When I first set to work on finding some good Hungarian bands, Gogol Bordello immediately sprang to mind, which then resulted in me having to reassert my preconceptions on learning they’re in fact a mix of several countries, none of which are Hungary (as a Scot, I know all too well how it can feel for foreigners to assume you’re from another country).

In short, Hungary was hard. I have to say that I struggled to find anything that really impressed me, although I did come across a couple of bright sparks. As opposed to Brazil’s dominating electro-crossover scene, I found that Hungary has much more of a back to basics indie scene. Bands seem to fall under one category and don’t bear resemblance to any others. There’s a fairly extensive indie rock scene going on, as well as a healthy amount of trance and electro, and some folk rock as well. But while there is some diversity between bands, there seems to be a distinct lack of it actually in bands. Here are a few however that did attract my interest:

Norbert Kristof – www.myspace.com/norbertkristof – Experienced singer-songwriter who does simple acoustic music. Nothing groundbreaking but some very nice tunes with a good degree of empathy. Listen to ‘In Her Bed I Am Clean’.

Peterfy Bori & Love Band – www.myspace.com/peterfybori – More what I was expecting from Hungarian music. Funky, shameless pop for hippies. And strangely charming vocals to top it off. Listen to ‘Büvös Vadasz’.

We Plants Are Happy People – www.myspace.com/wplnts – Euphoric trance but not so trancey, if you get me. Highly danceable music but with a very patient attitude. You either like it or you don’t. Listen to ‘Sailing in a Dreamboat’.

Marionette ID – www.myspace.com/marionetteid – Strike a good balance between indie and post-rock. Some heavy-ish choruses but with a certain modesty which could appeal to the less hardcore fans (say ones who’d choose We Were Promised Jetpacks over Trivium). Listen to ‘Disgraceful’.

Other bands worth checking out:

Esti Kornel – www.myspace.com/estikornel
Kerekes Band – www.myspace.com/kerekesband
Tits & Clits – www.myspace.com/titsandclitsband (the fact that I still posted them despite their terrible name shows something about their music, but then again so does their terrible name)

Check out more Hungarian indie at www.mykunk.com.

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