News

23.01.2018
Acts

Newly confirmed: alt-J, Cro, Angus & Julia Stone…

The Gurtenfestival stands for musical variety. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the first comprehensive list of bands that was published today: in addition to Gorillaz and Prophets of Rage we welcome the English alternative band alt-J and the German rapper Cro as this year’s headliners to the mountain above Berne.

Recently, the English alternative band alt-J played at the Hallenstadion in Zurich. In July they will return to Switzerland for another headliner concert, presenting their most recent success album, “Relaxer” (Top 3 in the Swiss charts), live on the Gurten. The fourth headliner spot will be filled by Cro. With his latest oeuvre, “tru.”, the German rapper with the panda mask seamlessly continues the success of his previous albums. If anything, his mix of rap and pop has become even a bit more adventuresome. But his huge success in the charts and sold out shows have remained constant.

On the first day of the festival, we’re proud to welcome not only Gorillaz, but also The Cat Empire to the main stage. This Australian band rocked the Gurten four years ago and are returning this year with their wild mix of pop, jazz, rock, ska, latin, hip-hop, and funk. Pop is the chosen style of Alice Merton. With her success single “No Roots”, she landed one of the biggest hits of recent months. Hecht, who are currently setting the standard for hottest Swiss dialect indie-pop band, will be presenting their brand-new album in the Marquee. The 257ers from Germany will bring their witty, extremely humorous mix of hip-hop, pop, electro, rock, and German hit music to the mountain above Bern. In addition, we welcome Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, the youngest son of the legendary Bob Marley. His trademark is roots-reggae with a touch of dancehall.

With his single “Was du Liebe nennst” he firmly established himself in the German hip-hop scene. We’re talking of course about Bausa who combined massive beats with lots of synthie sounds and soulful harmonies on “Dreifarbenhaus”, his début. He will be performing at the Gurtenfestival on Thursday. Also on Thursday we look forward to House by surprise duo Sofi Tukker from New York and Hayden James from Australia. Cool disco-funk by Parcels and electro-pop from Belgium by Oscar and the Wolf will complete the day’s line-up. Thursday’s headliners are Prophets of Rage. This formation – consisting of members of Rage Against The Machine, Public Enemy, and Cypress Hill – will bring a powerful dose of musical history to Bern.

On Friday we’ll welcome headliners alt-J as well as Kraftklub. Gurten fans already know: high-energy live shows and an enthusiastic audience are guaranteed with this German band’s unique mix of rock, punk, indie, and rap. From Australia hail Opal Ocean. This instrumental duo fuses rock with flamenco and progressive pop arrangements. Friday will also be the day of powerful women: SXTN are a German hip-hop duo. The two rappers aren’t shy when it comes to using strong lyrics and they like to provoke with clichés and rumbustious plays on words. Aurora likes it a bit cooler. The young singer from Norway will be bringing dreamy indie-pop to Bern. With Angus & Julia Stone, another woman takes the spotlight. The brother-and-sister pair from Australia will be presenting their new folk masterpiece, “Snow”.

Cro won’t be the only hop-hop artist on Saturday: currently Bonez MC & Raf Camora are stirring up the charts with their mix of German gangsta-rap, pop, and dancehall. Kontra K and his rap album “Labyrinth” have also been charts favourites in recent months. In addition, we look forward to welcoming German pop-songs by Wincent Weiss, electro-pop from Denmark by Mø, folk songs from the Netherlands by Dotan, and exquisite soul by newcomer Rhys Lewis to the Gurten. In charge of this year’s grand finale will be Confidence Man from Australia, currently one of the world’s most exciting electro-pop bands.

These are the first 26 of more than 50 live acts for the Gurtenfestival 2018. Additional acts will be announced shortly. The dance tent line-ups will follow in the spring.