The Nuremberg Pop Festival – southern Germany’s largest club and showcase festival – will take place once again, this year from October 8-10, 2026. Concerts are held as part of the festival in various cultural venues such as churches, museums, clothing stores, record stores, on rooftops, public squares and, of course, in clubs and cultural centers. This is where the music world and music fans come together to exchange ideas and quench their thirst for good humor and musical enjoyment. The accompanying Pop Conference offers a wide range of panel discussions, lectures and workshops on all aspects of the music industry and culture. This year 10 Austrian acts will be performing at the renowned festival! Plus, an Austrian Heartbeats Reception will take place Friday, happy hour! Get all the delicious details below.
Austrian acts at NBG Pop 2026
Beaks
Beaks, the project of experimental post-punk artist and writer Anna Francesca from Vienna, weaves revealing poetry into powerful anthems, landing somewhere between waking life and a dream sequence. A multidisciplinary artist, Beaks studied photography and graphic design while working as an international model, having walked the runway for high-profile brands including Celine, Vivienne Westwood, Miu Miu, Chanel, and more. Modeling, however, was always a side gig. In 2023, she released her debut single “I Dropped the Bottle,” which has since been streamed over 4 million times and performed during tours in London, Tokyo, and Berlin, cementing Beaks’ status as a resonant and immersive artist across multiple formats.
Concert at NBP: Oct. 9 / 8:30 p.m. / New Museum
Cari Cari
Cari Cari consists of Stephanie Widmer (vocals, drums, and didgeridoo) and Alexander Köck (vocals and guitars). The duo lived in London, Hamburg, and Madrid before releasing their debut album “ANAANA.” International media outlets have described the duo as “the love child of The Kills and The XX” (IndieShuffle, US), “with a pinch of Morricone” (FM4, Austria), or the next “Cat Power” (BestBefore, Australia). Since its inception, the duo has worked tirelessly to create its own world. Everything from music videos to stage design is crafted by hand with meticulous attention to detail. This dedication to detail has also earned the band a loyal fan base: Rolling Stone named Cari Cari the most important live discovery of the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, their concerts fill venues across Europe, and their current album “Welcome To Kookoo Island” has been highly praised by NME, BBC Radio 1, KCRW, and many more.
This concert, part of #nbgpop26, is presented in cooperation with INNSITE BOOKING
Concert at NBP: Oct. 9 / 9:00 p.m. / St. Catherine’s Ruins
CORDOBA78
Sometimes their music sounds like the end of a party, sometimes like the beginning of something really big – Cordoba78 is both. Songs about anger, love, feeling overwhelmed, and the brief moments of happiness in between. About Europe and parties, burning skies and red sofas, about people who stay and those you have to let go – they tell stories about Vorarlberg, Vienna, and Europe, about love, decadence, and the search for meaning without finding it. But maybe that’s exactly what it’s all about. Their sound? Somewhere between indie and pop and cathartic megalomania—roaring blues guitar, soul piano, stadium melancholy.
Concert at NBP: Oct. 9 / 7:30 p.m. / Holy Spirit Hall
Filiah
Filiah is originally from the province of Lower Austria, where her sound—which she herself describes as “indie folk with a sparkling touch of pop”—developed under the influence of many role models. Raised by a music-loving single mother, her earliest memories include long car rides to school, singing along loudly to her mother’s tasteful record collection—from Fleetwood Mac to Diana Krall, from Buena Vista Social Club to David Bowie. Today, her sound is said to have an emotional kinship with artists such as Lizzy McAlpine, Maggie Rogers, and Orla Gartland. Through her music, Filiah aims to create a sense of understanding and empowerment, qualities that are certainly also evident in her musical influences. She writes songs that feel like “a little home where you are understood and cared for.”
Concerts at NBP:
SHOW 1: Oct. 9 / 11:30 p.m. / New Museum
SHOW 2: Oct. 9 / 6:00 PM / Murr the cat
FREUDE
FREUDE from Vienna brings a creative vision that blends the indie and alternative sounds of the ’90s and 2000s with fresh pop elements. But the band isn’t just another chapter in music history—it’s a bold reinvention that straddles genres and forges its own musical identity.
Inspired by greats like Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters, Wir sind Helden, Kraftklub, The 1975, and many others, FREUDE strives to create a unique soundscape characterized by honest lyrics and catchy melodies. Lyrically, the band addresses current events, political issues, and personal experiences in equal measure to create a multi-layered emotional journey for listeners.
Concerts at NBP: Oct. 9 / 8:00 p.m. / Cultural Winery
JUGO ÜRDENS
Vienna? That means Sachertorte, the Opera Ball, coffeehouses, and plenty of elegance. Jugo Ürdens? That means tracksuits, madness, ćevapi, and plenty of Eastern Bloc romance. Jugo Ürdens is simply a man of contrasts. A promise that was never fulfilled. Austria’s last pop star and the “most handsome man in Vienna”—even if the first wrinkles are slowly setting in and he simply awarded himself that title. Jugo Ürdens is simply a walking contradiction, without any compromise. Lots of clichés, but never musically. And he’s finally back.
Musically, the Viennese artist—now based in Berlin—still moves between classic rap, wild pop music, a healthy dose of madness, and songs that stick in your head for days. Songs about partying, escaping the daily grind, friendship, and a reality somewhere between that of an academic and a day laborer. With his truths, Jugo often hits the nail on the head mercilessly, but always with a charming wink.
Concert at NBP: Oct. 9 / 10:00 p.m. / Ballroom at the Künstlerhaus
Julia Effekt
Julia Effekt weaves together diverse musical currents into an aesthetic that hovers between melancholy and resistance. Through evocative imagery, angular melodies, and powerfully deployed language, they create a space where established perceptions are shattered and expectations are questioned. In an era where identity is increasingly shaped by algorithms and musical expression is often reproduced in fixed patterns, Julia Effekt defies conventional categories and explores the tensions of modern existence—the struggle between authenticity and performance, memory and forgetting, belonging and alienation.
Concert at NBP: Oct. 10 / 6:45 p.m. / Central Café
Lucy Dreams
The musical landscape is being reshaped by the evolving relationship between humans and machines. Lucy Dreams embodies this transformation through a seamless fusion of analog and digital art, with Lucy—an active artificial band member—at the heart of their creative vision. The trio’s concept explores the dynamic between Lucy and her human counterparts, presenting SonicWaveArtPop as both an expressive and immersive medium that captivates the senses while posing socially relevant questions.
Their upcoming LP *VVVVV*—the soundtrack to humanity’s leap into the 5th dimension—marks a bold redefinition of Lucy Dreams’ approach to pop music, both sonically and visually. The band has brought its signature sound to stages across Canada, Japan, Europe, and the UK. Following a major performance at the renowned Konzerthaus Vienna and with upcoming shows in London, New York, Vienna, and Paris, Lucy Dreams continues to enchant audiences with what The Line of Best Fit described as “a quite irresistible show.”
Concert at NBP: Oct 9. / 7:15 p.m. / art gallery
Lusterboden
First of all: has anyone even heard of Lusterboden? Let’s put it this way: in the Viennese scene, you come across the name—yes, it’s as unique as Bilderbuch or Buntspecht—all the time. As an insider tip. As a tip that’s not really an insider tip anymore. As the next big thing. As an unstoppable newcomer. As a phenomenon.
This duo doesn’t look left or right, doesn’t care about the New Viennese Song or old Austropop, doesn’t keep an eye on Ö3 or FM4 (okay, Radio Wien would be nice!), but sweeps everything away with youthful enthusiasm, irresistible charm, and a dose of audacity. Word of mouth, baby! Lusterboden blend local flavor and pop with a language that hovers between Viennese and standard German. Their songs tell poetic and humorous stories from everyday life in Vienna—and their audience keeps growing and growing and growing.
This concert, part of #nbgpop26, is presented in cooperation with INNSITE BOOKING
Concert at NBP: Oct 9. / 6:45 p.m. / Club Stereo
Magda
The composer, singer, and actress not only knows how to use her voice and her instruments, but she also possesses an extraordinary talent for writing lyrics and composes verses that touch the heart.
The 22-year-old from Linz has already impressively demonstrated—even before her first release—that she shines not only on record but also on stage. As a violinist, Magda toured with Berq in late 2024, where she gained her first live performance experience. This summer, in addition to performing at festivals, she is on the road as the opening act for Provinz and Berq, where she is showcasing her own songs.
Concert at NBP: Oct. 10 / 10:00 p.m. / Ballroom at the Künstlerhaus
Austrian Heartbeats Reception at NBP 2026
Do you hear that sound? It’s the beating heart of Austrian music on the international stage!
For the fourth year in a row, Austrian Heartbeats is bringing new Austrian talent to Nuremberg. For this special edition of the Austrian Heartbeats Reception, we invite you to join us for some light-hearted conversation over Sachertorte and drinks at the cozy Kater Murr, followed by an intimate showcase set from XA winner FILIAH.
Networking: 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
FILIAH: 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM
