The live lineup has been announced for ESNS 2023 in Groningen! And we are thrilled to tell you that nine of the selected acts are from Austria, and one is nominated for the Music Moves Europe Award, presented at the festival! EUROSONIC NOORDERSLAG (ESNS) will once again be the first big event of the music industry in the upcoming year. Taking place from January 18-21, 2023 in Groningen, the Dutch festival features Europe’s most promising up-and-coming artists and gathers the most important stakeholders of the music industry. Every year, Austria has been well represented with a strong selection of emerging artists, and this year is no exception. So, who’s on board this time? Let’s have a look at Austrian artists at ESNS 2023!
AUSTRIAN ACTS AT ESNS 2023
Nine Austrian artists have been invited to present themselves at the 2023 festival edition in January. They are: Aze, Doppelfinger, Florence Arman, Good Wilson, OSKA, Takeshi’s Cashew, Toupaz, UCHE YARA and Wallners. More good news: OSKA has been nominated for the Music Moves Europe Awards which will be presented at ESNS in front of a live audience.
Aze
Apart they are Beyza and Ezgi, together they form Aze. Since 2020, the Austrian duo provides a nonchalant insight into their inner selves with a mix between sad and sexy topped off with charming, playful lyrics. Be sure to call Hotline Aze, their 2022 debut album that combines facets of RnB, indie and dream pop with sparks of oriental music.
Concert time & place: Wed 18 JAN – Rabostudio – 20:30 – 21:10
Doppelfinger
The first songs that Clemens Bäre ever wrote were never really meant to be heard by anyone. Music has always been his “place to go” when the outside world becomes too loud. In sound, the dark & honest songs are influenced by a deep admiration for classic folk singer-songwriters. In March 2022 he released his debut album “by design” under the name of @doppelfinger. In his home country, doppelfinger is already seen as “one of Austria’s best singer/songwriters” (radio FM4) with “international claim” (the gap).
Concert time & place: Wed 18 JAN – Lutherse Kerk – 22:40 – 23:20
Florence ArmaN
Florence Arman is an established singer/songwriter, who has worked with artists like Rhys Lewis, The Kooks, Barns Courtney, G-Flip, Bakermat, filous and Harry Hudson. She was noticed as one of the most promising newcomers thanks to her intimate, yet witty and light-hearted debut EP ‘Out of the Blue’. A collection of songs with honest lyrics and strong melodies that she wrote as a sort of self-therapy over the last few years. Her next 7-track EP is currently in the works.
Concert time & place: Wed 18 JAN – Stadsschouwburg – 20:00 – 20:45
Good Wilson
Good Wilson is a dreamy walk in spring’s first sun rays, marked by easiness, absent-mindedness and sweet-tempered naivety. The Viennese band’s self-invented genre “sky gaze” – dream pop for staring at the sky and letting the mind drift off – describes their vibe perfectly. Moody guitar loops, soulful strings, catchy synths and the smoothness of the pedal steel guitar remind us that life is a game, which shouldn’t be taken too seriously.
Concert time & place: Fri 20 JAN (Thu night) – News cafe – 00:55 – 01:35
OSKA
OSKA moved to Vienna at 18 to study pop and jazz singing. She started busking in the street, signed to Nettwerk in 2020 and released her debut EP ‘Honeymoon Phase’ to critical acclaim. On her 2022 debut album, ‘My World, My Love, Paris’, OSKA weaves together tales of her family life and the experiences of a young person growing up in this strange world. She made her Great Escape debut in May and is the support for Tom Odell on his European Tour.
Concert time & place: Thu 19 JAN – Akerk – 20:45 – 21:30
Takeshi’s Cashew
Takeshi’s Cashew (Laut&Luise, Berlin) are a new psych-funk group that explore the boundaries of club culture, world music and 70s psychedelia. All coming from different musical directions, these Austrians create a colorful fusion of genres embedded in a club-like beat framework. Their debut album, self-produced in their DIY-studio in Vienna, takes you on a journey into cosmic krautrock, cumbia, afrobeat and disco.
Concert time & place: Thu 19 JAN (Wed night) – Blauwe Hemel – 00:00 – 00:40
Toupaz
Toupaz is the solo-project of Austrian Timo Bürgler, also known as producer Awo Ojiji and from his activities in the Graz dj duo doze and the disko404 collective. Think of: polyrhythmic patterns, broken beats and atmospheric textures, firmly inspired by the UK bass genres. The style of Toupaz is charactarized by his preferred selection of booming bass, dub chords, cuts from juke and jungle and technoid funk.
Concert time & place: Sat 21 JAN (Friday night) – Simplon Main – 02:00 – 03:00
Uche Yara
UCHE YARA is a 19-year-old artist with Nigerian roots, who grew up in Austria and is now living in Berlin. Her profound songwriting and multi-instrumental skills, plus an energetic live presence with her full band started the rapidly growing hype. Discovered by artists such as Marc Rebillet, Bilderbuch and Parcels, she started touring the first day after she graduated from school. Together with Bilderbuch she recently opened up for The Rolling Stones. All that happened even before her first single release, expected in 2023.
Concert time & place: Thu 19 JAN – Praedinius Gymnasium – 22:15 – 22:55
Wallners
Wallners is a family of four siblings from Vienna – the capital of classical music. Raised by a piano manufacturer they produce mesmerizing songs somewhere in between Rhye, James Blake or Lana Del Rey. The mature sound and exceptional asthetic is held together by the voice of singer Anna Wallner.
Concert time & place: Wed 18 JAN – Simplon Up – 23:00 – 23:45
For more details on all the international acts, ticketing, lineup, the conference and the festival at large, go to the ESNS official website. Stay tuned for updates as they come. In the meantime, plan your trip, and meet us there!
