Trying to find local/underground bands in Eastern Europe. Having a hell of a time...

[DavidJNichols]

I'm going to Eastern Europe in June and July, and I would love to check out some local indie rock bands while I'm there. The only problem - I can't seem to find any.

I'm going to Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Croatia. I have only stumbled upon a few bands from these countries and they are horrible 90's grunge bands. I need help! Do you know of any good indie rock bands from these countries? Maybe a forum similar to this one based out of one of these countries? Even a small club that hosts local bands would help. That way I could check their calendar and Google the bands that are playing.

I am into 60s and 70s rock and roll (Beatles, Beach Boys, Paul Simon, Supertramp, Randy Newman, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, etc) and well as good modern stuff (Bright Eyes, Explosions in the Sky, Cursive, David Bazan, Sufjan Stevens, etc.).

I don't really care what type of music it is as long as it's good! Please help!

[Scarlett O'Hara]

I moved this thread into world music forums for you to get the best responses.

[DavidJNichols]

I'm starting to think there is no such thing as an indie-rock band from Eastern Europe. I've been searching like crazy and have only found a few techno groups and a Christian rock band to add to the list of bad bands from Eastern Europe.

Even a link to a Village Voice style paper in former Yugoslavia would help. Anything...

[Janszoon]

Are you only looking for indie rock or are you open to other things?

I'm pretty fond of Serbian bandleader Boris Kovač, he's certainly not indie-rock though:

[DavidJNichols]

Originally Posted by Janszoon

Are you only looking for indie rock or are you open to other things?

I'm pretty fond of Serbian bandleader Boris Kovač, he's certainly not indie-rock though:

That's good stuff. I am open to other things, but I would really like to see some local bands perform live when I go to the area. I haven't been able to find any bands and all the bars and clubs seem to host techno style music instead of live bands.

[Janszoon]

Originally Posted by DavidJNichols

That's good stuff. I am open to other things, but I would really like to see some local bands perform live when I go to the area. I haven't been able to find any bands and all the bars and clubs seem to host techno style music instead of live bands.

Keep an eye on this thread. We do have some members who live in that part of the world who may pop in with some suggestions for you.

[Paedantic Basterd]

Rateyourmusic.com can customize charts by location, and after that you'd just have to scroll and find the genres you're interested in. It may be a bit of work, but it might yield even better results than a thread on a forum.

[DavidJNichols]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

Rateyourmusic.com can customize charts by location, and after that you'd just have to scroll and find the genres you're interested in. It may be a bit of work, but it might yield even better results than a thread on a forum.

Awesome! Thanks a lot, I'll definitely try that.

Holy crap I found a band! They're from Romania and are pretty cool. They're called Persona and are touring the area I'm going to, but just before I'll be there. I'm on the right track, though!

[Paedantic Basterd]

Originally Posted by DavidJNichols

Awesome! Thanks a lot, I'll definitely try that.

You can also customize by genre, but I'd be afraid of missing out that way, personally.

EDIT: Ha! Brilliant work.

[dankrsta]

Originally Posted by DavidJNichols

I'm starting to think there is no such thing as an indie-rock band from Eastern Europe. I've been searching like crazy and have only found a few techno groups and a Christian rock band to add to the list of bad bands from Eastern Europe.

Even a link to a Village Voice style paper in former Yugoslavia would help. Anything...

I can help you with Serbian bands. There are many newer and older bands with indie shtick, so if you come to Belgrade, they usually play in SKC, KST, Dom omladine, Dom sindikata etc. Also, every year in July there's Exit festival in Novi Sad. You can catch there local bands from all over the region as well the big names from all over the world. There's also a very helpful online magazine POPBOKS, with articles, forum, concerts announcements etc. It's in Serbian, but I hope you can manage to navigate. I linked the page "Dogadjaji" which means "Events".

I'll suggest some bands that I find very good and worth seeing:

Klopka za pionira (Trap for a pioneer), generally considered a noise-rock band, but that's not everything they do. They're active and are quickly becoming a major force in the underground scene.
YouTube - klopka za pionira - shta me gledash
YouTube - pojedinac - klopka za pionira

Virvel This is more what you're looking for, indie band, like a post-rocking Yo La Tengo. Well, they give off that vibe to me.
YouTube - Virvel - Brzi Svemir
YouTube - Virvel - Hodamo

Darkwood Dub This is an older band, pretty established now. Indie, alternative sound with influences from dub, electro, drum 'n' bass etc.
YouTube - Darkwood Dub - Kolotecina
YouTube - Darkwood dub - Dorcolac

Neočekivana Sila Koja Se Iznenada Pojavljuje i Rešava Stvar or just Sila (which refers to deus ex machina) I hope they still perform. They were great, an eclectic mix of electro, dub, jazz fusion, drum 'n' bass etc.
YouTube - neocekivana sila koja se iznenada pojavljuje i resava stvar

Jarboli, an indie pop-rock band
YouTube - Jarboli - Dobro poznata stvar

Obojeni program, another veterans
YouTube - Kad se neko necem dobrom nada

Repetitor This is currently the indie band in Serbia with only one album
YouTube - Repetitor - Tesko Hodam

Autopark, shoegazy dream-pop
YouTube - Autopark - Obala

Belgrade Noise Society, if you like more experimental, improvisational, psychedelic sound. These guys are great...
YouTube - Belgrade Noise Society - Pt. 2 Menza pri koritu, Ljubljana, jan/09

Margita je mrtva, something different, a retro electro, synth, EBM band (pretty hilarious, explicit lyrics, but that doesn't mean much to you )
YouTube - Margita je mrtva - Ja sam tvoj

Honorable mentions: E-Play, Vrooom, ŽeneKese, Nežni Dalibor, Petrol, Irfan Muertes, Multietnička Atrakcija, Kanda Kodža i Nebojša etc.

Well, I hope this helps, at least partially.