Best of Budapest & Hungary

Dutch band De Staat have earned a reputation as one of Europe’s most inventive and fearless live acts. Constantly pushing the boundaries of what a rock band can be, they move from the pounding rally cry of “Witch Doctor” to the razor-sharp social commentary of “KITTY KITTY” with seemingly endless onstage energy and an exceptionally entertaining live presence. The band will return to Budapest with their latest, self-titled album, De Staat, on 16 March at Analog Music Hall.

    The alternative rock band’s sound combines industrial grooves and heavy riffs with experimental electronics and pop sensibility, before hitting listeners with elemental force. Their songs have long explored themes of demagoguery and mass manipulation, which also shape their latest work. After two years of silence, De Staat returned with their self-titled album, accompanied by an art installation and a live show titled De Staat Becomes De Staat - a project that captures nearly 25 years of boundary-pushing work in the art rock landscape.

    The production was created in collaboration with director Floor Houwink Ten Cate (One Man Show, Sea Of Silence), contemporary audiovisual artist Boris Acket (Joep Beving, Fred Again..), lighting designer Freek Ros (Wende, Altın Gün), visual artist Tarik Barri (Thom Yorke, Nicolas Jaar), audio designer Reinier Rietveld (Craigie Horsefield), and dance collective 155 (Controle, Johnny). The show premiered at Down The Rabbit Hole Festival, followed by two performances at Amsterdam’s Royal Theatre Carré. Following these shows, the band will tour Europe and the UK this autumn, and they have now announced further dates, including Budapest.

    The album’s first single, THE KING, was described by 3voor12 as De Staat’s “most uncompromising, ruthless and disruptive track ever.” The song explores the endless, destructive cycle of power. It was followed by THE FIRE, GLORY, THE UNDERDOG and FREEDOM - tracks that address themes of complacency, power, division and artificial intelligence.

    Festivals are no stranger to De Staat: they have performed at SXSW, Glastonbury, Lowlands, Rock for People, Pukkelpop and Sziget, and have toured with artists such as The Rolling Stones, Muse and Biffy Clyro. De Staat do not hold back when it comes to live shows, and their boundless energy is best experienced in person on 16 March at Analog Music Hall.