Five Swiss bands at the Eurosonic Festival, Groningen 14 – 17 January 2015

Forget skiing, skating and curling – the only place to be in the middle of January for anyone even vaguely interested in the latest musical trends in Europe is Groningen in the North of Holland. From its humble beginnings in 1986 as the site of a “battle of the bands” between Dutch and Belgian groups, the Eurosonic conference and showcase festival has since blossomed into one of the best attended as well as best loved such events in the European calendar. Needless to say that Swiss Music Export, an enthusiastic supporter of Eurosonic from early on, is once again strongly represented at this year’s edition of the event, showcasing no fewer than five acts.

Hell’s Kitchen @De Spieghel
Thursday January 15th – 20:45-21:30

Yokko @Huize Maas, front
Thursday January 15th – 21:30-22:15

Puts Marie @Vera
Thursday January 15th – 01:15-02.00

Klaus Johann Grobe @Minerva Art Academy
Friday January 16th – 20:30-21:15

Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp @Praedinius Gymnasium
Friday January 16th – 23:45-00:30

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Hell’s Kitchen
It is not by accident that Hell’s Kitchen recently signed to Mama Rosin’s „Moi J’Connais Records“ label. They share with their better known compatriots a desire to infuse a traditional music style from the American South – in their case the Blues according to the gospel of Robert Johnson – with fresh ideas and a contemporary European perspective. Their 5th album „Red Hot Land“ was mixed in New York City by Matt Verta-Ray, a man who shares the band Heavy Trash with Jon Spencer – ‘nough said!

Yokko
Five-piece Yokko describe their sound as „Atlantic Wave“. Blessed with five fine voices, theirs is a melodious and impassioned guitar rock drenched with vocal harmonies, big chords and big choruses. The band won the 2014 Swiss Music Award in the category “Best Talent”; they are at present working on their second album.

Puts Marie
The veterans from Biel write classy and dramatic rock songs with a hint of hip-hop and a strong dose of „chanson“.

Klaus Johann Grobe
Despite the name, Klaus Johann Grobe are not a moody singer/songwriter or even a German Schlager singer but a duo with a decidedly skew-whiff vision of what constitutes rock’n’roll, groove and psychedelic post-Krautrock.

Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp
The sextet from Geneva recorded their third album in Bristol with Ali Chant and John Parish for „Moi J’Connais Records“. With an all-organic list of instruments including marimba, trombone, double bass, violin and „toys“, the delightfully free spirited results carry an echo of the magic Rip Rig & Panic. The whole glorious caboodle is held together beautifully by the laconic voice of Liz Moscarola.

Aside these bands, representatives of the following Swiss festivals will attend Eurosonic 2015: Bad Bonn Kilbi, Greenfield Festival, Gurtenfestival, Montreux Jazz Festival, Open Air St. Gallen, Paléo Festival Nyon, and Winterthurer Musikfestwochen. They will be partaking in the event as part of the European Talent Exchange Programme (ETEP), initiated by Eurosonic.

Eurosonic’s statistics are indeed impressive. Last year, 307 media representatives and 3275 international delegates from 39 countries had a choice of 337 live acts and 150 panel and industry meetings.

Eurosonic 2015
Yokko
Hell’s Kitchen
Puts Marie
Klaus Johann Grobe
Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp
European Talent Exchange Programme (ETEP)