Five Portuguese bands to catch at Super Bock Super Rock

09 July 2019, 09:00

(Branko) (Conan Osiris) (Capitão Fausto) (Sallim) (Profjam) (Super Bock Super Rock)

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Super Bock Super Rock - one of Portugal's most beloved festivals - makes a move back south of Lisbon this year to the remote Meco beach, located within the Serra da Arrabida national park near Sesimbra.

Alongside some mammoth headliners - Lana Del Rey, The 1975 and Migos - it's a chance to immerse yourself in the many scenes that make up Portugal's incredible musical landscape and we've sifted through the line-up to give you five for starters.

Conan Osiris

Tiago Miranda made his name earlier this year after "Telemóveis” was chosen to represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest (although he never made it through to the final). Under the name Conan Osiris, the 30-year-old has become what the The Guardian called a ‘cultural lightening rod’ for the ire of some in his country. Osiris' music - like his flamboyant image - makes powerful statements and his set at Super Bock Super Rock will be one of the more interesting highlights this year.

Capitão Fausto

For a decade, Lisbon band have pushed their creative limits and 2016’s Capitão Fausto Têm os Dias Contados sealed Capitão Fausto's place as one of the country’s most beloved bands. Playing the EDP stage at Super Bock, they’ll also be celebrating their recent album Sempre Bem - another reinvention for the five-piece - which was recorded in Sao Paolo and borrows inventively from Brasil's own musical history.

Branko

One of the figures behind innovative dance project Buraka Som Sistema at the start of the century, Branko has found himself at the apex of his country’s underground scene, pulling together the global worlds of dance and hip hop in a glorious explosion of beats and energy. A creative connector, he brought the likes of Princess Nokia and DJ Sliink along for his debut album Atlas and collaborated with Sango, Cosima and Pierre Kwenders for this year’s follow-up Nosso.

Profjam

Last year, innovative Lisbon-born rapper Profjam played the second stage at Super Bock Super Rock; this year he’s graduated to the main stage with the likes of Lana Del Rey. With over ten years in the industry, he’s launched his own label (Think Music Records) and after finishing a degree in production and music engineering in London at the School of Audio Engineering, returned to Lisbon for a new chapter in his career which he'll showcase at this year's festival

Sallim

A ver o que acontece, the second album from Francisca Salema - better known as Sallim thanks to the tumblr she created in 2013 - is a masterclass in experimental pop from the Portugese singer and songwriter. With symbolic nods to SZA, Ariana Grande and Kehlani, it’s a coming-of-age record that marks out Salema as one to watch, with the potential to reach way beyond her own country.