End of July in Vienna

The renowned Popfest enters its 15th round

For the 15th time this year, Popfest is taking place around Vienna's Karlsplatz: from July 25 to 28, this year's curator duo, FM4 editor Lisa Schneider and Attwenger musician Markus Binder, have programmed 50 acts, including Der Nino aus Wien, Culk, Ja, Panik and Sharktank. "We have put together a program that is kind of funky," emphasized Binder. The free concerts will be accompanied by a discussion and workshop program as well as three cinema evenings as an appetizer.

Pop and experimentation are no longer mutually exclusive. In general, this year's festival is very pop, said Robert Rotifer, who has been involved with the festival since the beginning, at the program presentation on Wednesday. "We are in a phase in which pop music aggressively wants to include all content and all origins. Everything goes through the middle instead of limiting itself to a niche." Schneider has "a niche problem anyway, because for the people who make it, it's the greatest thing. Genres have become a bit obsolete."

Spaces are kept open
For City Councillor for Culture Veronica Kaup-Hasler (SPÖ), the music at Popfest is "such an injection of energy for the head, stomach, heart, for all regions of human existence". The city is aware of the importance of artists and cultural workers in terms of community and democracy building. It is important to "keep spaces open, especially at a time when we have the feeling that all spaces are becoming narrower". In this respect, the public sector must "keep sending out massive signals, and Karlsplatz is at the heart of this idea".

As usual, the performances on the lakeside stage in front of the Karlskirche will be in the spotlight: Der Nino aus Wien, Anda Morts, Verifiziert and Oskar Haag and his band will perform on the opening evening. There is also a broad spectrum on the following two days, from the thoughtful shoegaze sound of Culk and the gripping punk rock of Baits to the indie heroes Ja, Panik and the colorful pop sensation Sharktank. Apollo Sissi, Laundromat Chicks and Filly will also be demonstrating their skills. The performance by Wolfgang Möstl & Friends on Saturday is likely to be a highlight, as the production and guitar expert will be joined on stage by a number of his friends.

Locations away from Karlsplatz
Other venues include the Wien Museum, where the foyer and upper area will be used, as well as the Kuppel- and Prechtlsaal in the Technical University. The nearby Club U will also be used at a later hour, with the Unsafe+Sounds Festival presenting a showcase on July 27, for example - so it's likely to be electronically sophisticated. On the final day, the Popfest team will once again take its audience to the Karlskirche, where Lino Camilo, Aze and kin dread will perform in a very special atmosphere.

If you are looking for a productive exchange, the Wien Museum is also the first port of call, with a production workshop with Sophie Lindinger and talks on the topics of "Punk. Nothing learned" and "Under The Influence". You can get in the mood for the festival at Stadtkino, where talks with Oskar Haag, Voodoo Jürgens and Anja Plaschg alias Soap&Skin are scheduled from July 22 to 24. Fittingly, not only concert films will be shown, but also the cinema hits "Rickerl" and "Des Teufels Bad", in which Jürgens and Plaschg played the leading roles and won numerous awards.