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

Limerick indie-pop trio Whenyoung, had a eye-opening experience at the festival, after appearing at it earlier 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.”

Having just released their debut album, Reasons To Dream, last month, Whenyoung have found themselves on the bills for festivals across Europe this summer, thanks in no small part to their participating in the European Talent Exchange Programme.

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