Top 10 under the radar bands you must watch at Bear Stone Festival 2024

July 2, 2024 Tom Fordham

A young festival means that there is an opportunity for young bands to shine. Alongside the excellent imports that headline the festival this year, there is a whole host of underground bands that you don’t want to miss out on at this year’s Bear Stone Festival. This is a fantastic showcase for the Croatian bands and contemporaries from the European underground. So hear are the top ten under the radar bands you must see at this year’s festival!

NEMEČEK – Stone Stage, Saturday July 6th

Hailing from Croatia’s capital of Zagreb, NEMEČEK is one of the more unique acts at Bear Stone Festival this year. The band create a hypnotic blend of noise rock and traditional folk music in an intense and intriguing way that transports you to an ancient Balkan world. The band are currently working on the next album to conclude their Prokletije trilogy which – helped by the magic of the universe and traditional slavic folk instruments – will transport you to an ancient world whilst looking in hope at the new world emerging. This fascinating musical blend is sure to ignite imaginations and connect people to their surroundings in the heart of Croatia.

### – Stone Stage – Friday July 5th

### (pronounced by hitting a random object three times) are band that is already well established in the Balkan underground. Not a band to do things conventionally and with a strong DIY approach to music recorded and performed in abandoned ironworks buildings, roofs, lavatories as well as moved a whole studio to a squatted cinema. They can be described as harvesters of silence in their small hometowns of Sisak and Novska. ### thrust listeners into noisy soundscapes and cataclysmic riffs, no ears are safe from deafening tinnitus when they play.

MUSCLE TRIBE OF DANGER AND EXCELLENCE – Stone Stage – Friday July 5th

Probably one of the wackiest names you’ll hear at this year’s festival, the MUSCLE TRIBE OF DANGER AND EXCELLENCE spawned out of the vibrant Zagreb stoner scene twenty years ago and their potent and unique blend of rock and metal derives from the diverse background of the band’s members. The band’s recent EP Call Me If You Need Anything Else features three hard hitting and energetic tracks of no-nonsense rock, with their talismanic frontman Domagoj Šimek leading the charge. You can bet your bottom dollar that these guys will shake the stage foundations when they play at this year’s festival.

TIGHT GRIPS – Mill Stage – Friday July 5th

Formed in the summer of 2014, TIGHT GRIPS quickly gained recognition in the Croatian rock scene for explosive energy and solid performances. These performance would help them win the 20th Croatian Music Festival and propel them to the upper echelons of the domestic scene. Their sound is raw and gritty with driving rhythms and stomping riffs. They have shaped their sound throughout their tours – including in the UK – and their third album Cardinal Vices explores a more experimental, and mystical sound. They’re set to be a popular ‘hometown’ act at this year’s festival.

<a href="https://tightgrips.bandcamp.com/album/move-along">Move Along by Tight Grips</a>

STONETREE – Mill Stage – Friday July 5th

Austria’s STONETREE were formed in 2016 following the disabling of MACHINE ZOO. They offer up an interesting blend of riff orientated heavy rock that branches out into garage rock and grunge. With explosive instrumentation, action packed and dynamic vocals alongside a clean and polished production style, the Austrian trio certainly pack a punch. Gaining a reputation for energetic live performances from their “Evertruck” – an old Volkswagen van transformed into a live stage – its going to be exciting to hear their punchy sound on a bigger stage.

RENS ARGOA – Mill Stage – Sunday July 7th

Described as “genre-free”, RENS ARGOA are an instrumental trio that refuses to be pigeonholed and restricted by genre labels. The band was born out of a shared love for rhythm, riffs and melodies, bringing together elements of jazz, orchestral, prog rock, and punk as they continually evolve and explore their sound. Their music takes you out of this world on a musical adventure that never sits still and always moves to the next phase quickly. The trio also focus on collaboration with their albums featuring a number of guest musicians as well. Their vibrant mix will no doubt amaze and enthral the Bear Stone Festival audience.

A GRAM TRIP – Mill Stage – Thursday, July 4th

Formed in Zagreb, A GRAM TRIP are a fairly young band debuting in 2021, but they pack a weighty, sludgy punch. Their sound is fuelled by a ferocious fuzz-driven intensity, intertwining mantric doom riffs, harsh sludge vocals, and hypnotic stoner melodies. Following in the footsteps of the weed focused sludge bands, the quartet’s latest EP If We Leaf Tomorrow is a pounding, slab dragging set of songs that unleash your inner caveman. They’re carving a unique path in the scene and are one of the exciting young acts at this year’s festival.

BLITZPØP – Stone Stage – Saturday, July 6th

Formed by Yves Krismer (from MOTHER’S CAKE) alongside Pia, Arthur, and Kajetan from MOTION STICK, Austria’s BlLITZPØP are a revolutionary and convention defying band that looks to redefine what it means to be a modern rock band. The band’s ethos transcends their music and embodies a contemporary and vibrant philosophy that people from all backgrounds can relate to. With songs that channel the raw intensity of DEAD WEATHER and a melodic punch of NIRVANA, they will supply an energetic set at this year’s festival.

THEM MOOSE RUSH – Stone Stage – Saturday, July 6th

Often compared to the cult American heroes THE MARS VOLTA, Croatia’s THEM MOOSE RUSH have carved out their own sonic niche with a varied mix of influences behind them. This has resulted in a unique fusion of prog, noise, math, pop, and stoner elements that is dynamic and full of a positively infectious energy. They have already gained a reputation internationally for their DIY art, innovative videos, and critical acclaim from outlets like Prog Magazine. They will look to blow the minds of the Bearstone audience as they promote their latest 16 track album Zepaxia.

KAYLETH – Mill Stage – Saturday, July 6th

Formed in Verona in 2005 and influenced by the stoner, Palm Desert Rock sounds of KYUSS, MONSTER MAGNETS, infused with the space rock, sci-fi sounds of 37005. The Italian quintet will look to take the Bear Stone Festival audience on a deep space journey with they riffs and lyrical themes that cover science fiction and time travel. Their latest album New Babylon was released in May and the band will be keen to captivate the crowd with these brand new and exciting tracks.

As Croatia’s premier stoner and heavy psych festival, Marin Lalić and the Bear Stone Festival team have pulled together a line up for the ages. An exciting festival awaits.