Eurosonic: Basque. Music.

The Eurosonic Noorderslag festival, which takes place every January in the Dutch city of Groningen, will feature several European bands in local showcases and lectures. Through Basque. Music., the groups Merina Gris and Zetak will take part in this year’s ESNS line-up.

The San Sebastian band Merina Gris will be up first, playing on Wednesday, 18 January at 11pm at the Palace in Groningen. Zetak will perform on Friday, 20 January at the News Cafe at 9:25pm.

Each January, ESNS showcases 350 European artists to 40,000 visitors. The festival attracts over 4,000 music industry professionals. Founded in 1986, ESNS hosts an annual four-day showcase festival and music conference across venues in Groningen, the Netherlands. Featuring the most enthralling European (Eurosonic) and Dutch (Noorderslag) acts ranging from mainstream pop to more progressive discoveries.

Merina Gris was founded in 2020 by three young San Sebastian musicians. The group makes pop music, combining melody and catchy choruses with more aggressive sounds. In March 2021, the band released their first LP, ´Zerua orain´, co-produced by DJ Ed Is Dead. Merina Gris have played in the Basque Country and other places in Spain.

ZETAK creates universal electronic music without sacrificing melody or the brilliance of pop. The group from Navarre integrates modern rhythms and a touch of folklore through their Basque lyrics. In their second album, entitled ´Zeinen ederra izango den´, Zetak mixes synthetic sounds with tradition and popular electronic music.