"Remember Ginger Television's groundbreaking Channel 4 show, TFI Friday, featuring the very talented Chris Evans?" No. I remember a git with glasses. Well, thank fuck you're in Budapest this Friday and don't have to listen to insufferable TV twits.
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Chalaban (Concert)Sit outside breathing in the Morrocan grooves of Chalaban. Their funky afro-beat fusion seems to take in anything from Fela Kuti to Sly and the Family Stone, before drifting off across the Sahara (or in this case, Városliget) into something altogether more traditional.
Maybe try...
EtnoGödör (Concert)
Gödör, 20:00, free
Slightly contemporary Hungarian Folk / World Music in the form of Fabula Rasa is followed by the more contemporary, sometimes a capella, always sugary sound of Egy Kiss Erzsi Zene.
Keszei Jana (Concert)
Pótkulcs 20:00, free
And they turn and they drink and they laugh and they lust, till the rancid sound of the accordian bursts: Keszei Jana plays out beneath the stars.
The Shining / Waking the Dead (Concert)
Filter [map], 19:30
Incomprehensible Dutch thrash punk. Very loud. The Shining here. Waking the Dead here. Je weet zelluf! Followed by 50% Depeche Mode Club. Seamless.
Don't give us none of your aggravation; We've had it with your discipline; Saturday night's alright for fighting; Get a little action in...
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Vive La France! (Street Party / Concerts)
Institut français, 11th July, 11:00 - minuit
Fõ utca 17 [map]
Buda, I, Halász utca (T19/41), 1 min
Institut français, 11th July, 11:00 - minuitFõ utca 17 [map]
Buda, I, Halász utca (T19/41), 1 min
Ahaaaa, c'est jolie, ah? Oui, oui, c'est jolie. Mais why are we celebrating our Frenchness in a country zat cannot forgive us for Trianon, uh? Je ne sais pas but it's a good party, wiz all ze lovely French food from all les regions de la France!
Oui, oui, et les feux d'artifice sont jolis, uh? Quoi? I said the fireworks are pretty. Oh, yes, oui, vraiment jolis. Trés trés jolis.
Will zere be any musique at zis party? Yes, yes, we 'ave ze Valiumvalse who are ze best Ska-pop band in ze whole of la France. Really? Oui. Zey will play wit ze fireworks. It will be super super cool! Ze whole programme is 'ere (but only in French, ah.)
Also worth knowing about...
Gregor Samsa (Concert)
Pótkulcs [map], 21:00, free
I wish bands would check to see if there are any other bands who already have that name. This particular Gregor Samsa is some funk-rock Hungarians from Prague. Also in town from Czechia, are Nedelni Lidé, who ply heavy punky blues-rock.
The Moog (Concert)
Zöld Pardon [map], 20:00
If you want to know what rock music the kids in Hungary are listening to, check out the Moog. It's a bit derivative (à la The Strokes) but if it's a nice evening, it might be enough.
Jafa Mafia (Concert)
Dürer Kert, free
I don't like Reggae. I love it. " 'Proper' bashment reggae and mad dancehall. " Is it just me or is there something weird about white guys from Hungary and New Zealand rappin' in Jamaican accents? Little documentary here.
Hey, Sunday Sun, let's go walkin' and we'll talk about some things, kick my shoes off and we'll dream about some dreams, got to get away when the world gets on me, we'll go down to the...
_________________________________________Syntax Orchestra (Concert)
Kertem, 12th July, 20:00
Városliget [map]
Pest, XIV, Hősök tere, (M1) 5 min
"Move the moving movie with moveable movements" say Syntax. Hooray, we like silly people!
It's jazz, no one's going to dispute that, with cinematic sensibilities and forays into Hungarian folk.
Suck it and see here.
It's jazz, no one's going to dispute that, with cinematic sensibilities and forays into Hungarian folk.
Suck it and see here.
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Also recommended...
Summer On The Chain Bridge (Festival)
Lánchíd [map], from 11:00, free
It's World Music day over the Danube. There's some brass early on but the music kicks off properly at 16:00. It's quite a small world, revolving as it does around Central Europe, but there's plenty on offer including winners of the 2009 Budapest Fringe+ Festival and familiar names such as Zuboly (are they on every week?) and Kerekes band. Full programme here.
Zivatar Utca / Sunday Session (Concert / DJs)
Gödör, [map], 19:00, free
Austrian folk-punks Zivatar Utca play their flutes like they're Jethro Tull before the regular Sunday DJs take over: Cadik, Suhaid and guest DJ Crimson.
Bruno (Film)
Művész [map], 15:45, 18:45, 20:30, 22:15
The formula: choose nationality; act like an arse; fool stupid people into thinking you're real. Some will think it's clever (teenagers); some will think it's social comment (critics); some will enjoy the crude gags (the public). Some will think it's total shite. Trailer here. Reviews here.
Flea Market (Flea Market)
Bolhapiac, City Park, morning only, 120Ft.
Old nudie magazines, used underwear, written-on postcards, stolen mobile phones... hey, maybe you can even pick up some pre-war cigarette butts! Be sure to get there early to get dibs on the best crap! Hub article here.
_________________________________________Lánchíd [map], from 11:00, free
It's World Music day over the Danube. There's some brass early on but the music kicks off properly at 16:00. It's quite a small world, revolving as it does around Central Europe, but there's plenty on offer including winners of the 2009 Budapest Fringe+ Festival and familiar names such as Zuboly (are they on every week?) and Kerekes band. Full programme here.
Zivatar Utca / Sunday Session (Concert / DJs)
Gödör, [map], 19:00, free
Austrian folk-punks Zivatar Utca play their flutes like they're Jethro Tull before the regular Sunday DJs take over: Cadik, Suhaid and guest DJ Crimson.
Bruno (Film)
Művész [map], 15:45, 18:45, 20:30, 22:15
The formula: choose nationality; act like an arse; fool stupid people into thinking you're real. Some will think it's clever (teenagers); some will think it's social comment (critics); some will enjoy the crude gags (the public). Some will think it's total shite. Trailer here. Reviews here.
Flea Market (Flea Market)
Bolhapiac, City Park, morning only, 120Ft.
Old nudie magazines, used underwear, written-on postcards, stolen mobile phones... hey, maybe you can even pick up some pre-war cigarette butts! Be sure to get there early to get dibs on the best crap! Hub article here.
Celebrate the 24th anniversary of Live Aid! It's hard to imagine that only 24 years ago large swathes of the world were living in poverty without enough food to eat. Thankfully, celebrity was the answer to everything and we can all live in everlasting happiness.
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Three MCs and one DJ: Belga will give your summer a Daisy Age feel. They also mess about quite a bit. Check out their rather enjoyable website here. Although there's no price on the ZP website, it's one of the cheapest venues in town, so 300Ft is a realistic bet.
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Belga (Concert)
Zöld Pardon, 13th July, from 20:00
Goldmann György tér 6 [map]
Buda, XI, Petőfi híd (Budai hídfő) (T4/6), 2 min
Zöld Pardon, 13th July, from 20:00
Goldmann György tér 6 [map]
Buda, XI, Petőfi híd (Budai hídfő) (T4/6), 2 min
Three MCs and one DJ: Belga will give your summer a Daisy Age feel. They also mess about quite a bit. Check out their rather enjoyable website here. Although there's no price on the ZP website, it's one of the cheapest venues in town, so 300Ft is a realistic bet.
Take a chance on...
New Sounds (Festival)
Gödör [map], 21.00, free
Peter Ogi has been here before, working his way through a Leonard Cohen repertoire. Hannah Pearl, on the other hand describes her music as "sweet melodic groove and tongue in juicy cheek, or cheeky juice", but could be more precisely defined as acoustic grime. Give a twelve year old a pen and you'd get comparable lyrics.
Amal (Film)
Művész [map], 16:00
An autorickshaw driver inherits a fortune. "Sometimes the poorest of men are the richest." Sounds like moralistic crap but plenty of positive reviews here.
Green Bikes (DJs)
A38 20:00, 500Ft inc. drink
Aren't all bikes green? No. Motorbikes sure as hell aren't. Find people of an environmentalist bent on the deck tonight. More info on the Green Bikes project here.
The big question that's been taxing us all: what the Hell is there to do on a Tuesday? Well, scanning through today's events... nothing. Stay at home. Hammer large pieces of crooked wood against the doors. Or head out to...
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The Small World of Sammy Lee (Film)
Or, in Hungarian, the racier: Sztriptízbár a Sohóban.
In the sixties, Britain still had a film industry. "SOHO... where love comes cheap... money comes hard... and life is a girl with a suitcase a thousand miles from home."
One for the cinematographers or anyone looking for a slice of the sixties underworld.
Contemporary NY Times review here. IMDB here.
In the sixties, Britain still had a film industry. "SOHO... where love comes cheap... money comes hard... and life is a girl with a suitcase a thousand miles from home."
One for the cinematographers or anyone looking for a slice of the sixties underworld.
Contemporary NY Times review here. IMDB here.
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Or how about...?
Rekontra (Concert)
Pótkulcs 21:00, free
Breathing more life into traditional Hungarian folk music than you might think possible on a Tuesday night. The cimbalom is king! Listen here.
Irie Maffia Soundsystem (Club)
Corvinteto
Well, Barabás Lorinc and Dagadu Sena have little to do with tonight's proceedings but Columbo, Juno and Dermot are in the house, plying their DJ trade. Myspace here. If you don't fancy it, the roof's open now, so you can sit in the glorified carpark above the city until the sun comes up.
Jamie Winchester (Concert)
Gödör, 21:00, free
Hey there churchies, here's your chance to head out to "the ditch" in all its Glory and check out a heartwarming, God-fearing soft rock singer-songwriter. What if God was one of us? They tried that and they crucified the guy. Poor bugger. Yeah!
Pótkulcs 21:00, free
Breathing more life into traditional Hungarian folk music than you might think possible on a Tuesday night. The cimbalom is king! Listen here.
Irie Maffia Soundsystem (Club)
Corvinteto
Well, Barabás Lorinc and Dagadu Sena have little to do with tonight's proceedings but Columbo, Juno and Dermot are in the house, plying their DJ trade. Myspace here. If you don't fancy it, the roof's open now, so you can sit in the glorified carpark above the city until the sun comes up.
Jamie Winchester (Concert)
Gödör, 21:00, free
Hey there churchies, here's your chance to head out to "the ditch" in all its Glory and check out a heartwarming, God-fearing soft rock singer-songwriter. What if God was one of us? They tried that and they crucified the guy. Poor bugger. Yeah!
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What is happening to my skin? Where is the protection that I needed? Air can hurt you too. Some people say not to worry about the air. Some people don't know shit about the air...
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David Byrne (Concert)
Millenáris, 15th July, 20:00
8900Ft adv. / 10900Ft on the day
Kirókus u. 16- 20. [map]
Buda II, Széna tér (T4/6), 5 min
Millenáris in proper rock star shock!
David Byrne has been touring "Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno" for the best part of a year and he's had the uncommon decency to include central Europe!
The Eno bits are, of course, the best bits, which include the early Talking Heads stuff and the fucking brilliant "My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts." He's been playing Air, Heaven and I Zimbra from Fear of Music, all of which are indescribably brilliant. You'll also get Once In A Lifetime for your money plus a selection from Eno and Byrne's new album, "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today" which has decent reviews.
I haven't been this excited about a gig in Budapest since Nick Cave played last year!
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David Byrne (Concert)
Millenáris, 15th July, 20:00
8900Ft adv. / 10900Ft on the day
Kirókus u. 16- 20. [map]
Buda II, Széna tér (T4/6), 5 min
Millenáris in proper rock star shock!
David Byrne has been touring "Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno" for the best part of a year and he's had the uncommon decency to include central Europe!
The Eno bits are, of course, the best bits, which include the early Talking Heads stuff and the fucking brilliant "My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts." He's been playing Air, Heaven and I Zimbra from Fear of Music, all of which are indescribably brilliant. You'll also get Once In A Lifetime for your money plus a selection from Eno and Byrne's new album, "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today" which has decent reviews.
I haven't been this excited about a gig in Budapest since Nick Cave played last year!
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Also worth a gander...
Be Kind Rewind (Film)
Művész [map], 17:45
The Michael Gondry directed story of two video store employees who accidentally erase their entire collection, then film home movies to replace them. The Guardian called it 'funny and entertaining', but the Observer's Phillip French was less than impressed. 'A sentimental whimsical embarrassment', he moaned. Reviews here.
JazzGödör (Concert)
Gödör [map], 20.00, free
Váczi Eszter's Quartet are mellifluous jazz. Check them in action here. Support from M3 - not the metro line - three people whose surname is Márton, presumably plying jazz.
Péterfy Bori (Concert)
Zöld Pardon [map], 20:00
Péterfy Bori strikes again and this time under her own name. Well-known as an actress at the Krétakör Theatre and indeed, in the films of a certain Szőke András, Bori's become something of a darling of the arts world. Poppy but happily off the wall at times. The Blondie of the East, perhaps.
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Robert Capa
Ludwig Museum, until 11th October, 1800Ft.
Komor Marcell u. 1 [map]
Pest, IX, Boraros tér (T 4,6), 8 min
Komor Marcell u. 1 [map]
Pest, IX, Boraros tér (T 4,6), 8 min
Budapest-born war photographer, Robert Capa, was one of the closest witnesses to the great wars of the 20th century.
"If your photographs aren't good enough, you're not close enough."
Robert Capa was definitely close enough: he stepped on a mine in Indo-China, camera in hand. The photos didn't come out very well.
Details here.
"If your photographs aren't good enough, you're not close enough."
Robert Capa was definitely close enough: he stepped on a mine in Indo-China, camera in hand. The photos didn't come out very well.
Details here.
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B. B. King (Concert)
Papp László Sportaréna
16th July 2009, 20:00, 7,500 - 29,900Ft
Stefánia út 2 [map]
Pest, XIV, Stadionok (M2)
Riley B King was born in 1925! He's 83 and he's still got the blues! Clearly, there are few bluesmen who could claim to be original left but BB was singing the blues even before he started working the plantations for a dollar a day. Not many people can say that.
Website here. Tickets here.
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Nine Inch Nails (Concert)
Syma Csarnok
24th July 2009, 19:00, 8,900 - 9,900Ft
Dózsa György út 1 [map]
Pest, XIV, Stadionok (M2)
In 1994, Rolling Stone labelled NIN "accessible hard-rock moves overlaid with a scrim of electronic racket, white noise, screams... a new frontier in rock & roll: music that pins playback levels far into the red."
Last year's new album, The Slip, was pretty well received and what's more is completely free. Reviews here and album download at their website here. With such generosity, you might even consider going to see them. Tickets here.
_________________________________________Last year's new album, The Slip, was pretty well received and what's more is completely free. Reviews here and album download at their website here. With such generosity, you might even consider going to see them. Tickets here.
Leonard Cohen (Concert)
Papp László Sportaréna
31st August 2009, 19:30, 9,900 - 50,000Ft
Stefánia út 2 [map]
Pest, XIV, Stadionok (M2)
Yes, this time, Leonard Cohen really is coming to Budapest. Despite the media's ridiculous insistance on using the word 'bedsit' as an adjective for his music, he remains one of the few gifted lyricists to grace popular music.
After spending several years in a Tibetan monastery, and having his money stolen by a dodgy accountant, Cohen, now in his seventies, is back on the road, while every green cartoon monster and pop idol wannabe clamours to cover that song.
Miss this and you miss a legend. Website here. Tickets here.
_________________________________________After spending several years in a Tibetan monastery, and having his money stolen by a dodgy accountant, Cohen, now in his seventies, is back on the road, while every green cartoon monster and pop idol wannabe clamours to cover that song.
Miss this and you miss a legend. Website here. Tickets here.
Depeche Mode (Concert)
Papp László Sportaréna11th January 2010, 12,500-18,500 forint (tickets here)
Hungary's own personal Jesus comes home. Again!
Someone decided to call this the "Tour of the Universe", which hopefully isn't indicative of the band's imagination. Why do Hungarian's love Depeche Mode so much? Check out this footage from their 1993 visit to fathom why.
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Balaton Sound 2009
9th - 12th July 2009, Zamárdi, Balaton
It's 36 degrees and you're on a tram in Budapest, wishing that you could blink without sweating. If that's you, you'll get no sympathy from me because you should be at Lake Balaton, immersed in music, not caring if you're sweating or not.This year's selection of electronically-minded acts is pretty varied, with enough big names to call it a proper festival. Kraftwerk! Who even knew they were touring? Moby's good for some hits, while Royksopp, Sven Vath and David Guetta corner the bleeps, no matter how you take them.
Tickets here now, cheaper up to June 12th.
Sziget Festival 2009
12th -17th August 2009, Óbudai Sziget, Budapest
Phew, that's a relief, it was looking a bit weak when it was just the Prodigy, Placebo and Fatboy. Luckily some proper bands have now signed up, namely Primal Scream, Editors, Faith No More and Manic Street Preachers.
If you want something a bit more 'now', Bloc Party, The Klaxons and the party-pop Ting Tings might keep you happy, especially if you're a little scamp. "Dad, can I go to the Sziget Festival? Shut up and let me go!" Cockney chav-pop princess Lily Allen has also been given a passport (not sure that's a good idea.)
And... if you squint really closely, Tricky's on the bill! There's something really wrong with the pecking order here.
Latest on the line-up here.
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Budapest, Boedapest, Būdābist, Búdaipeist, Budapesht, Բուդապեշտ, בודפשט, Budapeşt, Budapešt, Будапешт, Budapešť, Budapešta, Budapesta, Budapeštas, Budapeste, Budapeşte, Budapeszt, Budimpešta, Voudapésti, Βουδαπέστη, Ofenpest, Boedapes, Bwdapest, Peshta, Etzelburg, Ezzelburgo, Buda-Pesth...
...wherever you're from, welcome to thehub.hu, a truly independent guide to events, bars, cafés, restaurants, music, arts, cinema, theatre, things to do and things to see in Budapest.
Enjoy the city and check out this week's events here...
............................
...wherever you're from, welcome to thehub.hu, a truly independent guide to events, bars, cafés, restaurants, music, arts, cinema, theatre, things to do and things to see in Budapest.
Enjoy the city and check out this week's events here...
............................
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