Elton John’s favourite performer, the Toronto singer known for her dark, intimate ballads, who also conquered the cultic Berghain of Berlin, and the British The Times’ 2021 favourite are some of the headliners at Isolation Budapest, a brand new mini-festival of music jointly organised by the Liszt Fest and the Akvárium Klub. Black Country, New Road, Westerman, Michelle Gurevich, Efterklang and Night Beats will also be there: tickets for the exceptional festival, held on 15 October, go on sale on Friday 24 June!

The Liszt Fest is known for unforgettable experiences, unique fusions and fresh initiatives, where many genres, including world music and the visual arts, get their own ”festival within a festival,” event series that take place in the context of the Liszt Fest, but have a unique and unmistakable character. New on this list is Isolation Budapest, making its debut at Akvárium Klub this autumn, aiming to provide audiences with a selection of the most exciting artists from the international music scene. The cloudy, autumnal weather will be perfect for the international underground line-up, which the subterranean Akvárium Klub will present on 15 October. 
In 2020 Elton John tweeted of Westerman: ”I’m very proud of my first album, which came out in 1969. But Westerman’s first album is much better than my first album! It’s one of my favourites at the moment, and of the year so far.” Along with Westerman’s solo show, one of the most anticipated acts of the day is Black Country, New Road, who The Times called the most exciting new band of 2021, and whose sound it compared to a klezmer band who got booked to play at a rave by mistake or as an anarchistic take on contemporary classical. The description is spot on, the effect is brilliant. Unsurprisingly, NME gave their debut album last year, as well as their second album in 2022, the highest possible score. The Main Hall’s performers include the Danish Efterklang, who ten years ago gave the concert of the year on the A38 Boat, and Michelle Gurevich, whose dark and intimate ballads have become hugely popular in Eastern Europe. Born in Toronto to Russian Jewish immigrants, the singer played a double sold-out show at Berlin’s Berghain in 2019 and is guaranteed to captivate Hungarian audiences as well.
The Volt Bar will feature emerging artists on 15 October, including the Canadian Sister Ray, who works with Big Thief producer Adrienne Lenker, Charlotte Cornfield, who the Rolling Stone called Canada’s biggest promise, BOYO, who released an album with Current Joys, and Swedish indie-pop artist Jimi Somewhere, who co-wrote a song with Boy Pablo. But that’s not the end of the list, as the American Night Beats will also play their first Budapest show at Isolation Budapest, and THE GOA EXPRESS, who will perform at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, will also make their Hungarian debut here.

Of course, the full line-up still has some surprises in store: the Liszt Fest and Isolation Budapest will announce new names, including the Hungarian performers, at the end of the summer. Tickets for the event go on sale on 24 June, Friday, at 11 am.