Friday, January 6, 2017

Eurosonic Noorderslag 2017: Portugal theme will see artists including The Gift, Holy Nothing and Best Youth perform


The 30th year of Eurosonic Nooderslag Festival takes place in next week - the annual exchange and networking event for new music in Europe - and it's a chance to check out some of the artists you'll likely be hearing a lot more from later on in the year.

Each year the festival, held in Groningen highlights talent from a different country and this year it's Portugal - whose local artists will perform on the same stages as the best new talent from Britain, Ireland and Scandanavia.

The theme means a number of diverse, up and coming acts from the country featured that year are provided with a space to perform to figures from the music industry - similar to The Great Escape Festival held in Brighton.

21 Portuguese acts will perform at the January showcase: papercutz, Batida presents the Almost Perfect DJ, Best Youth, DJ Firmeza, DJ Ride, First Breath After Coma, Gisela Joao, Glockenwise, Holy Nothing, Marta Ren & the Groovelvets, Memoria de Peize, Moonshinersw, NEEV, Noiserv, Octa Push, Rodrigo Leao, Sam Alone and the Gravediggers, The Gift, The Happy Mess, Throes + The Shine and We Bless This Mess.

Nuno Saraiva of WHY Portugal said: "With Eurosonic Noorderslag as a platform for European music, we are excited to present new Portuguese music.

"There are so many great artists in present-day Portugal that it is no doubt a tough job for the Eurosonic team to pick which ones to invite, in order to offer the music business professionals and European audiences the very best talents from Portugal in this important year."

Peter Smidt, Creative Director of Eurosonic Noorderslag told The Independent: "We always do careful research about music developments in Europe; last year we did a focus on the whole central eastern Europe to show what is happening in that part of Europe which was an eyeopener for a lot of people.

"Eurosonic is the main platform for new European music and our aim is to provide press and professionals in the music sector as well as audiences an overview of the diverse an high quality of music that is made everywhere in Europe.

"Currently we are impressed by the amount and the quality of new talents that is coming out of Portugal so we want to present and show that. We feel not everyone is aware that Portugal has not only a very large amount of great summer festivals but also a lot of great new talent to offer."

Also among the line-up are rising British pop star Anne-Marie, Scottish electronic act Be Charlotte, Black Foxxes, Bonzai, Dan Owen, Declan McKenna, Era Istrefi, Lets Eat Grandma, Nils Bech, Seramic and Ward Thomas.