Eurosonic Festival: Giving an International Boost to Irish Artists

Culture
10 May 19

Paving the way for Irish superstars like Picture This, Kodaline and Hozier to break through internationally, the European Talent Exchange Programme (ETEP) – centred on the annual Eurosonic Festival in Groningen – has given a huge boost to many Irish acts.

For Irish artists looking to break into the festival circuit or receive airplay across Europe, the European Talent Exchange Programme (ETEP) – introduced in 2003 – has become an indispensable part of the process. Dublin grunge-rockers Fangclub benefitted hugely from playing at the Eurosonic Festival earlier this year.

“We’d been trying to get on the bill before, and we were really excited about playing there,” says Fangcub frontman Steven King. “We played in a killer venue. The city’s amazing for the full weekend, and the festival is run so well, right down to the sound engineers and the behind-the-scenes crew.

Fangclub in the midst of a typically blistering live performance

“For us, the great thing was that so many of the big promoters from Europe go to it. When we came offstage, we were pretty much right into meetings with people who’d seen us perform. They ended up booking us for a lot of European festivals this summer, and it was a massive success for us, having just done one show.”

Limerick indie-pop trio Whenyoung, whose brand new album Reasons To Dream is reviewed in the latest issue of Hot Press, with Kodaline on the front cover), had a similar experience, after appearing at the Eurosonic Festival this year.

“We were so lucky to get accepted and get the funding for it,” acknowledges front-woman Aoife Power. “We played a couple of different shows and we got lots out of it, including about four or five different festival offers, all across Europe and in the UK. They all stemmed from those performances, so it’s such an important event for bands.”

whenyoung at Electric Picnic 2018 by Nicholas O'Donnell

Also hitting the European festival circuit this summer after playing at the Eurosonic Festival are Fontaines D.C. (main pic), who have been tearing up the Charts following the release of their critically acclaimed debut album Dogrel. The five-piece have no fewer than 15 outdoor events on their touring schedule this summer. As well as that, acts like The Murder Capital and Kojaque will have busy festival circuits thanks to finding success at Eurosonic.

For those looking to perform at the Eurosonic Festival in 2020, applications are open now. Keep an eye on esns.nl for more details.