Mood · Editorial
Music Culture & Opinion
Opinion, essays and cultural commentary on underground music, nightlife and the live music scene across Europe from the Mood editorial team.
Essays and arguments about the culture around the music - the economics of a night out, the sociology of a dancefloor, the history of rebetiko, and why European scenes look the way they do. This is where Mood steps back from the listings to make sense of them.
Who Are The Neighbourhood? The Band Behind 'Sweater Weather' Comes to Athens
The Neighbourhood formed in Newbury Park, California in 2011 and broke through with "Sweater Weather", a 2012 single that hit number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and found a second, larger audience on streaming a decade later. After four albums they went on indefinite hiatus in February 2022, announced their reunion in August 2025 and released (((((ultraSOUND))))) that November. Their first arena-scale world tour reaches Athens on Friday 25 June 2027, headlining the opening announcement of Release Athens 2027 at Markopoulo Complex - their first ever show in Greece. Tickets open Thursday 1 October at 12:00 from EUR 65.
Who Is Rishikanth? The Actor Behind Coolie and Modha Rathri
Rishikanth is a Tamil-cinema actor who spent close to fifteen years in supporting and background roles - including Coolie, where he played Rishi opposite Rajinikanth, and Indian 2: Zero Tolerance, as Harish - before headlining his first film, Modha Rathri, in 2026. Mood's own catalogue tracks nineteen credited titles for him, from his 2018 debut in Hero through Dorothy, Karthik Subbaraj's September 2026 release. This profile traces that fifteen-year run, the roles that built his profile, and where to find his full filmography on Mood.
Who Is Pogány Induló? The Hungarian Rapper Reviving Old-School Rap
Pogány Induló is the stage name of Szirmai Marcell, a Szeged, Hungary-born rapper who broke through in 2022 with old-school, sample-based rap rather than the trap-and-autotune sound common among his peers. Born June 1, 2005, he has since won the Fonogram Award and the Artisjus Award, headlined Budapest's 20,000-capacity MVM Dome at 18, and released three studio albums, most recently Valamit Majd Kitalálok in April 2026. Mood's own data tracks one confirmed live date for him outside Hungary, a February 2026 show in Amsterdam, and rates him well above that single booking on commerciality, reflecting a fanbase still concentrated almost entirely inside Hungary.
Who Is Bankzitters? The Dutch YouTube Group Now Filling Ziggo Dome
Bankzitters is a five-member Dutch group, Robbie van de Graaf, Milo ter Reegen, Raoul de Graaf, Koen van Heest and Matthyas het Lam, that began as a YouTube channel in 2017 and became a chart act after Je Blik Richting Mij topped the Dutch Top 100 in 2022. Since then they released two EPs, topped the charts again with Huisfeestje alongside Roxy Dekker, and repeatedly sold out Ziggo Dome, including a record seven-night residency booked for February 2027. Mood's own booking data tracks fifteen confirmed Bankzitters dates, from that arena run to festival bills with DI-RECT and Lil Kleine, and its enrichment model still reads the fanbase as concentrated mostly in the Netherlands and Flanders despite a fast-growing world tour.
Who Is Royal MusiQ? The South African Amapiano Producer Behind Uncle Waffles' Biggest Records
Royal MusiQ is a South African amapiano producer and DJ who built his profile as a recurring collaborator on Uncle Waffles' biggest records - Wadibusa, BAPHI, Zenzele and the 2026 joint EP 4 Da Streets - before graduating to co-billed artist status. His Spotify page lists over two million monthly listeners, though his real name and age are not confirmed by any reliable source. Mood tracks his genre tags, feature scores and a single past Amsterdam booking; there is currently no confirmed future Mood date for him. Following his Mood profile is the way to hear about any that get added.
Who Is Cannelle? The French Electropop Artist Behind "CINNA"
Cannelle is a French electropop artist from Aix-en-Provence who debuted with the single "LUCKY" in summer 2024 and released her first mixtape, "CINNA," in July 2026, produced largely by Oscar Scheller. Her sound pairs maximalist synth pop with a visual identity - pastel-blue hair, a self-built online persona - that predates her music career. A separate French R&B artist also performs as Cannelle, out of Montreuil, and is not covered here. Mood's booking data confirms two September 2026 European dates: a shared Paris bill with M¥SS KETA and a headline show at Berlin's Monarch Bar, both listed on her Mood artist page.
Who Is TRK? The Ivorian Rapper Behind Rap Ivoire's "Golden Boy"
TRK is an Ivorian rapper from Abidjan, signed to Diby Production, the label built by veteran rapper Didi B to develop new rap ivoire talent. He broke through in 2024 with the EP "B4 ROTY," and by 2025 his single "Golden Boy" had turned into the nickname the press still uses. Two 2026 releases, "Comment" and "Golden Boy 2," pushed him to the top of Apple Music's Côte d'Ivoire chart and into five other West African markets. His real name is disputed between sources, and he currently has no confirmed live dates on Mood, which tracks his profile, genre tags and the wider rap ivoire scene he belongs to.
Who Is Josh Fawaz? The Deep-House Producer Behind a Viral “Like a Prayer”
Josh Fawaz is an Australian deep-house and electronic producer who broke through in 2026 with club covers of Madonna's “Like a Prayer” and TLC's “No Scrubs.” “Like a Prayer” topped the iTunes Electronic chart worldwide, drawing both viral attention and a still-unresolved debate over whether the project is AI-generated (which we find to be nonsense). He has no confirmed live dates anywhere. Mood lists his releases and will surface any future show on his artist page, and tracks the deep-house scene his sound draws on across Europe.
A$AP Rocky in Athens: What to Expect at the Telekom Center Show
A$AP Rocky plays his first-ever Greek concert on 11 October 2026 at the Telekom Center Athens, the country's largest indoor arena and the closing night of his Don't Be Dumb world tour. The Harlem rapper - A$AP Mob founder, CFDA Fashion Icon and a 2026 Billboard number-one - brings a career-spanning arena show to Marousi. Tickets are sold by Ticketmaster Hellas; Mood lists the event and the rest of Athens's hip-hop calendar so you can plan the night around it.
Paradiso Amsterdam: Inside the Church-Turned-Music-Venue Since 1968
Paradiso Amsterdam is the city's most historically significant music venue - an 1880 church squatted by hippies in October 1967 and officially opened on March 30, 1968 as Cosmisch Ontspanningscentrum Paradiso. Until the 1990s it was Amsterdam's largest concert club, and the Rijksmonumentenregister listed it as a national monument in 1980. Today the venue runs roughly 600 events a year across rock, indie, electronic, jazz and hip-hop, with the main hall, the upstairs Kleine Zaal and the Tolhuistuin garden running parallel programming. June 2026 brings Mokum Records, Cabaret Voltaire and a Club Roto x Paradiso night; July hosts two Thievery Corporation dates and the Dekmantel Festival official night with Speedy J and Barker. Mood lists every Paradiso night with full lineup and ticket links.
Amsterdam Nightlife for Visitors: A Guide to the Real Scene
Amsterdam is one of Europe's deepest electronic music cities, but the version most visitors encounter - Red Light District bars, "coffee shop nightlife", touristy Leidseplein clubs - is the version locals actively avoid. The real scene runs out of warehouses and converted industrial spaces in Noord and the western docks. Radio Radio and Radion Amsterdam both score 0.9 on undergroundness in Mood's data, the top tier of the city's calendar. Garage Noord runs the most consistently queer-friendly programming in the underground tier, with queerness readings averaging 0.5-0.7 across the venue's tracked nights. This guide covers where the real clubs are, how to behave inside them, and the queer venues every visitor should know about.
Scorpios Mykonos: The Complete Summer 2026 Program
Scorpios Mykonos is the beachfront day-to-night venue in Paraga bay that programs 95 consecutive nights of melodic, afro and organic house between May 27 and September 1, 2026. The 2026 program includes Peggy Gou, WhoMadeWho, &ME, Henrik Schwarz, Adam Port, Rampa, Michael Bibi, RY X, Argy, Damian Lazarus and a full Innervisions label night with Âme, Dixon and Jimi Jules - anchored by a 20-date Lannka residency. Mood lists every Scorpios night with date, lineup and ticket-provider details on the venue's profile page.
What topics does Mood's editorial section cover?
Mood's editorial covers underground music culture, the sociology of nightlife, the economics of live music, rebetiko history, electronic music scenes across Europe, and opinion pieces on music technology and discovery.
Why is Athens's nightlife different from other European cities?
Athens nightlife peaks between 2 AM and 6 AM - later than Paris or Amsterdam. The city has more active music venues per capita than any other Southern European city and is the only major European city with a living rebetiko tradition.