1/7
Middlemist Red
Middlemist Red is a Hungarian psychedelic-rock quartet, founded in late 2012. The band’s main inspiration channels from late ’60s and early ’70s rock bands like the Beatles and Pink Floyd, as well as bands from the new wave of psychedelic rock like the Black Angels and Tame Impala. Their first EP, titled “As If You Could Mess This Up”, was well received by fans and reviewers alike, paving the way for the band to perform at Hungary’s biggest festivals. Their song “Single Switcheroo” won a major Hungarian song contest, and they also won Deezer’s Young Guns competition. Their debut album, titled “Supersonic Overdrive”, was released last year – they are currently working on the follow-up.
Where and when to catch them:
June 26th: Palatinus Bath
August 6th: Budapest Park
August 11th: Sziget Festival
August 28th: A38 Ship
2/7
Ivan & the Parazol
Take Jagger, Richards, Hendrix, Morrison, even Joplin and a bit of Dylan’s electric era – all the iconic legends of the ’60s and ’70s. Give their legacy to a couple of young men hardly in their twenties. This is what you get: tight, gutsy, raw-yet-melodic and fresh 21st-century rock and roll. This is Ivan & the Parazol. The band was formed in 2010 by five fresh-faced retro- and rock ’n’ roll-maniac musicians, and released the debut album, “Mama Don't You Recognize Ivan & The Parazol?”, two years later. In 2013, they made it to Austin’s SXSW (aka South By Southwest) Festival, and a year later, their song “Take My Hand” was chosen as the promo song of the actual SXSW Festival. In 2014 they released their second album, “Mode Bizarre”, and during their career, they’ve already opened for bands like Deep Purple or classic Hungarian beat band Illés.
Where and when to catch them:
August 6th: Budapest Park
August 15th: Sziget Festival (special acoustic set)
3/7
Mary PopKids
Mary PopKids is an eight-piece funk-soul-blues-rock-pop squad, known for their eclectic live shows and audience-pleasing pieces that are played by Hungarian radio stations in heavy rotation. Unlike many other bands on the scene, they name acts like Foster The People, Jamie Lidell, James Blake, Kanye West, and other forward-thinking bands as inspirations; it’s no surprise that they describe their sound as futurepop. They were formed in 2010, and released their critically acclaimed debut, “The Blue Inside”, last year. As far as their concerts go, the three vocalists, the huge amount of radio hits they wrote, and their talented musicians guarantee that you’ll enjoy the ride.
Where and when to catch them:
August 14th: Sziget Festival (special acoustic set)
4/7
The Biebers
“Traditional dance music for drunk children” – that’s how the band founded by one-time talent-show star Peti Puskás and his younger brother, Dani Puskás, describe their style and sound. Although they’ve preferred to keep their audience guessing about who writes these catchy and poppy hits, even when they were winning awards, they finally revealed their identity two years ago. Since then, the Biebers evolved into one of the most popular Hungarian bands, counting seven members, but one thing remained the same: their ability to write songs that will make you shake what you’ve got and sing along to them. They are currently working on their first album, but that won’t hold them back from playing at all the major Hungarian festivals.
Where and when to catch them:
June 27th: A38 Ship
August 10th: Sziget Festival
5/7
Ocho Macho
Ocho Macho is a Hungarian pop band formed in Kőszeg in 2003, playing a unique mixture of reggae, ska, Latin, and punk musical genres, which they call “huppogás”. The name was given by former bassist Attila Milos, which is an incorrect Spanish expression for “eight males”. (In correct Spanish, it would be “Ocho Machos”.) After several changes in the lineup, they started to establish and grow a significant fan base in the westernmost counties of Hungary and the adjacent regions of Austria. They released their debut album “El mundo fantástico”, which was followed by “Online a világ” in 2011 and “De Puta Made” in 2014; they name bands like Mano Negra or Manu Chao as their main influences. They write their lyrics in three languages: Hungarian, English, and Spanish.
Where and when to catch them:
August 14th: Sziget Festival
6/7
Margaret Island
Margaret Island is one of the newest bands in this roundup; they are a trio playing acoustic folk-pop – think of Passenger, Ben Howard, Tom Odell, or Mumford & Sons and you’ve got it. Altough we called them a trio in the first sentence, that’s not entirely true: the core of the band consists of three musicians, but they are joined by others onstage. They love street performing and improvising, so they don’t get tired of playing the same song again and again. Although their summer calendar is packed with concert dates all around Hungary, they’ll take time to add some finishing touches to their debut album, scheduled to debut in the middle of September.
Where and when to catch them:
August 14th: Sziget Festival
7/7
Kelemen Kabátban
The career of the band Kelemen Kabátban started in 2011 with their hit “Nyári Dallam”, which became a modern-day evergreen since then. The band managed to write several successful songs, shot many clips, and gave numerous concerts. The key to their popularity lies in the professional and unique sounding musical variety, and their diversely characteristic lyrics. This isn’t the members’ first project: JumoDaddy also plays in Irie Maffia, writes his own bass-music anthems and DJs regularly, and Szerecsenkirály is a well-known rapper who contributed to many hits, just like M-Papa. The band released its debut album, “Maradjatok Gyerekek” last year, and performed at some of the most high-profile clubs in Hungary.
Where and when to catch them:
August 15th: Sziget Festival
