album so eagerly. The 11-track “Album” will be released on April 8th, so we will have more than enough time to learn the new songs by heart. The band will perform during a late-afternoon time slot on the Main Stage.
2015 was definitely a great time for Years & Years, since the London-based electropop trio won the prestigious BBC Sound of 2015 award, and also sold the most debut albums in England. The synthpop of Years & Years mixes R’n’B and house, with amazingly catchy orchestration. The Hungarian audience will be able to see Britain’s new favorite on the Sziget Festival Main Stage for the first time.
Roisín Murphy, who became known as the singer of the cultic electro-dance-pop band Moloko, can also look back on a successful solo career; her studio albums, released in 2005 and 2007, were praised both by the public and music professionals. Although in recent years she only released a few singles and made some guest appearances (e.g. Crookers, Fatboy Slim), last May she finally released her long-awaited third studio album. “Hairless Toys” might be the most powerful piece of her career yet, which we’ll be able to listen to on the A38 Stage at the Sziget Festival.
Hard-kneaded, aggressive riffs with melodic, virtuoso rock symphonies and catchy tunes: this is the recipe that made the Welsh Bullet For My Valentine band – coming to the A38 Stage of Sziget – into one of the most famous rock bands of this decade. They sold millions of records worldwide, and are extremely popular not only in Europe, but in North America and Japan, as well. Their fifth studio album “Venom”, released last year, showcased the best side of the band, and made it clear that they can handle metal sensitively.
Despite of her young age, 26-year-old singer-songwriter Jess Glynne can already take pride in a rather remarkable career: since 2014, almost all of her songs end up leading the British hit charts. Her latest album “I Cry When I Laugh”, released last year, was widely praised. However, there’s another reason why last year was special for her: she became the second British female solo artist to have five number-one singles on the UK Singles Chart. The Hungarian audience will see one of the greatest talents of her generation for the first time on Sziget’s A38 Stage.
Australia’s loudest metalcore band, Parkway Drive, will deliver an elemental blast for festivalgoers with songs from their latest studio album “Ire”, released last fall. Known for brutal riffs, grinding drumbeats, and maddening vocals, their music is loved all over the world, including the Hungarian crowd. Their albums are considered classics of the metalcore genre, and their live performances are unbelievably powerful.
K.I.Z., formed by three rappers and a DJ, has been a dominant player in Berlin and Germany’s music scene for nearly 15 years now. Their latest studio album, “Hurra die Welt geht unter” from last year, was topping charts in Germany and Switzerland, as well. German speakers have an advantage regarding the lyrics, but the rhythm and the tight pull of the melodies will be able to captivate anyone at their afternoon concert on the A38 Stage.
The career of America’s the Neighbourhood took off five years ago and keeps on moving forward, touring around the world with their indie-rock music, spiced with electronic, hip-hop and R’n’B elements. The twenty-something guys will arrive with two confident studio albums and many hits behind them, and will perform in Hungary for the first time on Sziget’s A38 Stage. They are chill, stylish, and can write great songs – we are sure to hear a lot about them in the coming years.
The Netherlands’ newest and probably most exciting female performer is Kovacs, whose incredibly strong, characteristic, and soul-gripping voice is often compared to that of Amy Winehouse. Her first studio album was released last year with the title “Shades of Black”. The Dutch winner of the European Border Breakers Award 2016 made a highly successful debut at the Eurosonic Festival, as well. She’s worth paying attention to – the career of the 25-year-old singer is just about to unfold. Kovacs will perform during an afternoon time slot on the A38 Stage.
A Canadian electronica musician and DJ-producer, famous for vicious, cunning, and daring works – this is dubstep genius Datsik, known for his brutally powerful songs and mixes, who became famous at the very beginning of his career thanks to some first-place singles on Beatport, and an innovative sound. His remix list features names like Linkin Park, MGMT, Crystal Method, and Lil Wayne; it would be a challenge to list all his collaborations and performances with the greatest stars. His latest hit song is a collaboration with Snoop Dogg, titled “Smoke Bomb”. Datsik will also perform on the A38 Stage, at night.
The legendary Dutch Opgezwolle hip-hop collective became increasingly popular in the Netherlands in the beginning of this decade, with MCs Sticky Steez and Phreako Rico. The two of them stepped on stage together last January after a long hiatus, and this single occasion outgrew itself and resulted in the idea of a whole tour. On the current tour of Rico & Stick, called #OpgezwolleTotNu, they perform the greatest hits from their past collaborations, so festivalgoers will be able to party at the Netherlands’ best hip-hop gig at the A38 Stage in the afternoon.
We will continue to keep you updated with news of other Sziget 2016 performers – for tickets and more information, check out the official festival website.
