Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) concluded a successful 37th edition of the leading European music showcase festival and conference. From 18 to 21 January, over 40,000 visitors came to Groningen to listen to more than 300 emerging European acts, build new professional connections, and discover future talents.
The 2023 edition, which was the first in person version since 2020 and completely sold out, is being celebrated as a huge triumph by the organizers: “We came back stronger than ever with so many first-time visitors,” ESNS director Dago Houben said in a statement. “The sector has been struggling and is still recovering from the pandemic, and we see our role as the platform for the European music sector as more important than ever,” he added.
In addition to the musical acts, over 150 panels and keynotes unpacked every aspect of the music industry, from artists’ management to diversity policies, sustainability and music streaming.
ESNS reaffirmed its status as the place for music industry professionals to be to build and improve their professional network, and to discover future talent. According to initial data collected by ESNS Exchange, the European talent exchange programme, acts from at least ten countries have already been booked for next summer’s festival season.
Local and international talents
The three-day festival program brought together talents from all across Europe, but there was also space for local, Groningen-based acts. This section, called Grunnsonic, gave musicians and bands from the Stad a chance to present their music to a wide audience.
The artists performed in smaller yet packed venues, including Concerthuis, Het Pakhuis and Warhol. Some of them, like the Dutch-Ukrainian singer Katie Koss, also played on a bigger stage at Noorderslag on Saturday – the day devoted exclusively to Dutch acts.
There were many first-time acts in the line-up. On Friday night, German Trio Klangphonics brought their electronic melodies and grooves live in Huize Maas’ main room. Markus Zunic, synth and percussion player, expressed his satisfaction after the show: “It was our first time playing at ESNS, and it is so nice to be here.” This was not Klangphonics’ first performance in a big venue, but Zunic explained that this gig was special for the band because they had the opportunity to show what they do to industry professionals.
“Being part of the ESNS programme means a lot to us; we already have booking requests from outside Europe, and we have to deal with increased visibility. But we know what we want: to make music that people enjoy,” Zunic said.
After them, the Dutch duo Tinlicker closed the night with a driving and emotional electronic set, keeping the crowd dancing to the rhythm of their beats until the end.
Winners
ESNS23 also recognised some of the best European musical talents with several awards. The Hague’s Goldband won the Popprijs 2022, the award presented each January to the singer or band who gave the most important contribution to Dutch pop music in the past year. The jury praised Goldband’s compositions and sounds, appreciating that the band “completely follows its own path, both in front of and behind the scenes.”
On Wednesday, at the European Festival Awards, The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Atlas Festival & Music Saves UA.
Thursday was the night of the Music Moves Europe Awards, won by Schmyt (Germany), July Jones (Slovenia), Oska (Austria), Kids Return (France), and Queralt Lahoz (Spain). The Grand Jury Prize was awarded to Sans Soucis (Italy), and Jerry Heil (Ukraine) won the Public Choice award.
English-Albanian superstar Dua Lipa received the ESNS Excellence award, for “being the most successful act to benefit from the ESNS Exchange program.” Dua Lipa performed at Eurosonic in 2016 and 2017, and came back to this year’s edition for a keynote interview about her career.
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Eurosonic Noorderslag will return with its 38th edition next year, from 17 to 20 January 2024.
