Los Bitchos
Personal Trainer, Los Bitchos, Irnini Mons, KOIKOI
MENT 2024: A Preview,
February 11, 2024
Web Exclusive
of Ljubljana MENT The festival is consistently one of the most fertile grounds on Earth for discovering great new music outside of the Anglo-centric music world of the UK and US. And the artists from our shores who perform tend to be the coolest, the most cutting edge.
It's not just the four days of music (February 21 to 24) including the new edition of CE/MENT A new section focusing on electronic music and the club scene, the festival conference will once again bring together top speakers and panelists to tackle the biggest issues facing musicians and the industry right now.
The festival always claims to be on a mission to showcase the new faces and rising stars shaping the future of European music, and since the first time they attended it's been a mission they've accomplished year after year. If you want to see the most exciting new talent, MENT is the place!
This year there are specially curated stages with Slovenia's national radio station VAL 202, and a stage entirely curated by the ever-amazing local indie label Moonlee Records, who are sure to present some of the standouts (they always do)!
Then there are the locations, finding a forward-thinking cultural present within a stunning past and steeped in history (the beautiful Old Town locations in the center of the Soviet-era squares) and with a series of performances in the unique city of Metelkova, a strange autonomous city of social and cultural vibrancy with squat punk vibes, a sense of independence and risk and stories to tell!
MENT really has its own atmosphere and we look forward to returning to Slovenia once again on a journey of discovery. Obviously, we can't say who will be good on the night, but these are some of the acts that UTR is excited to see in Ljubljana.
![Irnini Mons](https://undertheradarmag.com/uploads/article_images/Irnini_Mons_2.jpg)
![Irnini Mons](https://undertheradarmag.com/uploads/article_images/Irnini_Mons_2.jpg)
Los Bitchos
Gotta love bands that approach things from a different angle! And London-based Los Bitchos certainly do that as a pan-continental, largely instrumental foursome. There is a surf rock foundation, but with rhythmic cues drawn from Peruvian chica, Argentinian cumbia, waves of Turkish soul and an incredible funk. This is a truly global music party.
We've seen Amsterdam's awkward indie-rock lot Personal Trainer a few times and it's always fun, smiley and close to the edge, with a sort of 'it might all fall apart, but it'll be a fun breakdown' vibe. They're playful, slightly hyper and a real love letter to indie. They have a sidewalk thing in there, which is always good.
An original-goth charged art pop project that is a collision of Siouxsie Sioux, Sacred Bones records and Bjork's darker edges, with powerful storytelling and kinetic electronica! Yes, we are on it…
“Jazzy”, can mean a buttoned-down idea of what jazz is, or it can mean a laid-back approach to musical rules where ideas are loose but with the ability to make something happen. The leatherette from Bologna seems to fit the second ideal. Punky edges and jazz time signatures, without wave elements. There's shoegaze in there too. That sounds great.
HOUSEHOLDS
KOIKOI is one of the best bands in Europe and we're not kidding! They cross genres like it's the easiest thing in the world and bring an almost unbeatable rock party! One of the reasons why Moonlee's records should be celebrated everywhere.
Dark, warped French 'post-punk' with rising waves of noise rock and no wave of confrontation. There's solo singing, big vocal harmonies and they find a groove in the noise.
Zagreb legends Analena formed in 1997 and are the reason Moonlee records exist! Undeniably DIY they have built a strong fan base from their mix of post punk, power pop and hardcore. Largely unknown in the UK, this is a rare Moonlee 20th anniversary show and one not to be missed.
Nikki Louder
This bunch of Slovenian noise-rock champions have played over 250 shows across Europe and the UK. They take post-hardcore and math rock to their strongest spheres – big thundering, distorted anthems for the underclasses.
Czech post punk Drenched in psychedelic undertones and rhythmic cues from math rock and krautrock, Fotbal make incredible music that packs a punch. There are some deep underlying synth sounds and hidden complexities and should make for an exciting live show.
A collision of West African and post punk is as awesome as it sounds, it's familiar yet new territory at the same time. You dance to what's familiar, but it makes you move strangely because of the culturally removed rhythms. Their eclectic influences echo disparate yet strangely compatible strands, from griot traditions, Fugazi and Can to 70s Zappa, Black Midi and the Nyege Nyege Tapes roster. We've been waiting to see this for a long time…
from our partners at http://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/ment_2024_a_preview