GLEN (Great Little European Network) connects the smallest countries of Europe through common networking and training programmes with the objective of contributing to designing more meaningful practices and more sustainable performing arts sectors in the concerned countries, interconnecting them and taking a prominent place on the international scene. The network aims to be an incubator for those who, while benefiting from a local anchorage, ambition to develop their practice internationally.
GLEN is no small idea, but one which aims to find new connection points between some of the smallest countries in Europe. From September 2023 to June 2024 GLEN will implement three areas of activities, networking activities, critical friendships (mentorships) and open webinars that address the specificities of producing and distributing in small countries and advising on how to develop internationally from there.
GLEN was established in 2023 as an initiative of 8 organisations working to support the structuration and internationalisation of their national performing arts field. The Founders of the network are:
- Kanuti Gildi SAAL (Estonia)
- New theatre Institute of Latvia / The International festival of Contemporary theatre, Homo Novus (Latvia)
- Sirenos Festival Lithuania/ Lithuanian Theatre Information Centre
- Performing Arts Centre Iceland
- Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg
- Gledalisce Glej (Slovenia)
- Teatri ODA (Kosovo)
- Spazju Kreattiv (Malta)
The participants in the Critical friendships (mentorship program) were selected in 2023. The critical friendship will include 8 months of mentoring from one of the partner countries (not their own) and travel to the two networking activities.
The participants are:
- Katja Markić (Slovenia)
- Snæfriður Sól Gunnarsdóttir (Iceland)
- Zofia Stelmaszczyk (Malta)
- Reinis Boters (Latvia)
- Fábio Godinho (Luxembourg)
- Siim Tõniste (Estonia)
- Greta Stiormer (Lithuania)
- Sovran Nrecaj (Kosovo)
The first webinar will be held at 12p.m. Iceland, 1p.m. UK, 2p.m. CET, 3p.m. EET on Friday 13th October. The webinar, entitled “How to take over the world (or at least develop an international strategic plan)”, will be hosted by Victor Mayot (Luxembourg) and Bek Berger (Latvia) and will tackle the basics of creating an International Development Plan. Join us to get guidance through the mist of international development and bust myths about working over borders. Sign up here before Thursday 12th October.
There will be a series of six webinars tackling different aspects of international production and mobility hosted by the GLEN partners. Information on these events can be found on their websites and through social media.
The Project partners led by Kanuti Gildi SAAL have received network funding from the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture to establish GLEN – Great Little European Network.
From November 3 to 5, Luxembourgish acts, KLEIN, Francis of Delirium, and Tuys, descended into the beautiful town of Reykjavik for the first Iceland Airwaves festival since the pandemic. Kultur | lx has been planning their first iteration of “|lx finest – Sounds from Luxembourg” at Airwaves since the festival’s bookers saw KLEIN perform at Eurosonic back in January 2020, so it was a particularly special moment to see fans (new and old), along with a local and international industry (made up of bookers, managers, labels, and media), fill the venues of the three showcasing acts.
Each group had the opportunity to play a first slot on days 1 and 2 before the “|lx finest” showcase event, which took place on the third day at IÐNÓ (with a capacity of 350 people). The showcase was preceded with a networking reception for professionals attending the conference and included a small Luxembourgish delegation, made up of artists and festival bookers, as well.
One important feature of the festival’s conference is the wide range of international media present. The reaction on the shows, particularly for Francis of Delirium (who already have had a banner year), was among the strongest of any Luxembourgish presence at a showcase festival to date. Some of the top music blogs in the world covered the bands’ shows, with Stereogum proclaiming “Francis Of Delirium proved to be one of the most impressive revelations of the whole weekend…These were visceral, invigorating performances, some of the best of Airwaves 2022” while Loudersound said “when TikTok discovers Bahrich’s perfectly-pitched adolescent angst anthems, she’ll be flying.”
As one of the world’s most extraordinary new music showcases, Iceland Airwaves ended up having one of the strongest and most diverse bills in the festival’s 20 plus year history, including Arlo Parks, Amyl & The Sniffers, and Metronomy. With Iceland’s natural wonders often claiming the title “the greatest show on Earth”, Iceland Airwaves was one-of-a-kind offering and Kultur | lx was very proud to be part of it.
WHAT THE MEDIA ARE SAYING :
STEREOGUM
Iceland Airwaves Made Its Real Deal Return For 2022
“Francis Of Delirium proved to be one of the most impressive revelations of the whole weekend. First with a set at Gamla Bíó early in the evening on Friday, then again at Iðnó on Saturday, the Luxembourg group brought a heavier, grungier interpretation of their early material to Iceland. These were visceral, invigorating performances, some of the best of Airwaves 2022 — and a promising glimpse of whatever Francis might pursue on their debut album.
LOUDERSOUND
“The real joy of Airwaves, however, is stumbling upon artists you’ve never previously heard of … such as Francis of Delirium from Luxembourg, fronted by vocalist/guitarist Jana Bahrich.”
“Performing at Gamla Bió the following evening, Francis of Delirium impress too. Louder elected to check out the trio after hearing 2021 single Quit Fucking Around on the festival’s smartly-curated Spotify playlist, and it’s a highlight, alongside 2020 single Circles, in a charmingly ragged set which calls to mind ’90s indie rockers Pavement, Belly and Arlington, Virginia’s Tsunami. When TikTok discovers Bahrich’s perfectly-pitched adolescent angst anthems, she’ll be flying.”
“Bright young guitar-pop out of Luxembourg. One of the two best singalongs of the festival.”
PASTE
15 Bands to See at Iceland Airwaves 2022 (Francis of Delirium)
“Paste hailed Francis of Delirium the indie-rock project of Luxembourg-based musician Jana Bahrich, as the Best of What’s Next in 2021. Bahrich’s sound splits the difference between Smashing Pumpkins and Caroline Polachek, as she told us at the time, ‘merg[ing] this grunge, ‘90s, guitar-driven stuff with more pop melodies.’”
After being postponed now for 2-years due to COVID, KLEIN, Francis of Delirium, and Tuys have been reconfirmed for this year’s Iceland Airwaves Festival, taking place November 3 – 5. This is the very first time that Kultur | lx will be heading to Iceland to put on our dedicated showcase series, “|lx finest — Sounds from Luxembourg,” set for Saturday, November 5 at IÐNÓ from 20h00.
Attending Iceland Airwaves this year? Stop by early for our networking event at 6:30pm with beer, wine and softs! RSVP HERE.
Saturday, November 5th at IÐNÓ
Vonarstræti 3, 101 Reykjavík
6:30 pm – Networking Reception
7:30 pm – Doors open to the public
8:00 pm – TUYS
9:00 pm – Francis of Delirium
10:00 pm – KLEIN
Second slots confirmed for the artists:
KLEIN
Thursday 3rd November,
Gaukurinn @ 21:40
Francis of Delirium
Friday 4th November,
Gamla Bíó @ 19:20
TUYS
Friday 4th November
Iceland Airwaves Center Stage @ 22:00
As one of the world’s most extraordinary new music showcases, the annual festival is set to be one of the strongest and most diverse bills in the festival’s 20 plus year history, including Arlo Parks, Amyl & The Sniffers, and Metronomy. With Iceland’s natural wonders often claiming the title “the greatest show on Earth”, Iceland Airwaves is similar in its one-of-a-kind offering. The festival’s musical diversity is as spellbinding as its host city Reykjavík and the incredible nature surrounding it.
About the artists
TUYS
Between energetic live shows and cinematic videos, psych-pop TUYS craft an exuberant mix of artistic sophistication and pop hooks. Their music is accompanied by visual storytelling that explores metafiction and aesthetic satire. The now berlin-based band have toured throughout Europe, playing festivals including MS Dockville, FOCUS Wales, Reeperbahn Festival,, and The Great Escape and have supported The 1975, Everything Everything, The Kooks, and Thirty Seconds To Mars. TUYS are set to tour in the Fall 2022 and spent the summer at Ghost City Recording Studios to record their upcoming album.
“TUYS are quietly making waves across Europe.” – CLASH
Francis of Delirium
With three EPs, Jana Bahrich’s Francis of Delirium have quickly caught attention, finding champions in the likes of Pitchfork, Stereogum, The FADER, Paste, DIY, The Line of Best Fit, Clash, 6Music, Radio 1, KEXP, NPR and more. She was recently shortlisted for 2022’s highly prestigious ESNS Music Moves Europe Award and continues on a cross EU/UK support tour with global indie-rock sensation, Soccer Mommy. Hailed as a Gen Zer excitingly redrawing 90s classic indie rock, a deep admiration for contemporary acts such as Car Seat Headrest and Mitski is also abundantly clear.
“Feels like the blueprint for something grand.” – Pitchfork, 7.4 EP Review
KLEIN
In his project, Jerome Klein works on an array of contrasts in a minimalist setting, slipping into a misty mood of melancholy and dark tones. In this almost pure setting, his music surprises with loud splinters of light, explosion of energy and even frenetic ecstasy when the musicians let their passion take over. After releasing their first EP beginning of 2019 and touring for almost 2 years, playing shows at Tallinn Music Week (EE), Cairo Jazz Festival (EG), Daegu Jazz Fest (KR), MENT Ljubjana (SI), and Magnetic Fields Festival (IN), among many others, 2022 marks a first break for KLEIN into a creative process where they will tour off their latest album, Sonder, out now on Cristal Records.
“An awe-inspiring immersive experience, whose brilliance of execution never diminishes the intense emotional capabilities.” (“Une impressionnante expérience immersive, dont la brillance de l’exécution n’affecte jamais les intenses capacités d’émotion.”) – Paris Move
A number of showcase festivals are still open to apply for 2022, however we’ve picked out just a few priorities below. Please stay tuned in our call for application section as more festivals open up calls and don’t forget to let us know once you have submitted an application.
The Great Escape, Brighton (UK) : May 11 – 14, 2022
The Great Escape welcomes artists from every genre across the globe to apply for a chance to play at the world’s most renowned festival for breaking new talent. You will be performing with the beautiful seaside backdrop of Brighton, where 450+ acts will be filling over 35 venues, this a great opportunity to meet key music industry figures from the UK and abroad who come to TGE looking for the next big thing.
Previous artists who have performed at The Great Escape include Adele, Stormzy, Ed Sheeran, HAIM, AJ Tracey, Vampire Weekend, Mura Masa, Skepta, Slaves, Charli XCX, Wolf Alice, Little Simz, Aitch, Foals, Loyle Carner, Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, Bon Iver, Lewis Capaldi and many more!
Deadline : February 13, 2022
Apply here : https://greatescapefestival.com/apply-to-play/
Iceland Airwaves, Reykjavík (IS) : November 2 – 5, 2022
Situated halfway between North America and Europe, Iceland Airwaves brings together the country’s brightest emerging musical talent and forward-thinking international acts each November for four days and nights. For two decades Airwaves has shone a spotlight on new talent, with early appearances from the likes of Mac DeMarco, James Blake, Sufjan Stevens, Young Fathers, Sigrid, Florence and The Machine, and many more.
Iceland Airwaves aims for acts who they feel will have a good chance of successful outcomes from their performance (good attendance to their show, good media and industry interest). They do receive some applications from new talent that while very good, are not always relevant to the audience and market. In those cases, it’s less easy to justify putting those artists on the line-up. Please be mindful of this before applying to the festival (or any music festival for that matter) and reach out to your respective project manager should there be any doubts.
Deadline : June 30, 2022
Apply here : https://icelandairwaves.is/apply/
Reeperbahn Festival, Hamburg (DE) : September 21 – 24, 2022
For four days every September, the international music community meets in St. Pauli district. The eponymous festival takes place on and all around the Reeperbahn strip. As colourful and diverse as the area is the choice of locations and international performing artists: concerts will be hosted in places as different as Molotow music club and the St. Pauli church.
With more than 360 different concerts, readings, art happenings and movie screenings, the festival is packed with highlights for every music lover. From heavy metal and punk to indie, hip-hop, jazz and soul: visitors and artists alike will have plenty of opportunity to broaden their musical minds beyond genre boundaries.
Deadline : July 23, 2022
Apply here : https://www.reeperbahnfestival.com/en/info/band-application
Due to new and ongoing Covid-19 measures imposed by the Icelandic Government, Iceland Airwaves has been postponed to 2022. The new dates for the festival will be Wednesday, November 2nd through to Saturday, November 5th, 2022.
Iceland Airwaves, the world’s hottest new music showcase, has been unfortunately postponed another year. The annual November festival’s 2021 line-up was due to be one of the strongest and most diverse bills in the festival’s 20 plus year history, making 90 acts from all around the world. Three of our acts, Francis of Delirium, Tuys, and KLEIN were due to perform at this year’s edition.
With Iceland’s natural wonders often claiming the title “the greatest show on Earth”, Iceland Airwaves is similar in its one-of-a-kind offering. The festival’s musical diversity is as spellbinding as its host city Reykjavík and the incredible nature surrounding it.
Prior to 2020’s successful live stream broadcast ‘Live From Reykjavík’, Iceland Airwaves’ 2019 edition earned a nomination for Best Small Festival at the NME Awards, for its revitalised mission and flawless execution. With the festival’s forward thinking, collaborative approach and positive global influence, Iceland Airwaves’ reputation for hosting the ultimate annual music gathering stands stronger than ever in 2022.
Praise for Iceland Airwaves 2019 :
“Iceland Airwaves might well be the coolest festival of the year…It’s always thinking several steps ahead. Instead of chucking together a line-up that will simply sell tickets, Airwaves curated a devastatingly cutting-edge and expertly curated lineup.” – NME
“I discovered so many amazing bands at Iceland Airwaves … if you’re looking for a sneak peek into what’s going to be hot next year Airwaves is the place to look … my favourite festival of last year” – BBC Radio 6 Music (Siobhan McAndrew)
“The showcase festival has long since outgrown its initial remit and become a cultural staple … it’s been one hell of a ride” – The Line of Best Fit
“Iceland Airwaves is truly a curated festival, rather than adhering to a niche it’s the type of event that will allow you to see someone like Georgia completely smash it on a huge stage, only to find you moments in a Church next to a frozen lake. Most festivals say they have something for everyone but really, how many come good on that promise?” – London In Stereo