1/11
Koop Oscar Orchestra
The Swedish Koop, one of the most important bands of modern, electronica-based, dancey nu jazz, has returned from its state of apparent death. Following a long silence, the composer of the former duo, Oscar Simonsson, set up a new formation, which includes Jazzu, the Lithuanian jazz singer with a magical voice. Old hits and new songs will be performed with Koop’s signature floaty, swingy, melancholy sound. The re-formed band will give one of its first concerts at the A38 Ship on October 7th, as a part of the CAFe Budapest festival. It will surely conquer dance floors and the hearts of its audience with their melodic, danceable, swing-infused nu jazz.
2/11
The Bug, Heather Leigh, KAFR
On October 8th, Kevin Martin (aka The Bug) will presents Sirens, his symphony for foghorn, bass drone, and siren at Trafó. The newest show of one of the most important figures of the current electronic/experimental scene – who participated in projects like Techno Animal, King Midas Sound, and Curse Of The Golden Vampire – will be a breathtaking experience. KAFR is a brand-new trio comprised of Lebanese artist Rabih Beaini and Indonesian band Senyawa. The band managed to find the balance between their avant-garde experimentation, their electronic influences, and their cultural heritages to create truly contemporary music that ranges from krautrock to folk. Heather Leigh furthers the vast unexplored reaches of pedal steel guitar. Her playing is as physical as it is phantom, combining spontaneous compositions with a feel for the full interaction of flesh with hallucinatory power sources. Inspired by the past decades’ techno-related electronic music, Gábor Lázár extends the boundaries of repetitive music through his spectrally rich and recognizable sound. Equally innovative and traditional, his music bridges the gap between dance-motivated club culture and the conceptual practice of computer music.
3/11
Shobaleader One
Working under the pseudonym Squarepusher, Tom Jenkinson is a cultic producer of electronic music, who came to prominence in the second half of the 1990s. He usually works on his own, but in 2010 he founded a project band, Shobaleader One. Following an album and some concerts, Jenkinson returned to studio solitude, and the band was put on the back burner. However, he continued to be interested in playing with others, and all the dynamism and nearly endless creative potentials of collaboration, and so he eventually reactivated the band at the end of last year. “The real challenge is using unusual forms and solutions,” says Jenkinson, which in the case of Shobaleader One means that a band which also comprises a guitarist, a keyboardist, and a drummer plays music that has been considered impossible to play without the use of computers. The production design faithfully reflects the original concept of the band: the musicians wear masks that hide their faces, and the nondescript black clothes further encourage the audience to concentrate on the energies of the music and on the listening, rather than the identities of the musicians. On October 10th, he will bring this special show to Bálna – be there to experience it.
4/11
Wintergatan
Wintergatan is the new band of the “mad” instrument maker from Gothenburg, Martin Molin, which combines electronic sound with Scandinavian folk music and astonishing instrument inventions. Each performance by Wintergatan is a unique experience, halfway between a presentation of sci-fi machinery and an electronic folk-jazz-pop concert. Gothenburg’s “folktronic” quartet, who bring together electronic instruments and folk music, was established three years ago. Led by Molin, who is not nicknamed MacGyver without a reason, has been producing curious and special instruments for over a decade. In his former band, Detektivbyrån, he already showed a penchant for using his unconventional inventions together with such “traditional” instruments as the theremin and the glockenspiel. On October 12th, they’ll give their first Hungarian concert aboard the A38 Ship.
5/11
Swans, Anna von Hausswolff
Swans, one of the most influential groups in the history of alternative music, is coming to an end; at least in terms of their current incarnation. Last summer, Michael Gira announced that “The Glowing Man” – which they are currently playing songs from on tour – will be their last album. Since their return in 2007, the band kept releasing outstanding records which are unrivaled in the precision of recording (as well as the playing of the musicians), in the energy that they bring with them, and in the level of the noise during the concerts. Not to mention that their performances are already going into history as not only among the loudest, but as well as among the longest ones – they’ll perform for about two hours at Budapest on October 21st at A38 Ship, along with Sweden’s Anna von Hausswolff, a groundbreaking young singer, pianist, and organist.
6/11
The Atomic Bitchwax
The Atomic Bitchwax originated as a side project of Monster Magnet lead guitarist Ed Mundell, ex-Godspeed bassist/vocalist Chris Kosnik, and drummer Keith Ackerman (who was later replaced with Monster Magnet’s Bob Pantella). All three of them were by then veterans of the thriving New Jersey stoner-rock scene, and, after almost seven years of jamming in their spare time, the trio finally found time to record and release their self-titled debut album in the summer of 1999. Specializing in high-octane, ’70s based hard rock infused with stabs of space rock and psychedelia, and characterized by Mundell’s explosive, Tommy Bolin-inspired guitar heroics, Bitchwax’s debut stunned retro-rock fans – and still continues to do so, just like the albums that came after it, even though Mundell is no longer in the band. If you really want to experience the power of riffs, be at Dürer Kert on October 23rd and be prepared to kick some ass!
7/11
The Cure, the Twilight Sad
On October 27th, the Cure will return to Budapest, after more than a decade of not embarking on a major tour – and at Papp László Sportaréna, Robert Smith and his band will explore 37 years of Cure songs, mixing hits, rarities, favorites, and as-yet-unreleased tracks in a brand-new stage production. From the post punkish/new waveish songs of the ’70s to the gothic rock of the ’80s and the mainstream hits like “Friday I’m In Love” or “Just Like Heaven”, you'll hear all of the important songs from a band that still continues to influence generations of musicians. Before them, the Twilight Sad will perform, who have already mastered all flavors of brooding and bittersweet, from the folky atmosphere of their debut album “Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters” to the hard-edged electronics of “No One Can Ever Know”.
8/11
Entombed AD, Voivod, Lord Dying
After the legendary Swedish death-metal act Entombed broke up in 2014, its members quickly formed Entombed A.D. – and their two albums (“Back To The Front”, “Dead Dawn”) feature L-G Petrov’s whiskey-drenched roars, full-frontal Autopsy-like sonic assaults, captivating guitar melodies, and that essential dose of heaviness that everybody needs in his/her life. It wouldn’t be an understatement to call their partners in crime, Voivod, one of metal’s most influential bands. They could evolve from a thrash-metal band that played with Celtic Frost to a progressive-metal band that had Faith No More open for them, and their albums (especially Dimension Hatröss and Nothingface) feature some of the most inventive and original guitar work you can hear on any album. Lord Dying are poised to be the new heavyweight champions of metal. Smashing the riffs of High On Fire into the groove of Kylesa, they are one of the most promising bands to emerge from the metal scene in the last five years. All three of these bands and one more (Magma Rise) will play at Barba Negra on November 1st.
9/11
Wolfmother
Pledging allegiance to thick, throttling fuzz guitars, primal psychedelia, and thundering rhythms, the 21st-century rock revivalists Wolfmother split the difference between the classic sludge of Black Sabbath and the retro-garage rock of the White Stripes. Led by guitarist/vocalist Andrew Stockdale, the power trio came storming out of Sydney in 2006 with a self-titled debut that was filled with infectious hits like “Woman” or “Joker & The Thief”. Ever since then, the band gathered a large group of followers who are also devoted to their heavy, riff-oriented rock – who will surely rock out with them on November 9th at Akvárium. Before the Australian Led Zeppelin, Mother’s Cake will mix styles of stoner, psychedelic, and progressive rock.
10/11
Placebo
In an amazingly creative way, Placebo tangles the depressive maximalism, outsider’s pain, and models of difficult (mostly unfortunate) relationships with melody and sensuality, making them one of the brightest luminaries of British alternative rock. To celebrate two decades since the release of their debut platinum-awarded album “Placebo”, the band embarked on a special “20 Years Of Placebo” tour this year. On November 11th, they’re giving a show at the Budapest Sportaréna. To thank Placebo’s loyal fans, the concert’s playlists will be compiled of their most successful and popular material, which needless to say will not let down anyone who has ever heard anything about Placebo. A special concert that is a must-see experience for all of their fans.
