?At last year?s Sziget Festival we played on the MR2 stage and there was a good vibe, I could say it was a real party atmosphere. As we later found out, some of the Eurosonic festival organisers were also there and they really liked the gig. So we applied for Eurosonic in the autumn and were told in November that we had been selected,? bass player and frontman of Intim Torna Illegál (ITI) Sándor Kiss said.
One of Hungary?s most popular club concert bands, ITI was formed two years ago from four-fifths of the Kistehén Tánczenekar, which earlier played at Eurosonic with frontman László Kollár-Klemencz. Its members include Kiss, Péter Dorogi (guitar, vocals), János Nádasdi (percussion, vocals) and Ádám Gálos (drums, vocals). ITI?s first studio album, Circus, was released last year.
?A Hungarian band normally gets such an opportunity only once in a lifetime and we had the chance the repeat it, so we really thank our luck. Perhaps this time we could attract some attention because any band that fares successfully at Eurosonic will most likely get international record deals, promotion and invitation to gigs and festivals,? Kiss said.
Eurosonic-Noordeslag draws some 3,000 industry insiders on the lookout for new talent. The event has helped launch the careers of Franz Ferdinand, Ting Tings and Peter Bjorn and John.
More than 3,000 groups applied to perform at this year?s Eurosonic, but just 286 were selected to play 45 spots on one of 42 stages.
ITI will play in the Shouwburg Theatre, where Kistehén Tánczenekar performed four years ago, a little past midnight on Friday.
?We will play four songs in English and the rest in Hungarian but we will explain what the songs are about in English. The music and the energy that radiates from it are international and I hope it will be a real party. We would like to make as much of our time as possible and so we will hand out leaflets, put out posters and play in the street in the city already on Thursday,? the band leader said.
Kerekes Band, an ethno funk act featuring Zsombor Fehér on recorder, Viktor Fehér on drums, Ákos Csarnó on viola, Csaba Námor on cobza and Csaba Kónya on bass, will perform on Thursday in the Grand Theatre. The band was delegated to play by public broadcaster MR2-Petőfi Radio through the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The group?s show will be broadcast by Dutch public radio a week later, on January 20.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
