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The EU’s newest member states showcased the music of “New” Europe. Groups from the Baltic to the Mediterranean took turns leaving their musical calling cards in Linz.

Eastern European bands have built musical bridges from Rock to World and from Electronic to Pop. Some of them already started making a name for themselves in the West even before the fall of the Iron Curtain, but most have remained undiscovered beyond the reach of local radio stations and the confines of clubs on their home turf. Linz09 provided these up-and-coming musicians with a venue for them to perform music that comes from entirely different realms than what’s found on our download and ringtone charts.

The project kicked off in early 2009 with bands from Slovakia: Druzina, Hrdza, Double Affair and Pink Big Pig. February featured a mix of Folk and Metal by Metsatöll, Elletuse and Virre from Estonia. In March, it was Ska, Psychedelic Dance-Rock, and Electro-Trip-Rock by Hungarian bands Pannonia Allstars Ska Orchestra, Korai Örom, Mantra Porno and Egy Kiss Erzsi Zene. Blynd and ScarletSnowPrelude offered up Rock music from Cyprus in April. In May, Linz experienced Latvian bands Skyforger, Ilgi and Balsi with their rather traditional Folk & World music. Non, Aperion and Little Ann, three young Slovenian Rock & Metal formations, were the featured acts in June. In July, Zalvarinis and Sutartines Party from Lithuania blended traditional Folk music with Rock rhythms and Dance beats. September got off to an intense start with Indie/Alternative rockers NoSnowNoAlps, Red Electrick and Ira Losco from Malta, and concluded with a mix of Jazz, Pop and Romany musical traditions interpreted by Bulgarian bands Karandila, Atesh & Venera and Irfan. Psychedelic-Prog-Rock from the Czech Republic was on tap in October: Plastic People of the Universe, Vladivojna la Chia & Banana and Deverova Chyba. The November headliners were Rh+, Orange The Juice, Village Kollektiv and Miloopa from Poland. Finally, Fanfare Savale, a Gypsy brass band from Rumania, wound up this 12-part excursion across the musical landscape of New Europe.


WHAT // Popular music from Europe
WHEN // January through December, 2009
WHERE // Posthof Linz
IDEA / CONCEPT / PRODUCTION // Werner Ponesch, Peter Brandstetter