The Waves Festival brings the future of music to Austria
By Christopher Sepin
At the beginning of September, the music world traditionally comes to Austria for a weekend, when in Vienna the wave proof takes place. What is that? Waves is a club and showcase festival, i.e. a festival that focuses on newcomers and rising stars. Do you always want to tell your friends that you saw their new favorite band live ages ago, back then in the club instead of on the big festival headlining stage? Then Waves is the place for you.
The festival is at home in Vienna’s WUK and around, in bars on the belt like Chelsea or the Loft and of course also outdoors. Because Waves isn’t just about listening to music, it’s also about talking about music. It’s pretty idyllic when you talk shop with other pop culture fans about the most exciting new discovery.
Believe it or not, 100 live acts can be seen at Waves over three days. Deciding who to look at is not that easy. So here are a few tips. The best thing of all is to click and, above all, to hear yourself through the line-up. That alone pays off because you could discover your new favorite band that way.
Bipolar female
Bipolar Feminin is rumored to be making quite a big splash, especially among people who have managed to see the Vienna based band live lately. Very loud guitars, very big emotions, a lot of pathos and very nice stories. Sounds like punk, then like Neue Deutsche Welle, like Hildegard Knef and the future of German-language rock’n’roll à la Die Heiterkeit.
GIRL
Years ago it was still future pop, what people like Amelia Toomey aka GIRLI from London did, now the world has finally understood how pop sounds in the 21st century: confident and socially relevant, because there are lyrics about behind the bubblegum pop name Mental Health, Queerness and Self-Discovery. Millions of music video and stream views and punk attitude. “I feel so fucking sad, I feel so fucking free,” sings GIRLI, getting to the heart of her sound.
farce
Veronika König’s music is a spectacle. Farce writes songs about love, hate and hope and makes them danceable – and how. Concerts are big parties with pounding drum samples and washed-out sound levels, and then suddenly it dies down Sixpence None The Richer cover out. You can hardly dance against the pain as beautifully as to the music of Farce.
Priya Ragu
At the latest with the release of their hit “Chicken Lemon Rice” a year ago it was clear: Priya Ragu is a superstar! The compositions of the Swiss with Tamil roots are energetic upbeat pop masterpieces, dance music, sing-along music and catchy party songs. Her debut album damnshestamil was released in late 2021, shortly after which she was included in the BBC’s forward-looking Sound of 2022 list.
wave proof
8th-10th Sep 2022
WUK Hall, WUK Foyer, WUK Beisl, Chelsea, The Loft Mainfloor, The Loft Living Room, Weberknecht, Fanialive, Clash