The new music and urban culture festival Tallinn Music Week (TMW) taking place from 27th March to 2nd April brings the festival buzz to unexpected and undiscovered places around town with the beloved City Stage series. During four days more than 100 artists will perform at free daytime concerts in a few dozen unique locations around the town.
The City Stage programme kicks off on Wednesday, 29th March at 13.00 in Viru Keskus shopping centre with a DJ-set by a dynamic conductor Kristjan Järvi featuring beatbox World Champion Bellatrix and guitarist Gene Pritsker aka rapper Di.J.NoizePunk. The international genre-breaking triumvirate will be followed by an impro-jazz quartet, consisting of premier Estonian musicians Kadri Voorand, Jaak Sooäär, Liisi Koikson and Paul Daniel. Viru Keskus hosts almost 20 concerts until Saturday from Canadian The Mariachi Ghost attuning Mexican heritage with progressive rock and Bahrainian multi-instrumentalists The Flamingods to the “Estonian Eminem” Azma. TMW info desk opens at Viru Keskus from 27th March to 1st April, where festival passes can be exchanged for wristbands.
TMW home hotel Nordic Hotel Forum is the venue for a “queer-folk soup drama” suite concert on 30th March by Estonian punk poet Indrek Spungin, as well as the unplugged sets by indie rockers Go Away Bird and Frankie Animal.
As part of the on-going children’s and youth year of culture TMW also offers special activities for kids and youngsters. Student Academy members of Tallinn University curate a concert at the “Uuskasutuskeskus” charity shop on 29th March with performances by boy band Beyond Beyond, the winner of the Youth Band contest The Notes and the snappiest Generation Z indie-rock group The Boondocks from Estonia. On 1st April folk tunes by Mari Kalkun and the Georgian instrumental trio Four Lines fill the Children’s Literature Centre. Solaris shopping centre right in the heart of the downtown area will host two stages with artists from Canadian rapper Def3 to Swedish troubador Albert af Ekenstam.
Several new venues are also included in the programme. The tropical palm house of Tallinn Botanical Garden hosts the Icelandic rap duo Úlfur Úlfur, featuring their signature tongue-in-cheek humour against the teenage revolutionary of Estonian philosophical art rap movement, EiK, Finnish pianist Project Vainiolla and Polish juke music producer Rhythm Baboon. The cosy bookshop Puänt is the venue for violinist Midori Komachi and audio-visual artist abirdwhale from Japan as well as the singer-songwriter Moddi from Norway. The real estate office Endover presents French soul jazz duo Debra Shaw, neo-soul poet БЦХ from Moscow. Muhu Bakery in Telliskivi will host “the red sensation of Iceland“, Shtuby. The Asian restaurant Riis in Kadriorg offers abstract electronic sounds by Estonian Su—Mu and French Jumo whilst design office Velvet – the creator of TMW’s website –, will host the Estonian funk-soul group Ashilevi and Finnish songwriter Astrid Swan among others.
The classicist design house Signature House in the remote North Tallinn former industrial area hosts the Scottish multi-instrumentalist C Duncan and Finnish spiritual shoegazer Mikko Joensuu.
TMW will move outdoors again by opening the city stage of Estonian MyHits radio at Musumägi just at the gates to the old town with lineup spanning from the UK’s rising producer Draper along one of the hottest Estonian rappers Metsakutsu and an aspiring boy band Beyond Beyond.
Three families will also open their homes for free concerts – among others by Ewert and the Two Dragon’s guitarist Erki Pärnoja, sound designer ekke, African-rooted Polish producer Moo Latte and Estonian Curly Strings, Europe’s best bluegrass band of 2016.
Among the old favourite venues are Must Puudel and record store Biit Me in the old town, the bicycle studio Jooks, interior design shop Homeart and Reval Café in Telliskivi Culture Hub area, and NOP café in the romantic inner-city area Kadriorg.
City Stage concerts are free for everyone and welcome music fans of all ages.
TMW 2017 City Stage venues:
Estonian Children’s Literature Centre (Pikk 73)
Endover real estate office (Tartu mnt 2)
Fritz-Kola presents: Biit Me record store (Viru tn 3-5)
Homeart design shop and café (Telliskivi 60a shopping street)
Kalaranna home concert
Luther Quarter home concert
Muhu Pagarid bakery (Telliskivi 60a)
Must Puudel Café (Müürivahe 20)
Musumägi (at the old town gates)
NOP café shop (J. Köleri 1)
Nordic Hotel Forum suite (Viru väljak 3)
Pallasti home concert
Puänt bookshop (Pärnu mnt 4)
Bicycle shop Jooks (Telliskivi 60a, B-hoone)
Riis restaurant (Tina 21)
Signature House (Kaevuri 1)
Solaris Keskus Cafe Mademoiselle (Estonia puiestee 9)
Solaris Keskus bookshop Apollo (Estonia puiestee 9)
Tallinna Botanical Garden palm house (Kloostrimetsa tee 52)
Telliskivi Reval Cafe (Telliskivi 60a)
Uuskasutuskeskus second hand shop (Tatari 64)
Velvet design bureau (Telliskivi 60a)
Viru Keskus shopping centre (Viru väljak 4)
City Stage programme on TMW website
TMW festival passes are available for €60 at TMW web store. Festival pass grants access to all concerts, provided the venue is not sold out, and offers discounts at the TMW Tastes restaurant festival. (In case the venue is sold out entry will be granted on first-come-first-served basis.)
TMW 2017 delegate passes are available for €250 until 19th March (from 20th March 295€) at TMW web store. Sign up as a delegate and buy your pass. TMW delegate pass grants access to the conference seminars and priority access to the music festival as well as the database of registered contacts.
A limited number of TMW 2017 priority passes are on sale for €150 at TMW web store.
This year’s edition of TMW from 27th March to 2nd April will present the music festival line-up and two-day industry conference, a series of free City Stage concerts, TMW Arts programme, curated by the Estonian Contemporary Arts Development Centre, Design Market showcasing the most exciting Baltic and Scandinavian brands and designs, TMW Talks series with topics from music to science and societal issues, City Space activities in cooperation with the interior designers of Estonian Academy of Arts and a kids and youth special programme for the first time.