MQ Tunes:
Concert: Onk Lou

Wed 18.06., 19.30h l MQ Summer Stage, Main Courtyard
Free entry

If Joe Cocker and John Mayer had made “Sweet Love,” the result would probably be Onk Lou – the “Pizza Fritta” of the Austrian music scene. He had already played over 500 oncerts before stepping into the music circus of management and record deals. With his distinctive voice, effortlessly spanning every octave between Tom Waits and Bon Iver, he has left a lasting mark on the Austrian music landscape. His first summer hit came with “In the Morning” (2017), and his song “Like 16” (2020) held the #1 spot on the Ö3 Austrocharts for 16 weeks. In 2018, he was named “Songwriter of the Year” by the Austrian Composers Association, and his album “Bogus” earned him an Amadeus Award nomination.

When all stages shut down in 2020, he created his own: cycling across Austria, he brought his music directly to fans through COVID-compliant garden concerts. “Alles für Rock ’n’ Roll” (“All for Rock ’n’ Roll”) is not just his spirit – it’s also the opening line of the documentary “Curtain Down: Concerts in a Closed World,” which he filmed with video journalist Robert Ziffer Teschenbruck during the tour. The film, a time capsule of a unique moment, aired on ORF and Sat.1. When venues reopened, he took the stage with rapper Dame on the main stage of Nova Rock and toured from Hamburg to Paris, sharing stages with artists like Birdy and Kula Shaker. In spring 2024, he appeared as the opening act for Aut of Orda.

Just as multifaceted as his career is his songwriting, which once again breaks down dusty genre boundaries on his new album “Midnight.” The range spans from hard-hitting rock tracks (“Headstarters”), emotional ballads (“Eileen”), to feel-good pop songs like “Saturday” and “Waiting,” the latter released as the first single in April 2024. The precursor EP “Before Midnight” (2023) already offered a glimpse into Onk Lou’s musical evolution. Still, he remains true to his roots: the “Do It Yourself” spirit that led him to start his first band at age 11 is reaching new heights in 2024. Turning his back on the traditional music industry, he founded his own label MoreThanBones Records (03/2024) and produced most of “Midnight” in the in-house studio of his brother, producer Constantin Weiser.

Picture: © Philip Pesic