Sziget Festival 2008 The Sex Pistols on Sziget festival 2008

The most influential punk band of all time was formed in 1975. This year the Sex Pistols - with original members: Johnny Rotten, Glen Matlock, Steve Jones and Paul Cook - will perform the first time in Hungary, on Sziget festival. In the past days the fact that Iron Maiden boss-bassist Steve Harris' daughter, Lauren Harris will co-headline his father’s show on the Mainstage has also been confirmed. At the same time organizers received positive answer from respected singstresses of contemporary popscene, Róisín Murphy to perform on Mainstage in the afternoon period, moreover the most successful band of the recent British indie vintage, Kaiser Chiefs will play on one of the evening on the same stage.

These guys that shook the foundations of starry-eyed, daydreaming seventies rock and knocked it all back down to earth, that is the ultimate and most influential punkrock band of all times are back. The four lads: singer Johnny Rotten (John Lydon), bassist Glen Matlock (who called in on Sziget two years ago and whose post had been taken over by Sid Vicious, this infamous Punk Idol bassist, who died of heroin overdose and actually couldn't play guitar), guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook. One regular album "Never Mind The Bollocks", "Here's the Sex Pistols", and a bunch of odds and ends and soundtracks proved sufficient to shock and make UK citizens face the apathy and disappointment of British youth and the millions living from hand to mouth on the dole. The Pistols influence is firmly present in terms of both music and attitude to this very day. The foursome wrote and played the best and most popular songs of late seventies punk explosion. These dirty, angry, three-chord punk-anthems like "Anarchy In The UK", "God Save The Queen" and "Pretty Vacant" really deserve the honour they’ve been given with the thirtieth anniversary of the first release. The Pistols reformed in the nineties for (as Rotten puts it with his good old sarcasm) "nothing but the money". And finally the legend is playing live at Sziget 2008 after so many aborted attempts: Anarchy In Hungary!

Blood is thicker than water, a leopard can't change its spots. And no tricky business here, no daddy pulling strings. Iron Maiden boss-bassist Steve Harris' daughter Lauren Harris was talent spotted by legendary British producer Russ Ballard in 2005 without him having the faintest idea who her daddy was. Not that anyone else knew. The discovery and the name proved to be excellent credentials, though: Lauren being frontgirl in her band since 2006 has received such rare big breaks as supporting Alice Cooper, playing at the most prestigious outdoor festival circuit as well as touring all over the world with her daddy's band. Laurent is an outstanding rock singstress and fans surely don't just happen to send him so many friend requests at her MySpace profile. You can't afford to miss her songs!

Kaiser Chiefs must be the wittiest, hittiest, and undoubtedly the most successful band of the recent British indie vintage. The Leeds five piece borrowed their name from a South African football-team with a view to mixing the raw purity of noughties guitarpop-rennaissance with the dynamism of new-wave as well as the elaborate catchiness and humour of the britpop-era. Their hit-packed debut album "Employment" instantly made it big when it came out in 2005, while the follow-up "Yours Truly, Angry Mob" successfully secures the impressive bridgehead with its colourful atmosphere. "Incidentally", they rock real hard when playing live urging huge crowds to dance, jump, headbang, scream and sing along.

Sheffield-based duo Moloko (Róisín Murphy and Mark Brydon) with their far-out conception of juxtaposing electronic dance grooves with other worldly pop tunes had paid a visit to Sziget at their commercial peak back in 2003. Róisín Murphy of Irish descent began to establish her solo career in the meantime and has gradually become one of the most respected singstresses of contemporary pop scene. The lucky few who had the chance to see her play live at Műcsarnok a couple of years ago had to get on with the echoes of the immense hall, this time, however, the sound will be perfect at Main Stage for ten-thousands of fans to move to the rhythm of Róisín’s greatest hits including the tracks of her current „Overpowered” album which manages to secure her a place in the hall of pop-icons.

Tickets for Sziget festival 2008 are available for discount price till May 15th. Up to this date camping ticket are 120 Euros, non-camping tickets are 100 Euros, and from May 16th the "normal" price will be 150 Euros for a camping ticket and 120 Euros for a non camping ticket. Non-camping tickets are valid for the five festival days (August 13-18), while those who are to purchase a camping ticket will make sure to have a place on the zero-day Iron Maiden show (August 12th) and on the "warm up day" (August 11th). Day tickets are already available - also for zero day’s Iron Maiden show - for 32 Euros.

Press photos are available at www.sziget.hu/festival_english/press/artists2008/

Further Information: Gergo Salamon, PR and Press Coordinator Sziget Cultural Management 1399 Budapest, Pf. 694/245 www.szigetfestival.com

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