BuSH festival takeover: meet genre-bending and Bowie-esque Estonian vocalist Mart Avi

Budapest Showcase Hub is a one-of-a-kind music festival that brings together eastern Europe’s vibrant music community each year for three days in the Hungarian capital.

This year’s edition will take place between 15-17 November, and will feature 33 bands from 14 countries, showcasing a multitude of musical styles: from Russia’s psychedelic rock group Lucidvox; to Lazer Viking, the alias of Jakub Kaifosz, a well-known figure in the Czech alternative scene; to the dream-pop sound of Stepa, who hail from Serbia. It all kicks off with an amazing roster of acts: Kamp! (Poland), NOËP (Estonia) and Hungary’s own Ivan and the Parazol. Besides concerts, BuSH also offers a programme of masterclasses and professional conferences, including a talk by Grammy-Award winning musical producer Matt Lawrence, who’s worked with the likes of Adele, Beyoncé, Amy Winehouse, George Michael, The Who, The White Stripes and Lady Gaga among others.

With less than a month to go until the opening night on the 15 November, each week we’ll be spotlighting the must-see artists as picked by the festival team.

The first is the young Estonian composer and vocalist, Mart Avi, who’s been compared to Scott Walker, Billy MacKenzie and David Bowie.

Mart Avi grew up in a small village in Estonia, on a former Soviet collective farm. Born in 1991, just months after Estonia gained independence, this allowed him to become a free-spirited child, later a free-spirited artist. After spending a year in Luxembourg, Avi immersed himself in the underground music scene there and created his own peculiar musical world that defies all labels. In his own words, he mixes past present and future: 1980s synth-pop with 90s hip-hop as well as ambient and modern electronica. His album Rogue Wave won the best electronic album title at the Estonian Music Awards in 2016.

He will be playing at BuSH festival in Budapest, on 17 November. After his gig, Avi plans to dive into the Hungarian capital’s famous Széchenyi Bath.

BuSH will take place between 15-17 November across several venues in Budapest. See the full programme of concerts here and purchase tickets here. If you’re planning on travelling to Budapest, check out our special travel report on the city.