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Liveurope festival in Prague on September 15
28 Jul 2016
The first event of this kind in Czech Republic presents some of the most promising bands from Europe.
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Presented by Liveurope member venue Palac Akropolis, the Liveurope Festival will take place on the 15th of September on the outdoor stage of Žižkov Gardens. The event will bring young, top-class bands from Europe to Prague for the first time. The energetic quartet BRNS, blending indie rock and crazy groove, will arrive from Belgium, the Luxembourg band Say Yes Dog will serve up catchy synth-pop, the Polish-English singer Kari will captivate listeners with her northern-style songwriter's pop, and the Hungarian band Passed will present its unconventional mixture of classical harp and electronic music. After the programme on the outdoor stage ends, the Liveurope Festival will continue in the Malá Scéna venue and the Divadelní Bar of Palác Akropolis, where several other foreign producers and DJs will play. Entry to the Festival is free!
BRNS
They write about them like the Belgian answer to ALT-J, Battles and Foals, but they themselves swear by Morphine and Nirvana. The Brussels band BRNS (pronounced: Brains) burst into the local scene at the start of the decade, and after their debut Wounded in 2012, nothing was the same again. The quartet blends post-punk groove with electronics and the dirty riffs of nineties alternative rock. “This is an exceptional Belgian band with a completely unique sound,” the portal For Folk's Sake wrote about them. Their two-year-old second album Platine sent them on a tour of all of Europe; thanks to Liveurope, they will play their premiere in Prague.
Say Yes Dog
The infectious synth-pop of Luxembourg band Say Yes Dog resembles the aesthetics of crazy television cartoons, and fans of the genre will recall Hot Chip and Metronomy. The trio met in the Royal Conservatory of the Hague, but the group only came into existence two years ago, when they wanted to get into the sold-out German Fusion Festival, and they had the idea that they could try their luck as a band on the talent stage. When they succeeded, they quickly wrote songs which were subsequently released on the A Friend EP. Their debut album Plastic Love is exactly the type of music that will take the listener to Friday club fever, even if they're sitting in an office and it's raining outside. The portal Noisey declared that Say Yes Dog is “the best undiscovered European electro-pop band.”
Kari
The Polish-English project Kari is based on talented Polish native Kari Amirian. After releasing her successful and critically acclaimed debut Daddy Says I'm Special in 2011, she moved to Leeds in England. Thanks to producer Chris Headley, Kari shifted from songwriter fragility to a more eclectic alt-pop sound in her second album, Wounds & Bruises, in which one can hear echoes of electro, eighties and folk rock. However, the fascination with the contemporary Scandinavian scene remained; after all, it is thanks to it that the press compares Kari to Lykke Li, Stina Nordenstam and Björk.
Passed
One of the hottest names on the contemporary Hungarian club scene belongs to a band whose core is formed by singer Dorottya and harpist Fanni Nizalowski. This young formation's trademark is a blend of contemporary electronic music and a classical harp sound. They're very well known in Hungary, partly due to their participation in the A Dal 2015 competition, which precedes Eurovision. Passed have tried playing before Bonobo and Parov Stelar in Hungary, and on the 15th of September they'll play in Prague for the first time. You can actually see them twice – as a live band on the outdoor stage, and also with a DJ set at the after-party.
Comments about the performers:
“An exceptional Belgian band with a completely unique sound.” For Folk’s Sake on BRNS
“The best undiscovered European electro-pop band.” Noisey on Say Yes Dog
“Kari has a voice, talent and charisma. Everything that a true star really needs.” ELLE on Kari
