Sziget, one of the biggest music festivals in Europe, is around the corner (10-15 August), and we can already feel the buzz. If you are also heading to the K Bridge next week, it is time to dive deep into the programme. You surely know all the big names by now, but on The Island of Freedom, you can go beyond the headliners and catch lesser-known but amazing performers, too. Also, at a festival like this, the party doesn’t only start at 7 pm. There are plenty of banging concerts and non-musical events well before then, so it’s worth getting out early if you have a daily ticket. We rounded up some exciting Sziget acts for whom we would skip the main events without a second thought. Tip: get to the Óbuda Island early for more fun and to avoid the evening crowds when picking up your wristbands.

1/12

Viagra Boys (SE)

If you ask someone to define punk in 2023, the first band that pops to mind is almost surely the Stockholm-based Viagra Boys (okay, also the IDLES and another band who will be included on this list). Although musically they are more post-punk, the attitude they play with, especially from American frontman Sebastian Murphy, has to be described as punk. All this is often accompanied by lyrics full of black humour, irony, and anti-populist and anti-right-wing references. And how does all this sound live? You can get a taste of that below.

  • Date: 10 August, 8.45 pm
  • Venue: FreeDome

2/12

Kobo Town (CAN/TT)

Kobo Town, from Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, is more for the chill or dance crowd, but we warmly recommend this band that combines almost all Caribbean music genres. Their songs are mainly calypso-based, and of course, ska and reggae are also part of their repertoire, while urban influences are also present.

  • Date: 11 August, 8.00 pm
  • Venue: Global Village

3/12

BCUC (ZA)

Staying on the world music line but immersed in the culture of another continent (and coming up right after Kobo Town), we recommend BCUC, Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousnesses. The South African group, who put a modern twist on Zulu traditions and tribal energies, even swept legendary DJ, broadcaster, and record label owner Gilles Peterson off his feet. And this is a pretty good testimonial when you consider the artists he worked with in the past.

  • Date: 11 August, 11.00 pm
  • Venue: Global Village

4/12

JFDR (IS)

Icelandic JFDR’s concert might be of interest, especially for those who want to relax before the big night event. Jófríður Ákadóttir has been writing songs since the age of 14 – influenced by Björk, of course – and has so far recorded three albums. As well as scoring the Icelandic TV series Sisterhood and the film Backyard Village. Her unmistakably atmospheric songs have attracted the attention of many other artists, including Ólafur Arnalds, Damien Rice, and Lapalux, whom she has also worked with.

  • Date: 11 August, 6.30 pm
  • Venue: Music Box

5/12

M. Byrd (D)

One of Germany’s most promising emerging talents, M. Byrd, is bringing his album (which debuted in June) to Budapest. Despite his German roots, he was inspired primarily by Tom Petty and Elliott Smith but says that David Lynch’s work has also been a big influence on his indie folk music. Although his musical career only started in 2020, he already boasts millions of streams, and we’ll soon find out what he can do live on The Island of Freedom.

  • Date: 12 August, 8.00 pm
  • Venue: Europe Stage

6/12

anna RF (IL)

Like the Middle East itself, the music of anna RF is a link between East and West, with traces of Arab and Jewish culture, not to mention Turkish influences, appearing in their work. The duality is further enhanced by their use of analogue and digital, traditional and modern instruments, and their name, in a Jewish-Arab expression, means both 'I know' and 'I don't know.'
 
 

  • Date: 13 August, 00.45 (the concert date is 14 August, but you can attend with a daily ticket from 13 August)
  • Venue: Global Village

7/12

Amyl and the Sniffers (AUS)

We have already mentioned that besides Viagra Boys, our list includes another band that strongly defines the punk scene – at least outside of the genuinely underground bands. Well, it’s none other than Australia’s Amyl and the Sniffers. There have been a number of cool bands that have emerged in Australia in recent years (The Chats, Dune Rats, Skegss), but we think Amyl stands out, thanks in large part to singer Amy Taylor, who is such a strong stage presence that you could easily imagine her fronting any punk band from the 70s. 

  • Date: 14 August, 8.45 pm
  • Venue: FreeDome

8/12

Confidence Man (AUS)

It will be an electrifying night at the FreeDome on 14 August with Confidence Man. The band, also from Australia though in a significantly different genre to Amyl and the Sniffers, put a lot of energy into their live shows. They are famous for getting even those on their feet who are not the biggest fans of electropop. Their second album, Tilt, was released last year and features Tame Impala on the remix EP, while their latest single, On & On (Again), was a collaboration with Daniel Avery and a nod to club music.
 

  • Date: 14 August, 10.45 pm
  • Venue: FreeDome

9/12

The Haunted Youth (B)

Belgium has produced quite a few brilliant indie bands over the last 10-15 years, such as dEUS, Balthazar, and Girls In Hawaii, to name a few. But on a more gritty note, there’s also Triggerfinger or The Black Box Revelation. Joachim Liebens, who goes by the stage name The Haunted Youth, could follow in their footsteps, coming from a background of dream pop, shoegaze, and postpunk. The first step is quite promising, with their debut album from last year reaching more than 10 million Spotify plays. Fans of The Cure, DIIV, and Real Estate should definitely give it a go.

  • Date: 14 August, 8.10 pm
  • Venue: Europe Stage

10/12

Balaklava Blues (CAN/UA)

The Canadian-Ukrainian Balaklava Blues were conceived during the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution from the love of Mark and Marichka Marczyk. The result is an exciting blend of traditional Ukrainian folk music and modern electronic genres such as trap and dubstep. Not surprisingly, their subject focuses on the Ukrainian-Russian conflict of recent years and the horrors of war.

  • Date: 14 August, 00.45 (the concert date is now 15 August, but you can still attend with a daily ticket from 14 August)
  • Venue: Global Village

11/12

Sleaford Mods (UK)

Several artists mentioned in this review are creating something new by fusing different genres, and Sleaford Mods are no exception. Or at least they are pretty difficult to pigeonhole into a stylistic definition, but post-punk, punk rap and electro-punk are all good guesses. And this blend is what makes the duo of Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn so exciting, with Williamson responsible for the often socially critical, profane lyrics and vocals about working-class issues and Fearn for the music. You can listen to their song with Amy Taylor below - it is a shame they’re not performing on the same day at Sziget.

  • Date: 15 August, 8.45 pm
  • Venue: FreeDome

12/12

Al-Qasar (FR/US/LB)

We’ll end our list with another melting pot of genres, Al-Qasar, a group with French roots but made up of artists from several countries. The musicians come from different backgrounds, with the main thrust being the Middle Eastern psychedelic rock of the 60s and 70s, updated with a slightly more alternative, sometimes slightly stoner sound. On their second album last year, Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo and Dead Kennedys founder-lead singer Jello Biafra helped them achieve this.
 

  • Date: 15 August, 11.00 pm
  • Venue: Global Village

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