Hello, 2026! A new year brings fresh momentum, and January sees Austrian artists stepping into new terrain with a strong slate of releases alongside an active run of international live dates. From new albums, EP’s and singles to tours, showcases, and festival appearances abroad, the month highlights how Austrian music continues to travel beyond national borders. Austrian Music Export once again rounds up the most relevant releases, complemented by a curated selection of international gigs, tours, and upcoming festival stops to have on your radar. Put on your wooly hat and furry mittens and take a brisk walk through this month’s AUSTRIAN MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS for what’s new, what’s touring, and what’s shaping the year ahead.
Roam if you want to
Austrian composer–pianist David Six brings his boundary-crossing sound to the UK in February 2026 as part of TEAC DAMSA’s MÁM, performing live across the tour’s run from Salford (The Lowry) to Birmingham (Hippodrome), Brighton (Dome), Norwich (Theatre Royal) and Southampton (Mayflower).
Klangforum Wien comes to Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie in 2026 with two contrasting highlights: Fri, 23 Jan 2026 (20:00, Grand Hall) features Ingo Metzmacher conducting Messiaen’s monumental Des canyons aux étoiles… (pre-concert talk 19:00). Then Sat, 28 Mar 2026 (19:30, Small Hall) pairs Klangforum Wien with Neue Vocalsolisten and conductor Vimbayi Kaziboni for Alex Paxton’s How to Eat Your Sexuality for voices, ensemble and electronics (pre-concert talk 18:30).
Anda Morts is an indie-punk standout known for razor-sharp hooks, shout-along choruses, and live shows that hit with the urgency of a basement gig in a packed club. He brings his high-voltage live show to Switzerland in February 2026, kicking off the Zweimal ist Einmal run with a tight three-night hop across the country: Thu, 19 Feb 2026 — Zürich, Bogen F; Fri, 20 Feb 2026 — Basel, GANNET (Holzpark Klybeck) and Sat, 21 Feb 2026 — Bern, ISC.
Cousines Like Shit — the Vienna “avant-trash” duo of cousins Hannah and Laura Breitfuß — hit the road in early February 2026 with a punchy run built for sweaty rooms and sharp punchlines: Tue 3 Feb Prague (Klubovna), then Germany with Wed 4 Feb Leipzig (Tanzcafé Ilses Erika), Thu 5 Feb Hamburg (Hafenklang / Goldener Salon), Fri 6 Feb Berlin (BI NUU), and Sat 7 Feb Heidenheim (Friday).
Attwenger bring their cult collision of dialect folk, polka-punk and electronics to Germany for a tight February 2026 run: Wed, 4 Feb in Wasserburg am Inn (Wasserburg a. Inn Stadtbahnhof (Bus), 19:00), Thu, 5 Feb in Regensburg (Alte Mälzerei, 20:00), and Fri, 6 Feb in Nürnberg (Kulturladen Villa Leon, 20:00). Hailing from Upper Austria, Attwenger are the long-running duo Hans-Peter Falkner and Markus Binder, famed for twisting accordion-and-drum-drive roots into something raw, modern, and joyfully unruly.
Tyrol’s psychedelic groove-rock mainstays Mother’s Cake keep the Ultrabliss momentum rolling with a late-Feb/early-March run built for sweat and extended jams—24 Feb Nuremberg (Club Stereo), 25 Feb Münster (Rare Guitar), 26 Feb Hannover (Café Glocksee), 27 Feb Cologne (Club Volta), 28 Feb Zoetermeer (Poppodium Boerderij), 1 Mar Utrecht (De Helling), then back into Germany for 3 Mar Hamburg (Molotow), 4 Mar Rostock (Bunker), 5 Mar Bielefeld (Forum), 6 Mar Fulda (Kulturkeller), and 7 Mar Jena (KuBa)—with The Tazers joining as support on the bill.
Vienna’s dream-pop sibling quartet Wallners take their debut-era glow on the road with the End Of Circles Tour in mid-February 2026, hopping across Europe for four headline nights: 11 Feb — Paris (Petit Bain), 12 Feb — Tourcoing (Le Grand Mix), 14 Feb — Amsterdam (Melkweg Upstairs) (already sold out), and 15 Feb — Brussels (AB Club).
Shake Stew take their propulsive, riff-driven jazz engine back on the road at the end of January, opening the run with a three-night stand at Jazzclub Unterfahrt (Munich) (29–31 Jan), before rolling through Jazzclub Tonne (Dresden) on 12 Feb and Gretchen (Berlin) on 13 Feb—then heading home for a string of Austrian dates: Porgy & Bess (Vienna) 17 Feb, Jazzit (Salzburg) 18 Feb, Jazz am Bach (Götzis) 19 Feb, Treibhaus (Innsbruck) 20 Feb, and Altes Hallenbad (Gallneukirchen) 21 Feb. Built around their signature oddball power setup—two drummers, two bassists, and a three-horn frontline—the shows land in the band’s 10th-anniversary year, as they push into their new TEN ONE TWO / TEN ONE TWO THREE chapter.
ATZUR — the half-Austrian/half-Spanish alt-pop duo known for cathartic live shows and emotionally sharp songwriting — hit Germany for a February 2026 run that’s built for sweaty club rooms and big choruses: 4 Feb at Alte Mälzerei (Regensburg), 5 Feb at Frannz Club (Berlin), 6 Feb at Bahnhof Pauli (Hamburg), and 19 Feb at Milla (Munich).
Special Specials
As avatars of themselves, exceptional artists Olga Neuwirth and Elfriede Jelinek send two vampires on a journey around the world and observe the decline of humanity. But what kind of world is this that can only be saved by a monster named Gorgonzilla? Tobias Kratzer stages this brand-new political grotesque as a contemporary Grand Guignol.
A new work on the pulse of time: more than twenty years after Bählamms Fest and Lost Highway, composer Olga Neuwirth and writer Elfriede Jelinek reunite for Monster’s Paradise, a commissioned work for the Hamburg State Opera. The internationally acclaimed duo—Jelinek, Nobel Laureate in Literature (2004), and Neuwirth, recipient of the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize (2022)—send two vampiress avatars on a global journey, observing humanity’s decline as a tyrannical king and a self-summoned sea monster battle for power. Salvation rests with Gorgonzilla, raising the question of what kind of world can only be saved by monsters. Both tragedy and satyr play, Monster’s Paradise is directed by Tobias Kratzer as a contemporary political grotesque in the spirit of Grand Guignol. The world premiere will take place at the Hamburger State Opera on February 1st, 2026.
Music After Nature Festival 2026 13–14 February 2026 | Vienna, SOHO Studios Ottakring
Music After Nature is an Austrian interdisciplinary festival dedicated to contemporary composition, sound art and ecological discourse. The 2026 edition features Austria-based artists including Roland Schueler, Katharina Klement, Sonja Leipold, Pia Palme and Margarethe Maierhofer-Lischka, presenting electro-acoustic, conceptual and performative works.
Klangforum Wien marks the 100th anniversary of Austrian composer Friedrich Cerha‘s birthday with a dedicated concert at the Wiener Konzerthaus on February 17th. The programme focuses on Cerha’s pivotal role in shaping post-war Austrian contemporary music and highlights the ensemble’s long-standing commitment to his work.
I shall be released
After two decades together, Federspiel is looking ahead. The new album “Wir & Jetzt” (Sounds of Servus; release date: January 23, 2025) is not a retrospective or a retreat into familiar territory, but rather a step forward to a new, expanded musical level. Experience and curiosity about the new intertwine in a touching way. The music unfolds a dense atmosphere, is profound, and spans the arc from the past to the present, from the local to the global. Stylistic diversity, light-footed virtuosity, and a warm-toned sound language invite you to pause and let yourself be carried away. In an interview with Michael Ternai, Philip Haas and Frédéric Alvarado-Dupuy talk about the meaning of the album title Wir & Jetzt (Us & Now) and its influence on the creation of the music, about the continuous development of their sound aesthetic, and about exploring what is musically possible and playable. To read the full interview in German, go to the mica – music austria article.
“A good new album is like a hearty stew—you can’t rush it, it just takes time.” – Philip Haas and Frédéric Alvarado-Dupuy (Federspiel)
A little drama, a little healing, a little “f*ck it”: ATZUR‘s new album “Humble” (release date: February 6, 2026) strikes a perfect balance between these extremes. PATRICIA and PAUL, once a Tinder match, now an intense duo with a penchant for radical honesty, write songs that are allowed to explode both inside and out. Between classical music and chaos, tour bus and trauma, elation and angry ballads. In an interview with Ania Gleich, they talk about rip-off managers, genuine applause, strategic humility, and why it’s sometimes okay to just celebrate yourself. No matter how hard it hits or how much it hurts, this album doesn’t belong on a playlist, but on stage, and that’s exactly what makes it so special. To read the full interview in German, go to the mica – music austria article.
“Keep moving, don’t stand still: that became our way.” – ATZUR
AVA FINA – “WILD WOMAN” (NOW IS NOT FOREVER // Release date: January 16, 2025)
AVA FINA was last featured in mica Release Radar last year with “No Money” and is now releasing a new single, “Wild Woman.” It is part of the upcoming EP “Simultaneously Stimulating,” which will be released on April 10, 2026. “Wild Woman” goes deep and is a declaration of war on the attributions and beliefs that are ingrained in us, encouraging us to give ourselves what we need. “You’re a queen of your heart, of your soul, why do you treat your empire so poorly?” sings the Salzburg-based musician, setting the course for a life that wants to do justice to no one but herself. The mix and production of the release are by the luminary Sophie Lindinger (My Ugly Clementine, Leyya). AVA FINA’s EP release concert will take place on April 25 at Kramladen Vienna. So get your calendars out! But if you miss that, you’ll have the opportunity to see her at her showcase at the WAVES Festival Vienna 2026. To read the original text in German, go here.
BAITS – “ON THE RUN” (BAITS // Release date: January 16, 2026)
Baits release a refreshing punk rock single with “On The Run.” The lyrics leave it open as to whether they are a mantra or a final statement: “I have enough, I am enough, always enough,” and urge listeners not to take on too much: “Trying too hard will make you fail.” Baits have released three studio albums since 2021, the last of which (“All Filler No Killer”) was their first release on the Noise Appeal Records label – however, the band is releasing the new song independently again. Baits opened for Madsen at the Arena Wien last year on their 20th anniversary tour and will soon be playing several stages again: announced shows will take place in Munich (February 4), Cologne (February 5), Hamburg (February 6), and Berlin (February 7). To read the original text in German, go here.
SANNA FRANKIE – “YOU AND I” (RAIN RECORDS // RELEASE DATE: January 9, 2026)
sanna frankie’s talent is undeniable and immediately apparent in her music. The newcomer creates a cozy feeling in listeners, as if rain were drumming against the windows while you burrow into a book in your warm house. “You and I” combines skillful songwriting, floating vocals, and pop with a singer-songwriter feel to create a silky listening experience. Thematically, sanna frankie deals with the painful decision to let someone go as an act of self-love. The release is sanna frankie’s last single before her debut album entitled “ceberus” (release date: February 27, 2026) is released. To read the original text in German, go here.
Arianna Alfreds