Emergenza was first held in 1994, being the world’s largest musical festival for up-and-coming unsigned bands. All groups, of any kind and origin, can participate, performing their own original songs. Its qualifying rounds are held in over 20 countries, including Europe, the USA and Japan. The winner then records an album and tours Europe.
The Belarusian band received a ticket to Moscow after winning a Belarusian qualifying round, held in Minsk in March. In Moscow, No Comment met 12 contestants from various Russian regions, performing in front of an authoritative jury. “The major factor for the band’s success was its monolithic approach in all respects,” noted jury member Andrey Shteinmark, who helps organise Emergenza’s Russian round. “Some featured slightly stronger musicians and others had more interesting songs and worked better with the audience but No Comment succeeded all round to score the highest possible points.”
The finals are to be hosted by Germany in August, as part of the Taubertal Festival — one of the largest open air German events. No Comment will be performing its positive funky rock in English. The band was founded in Minsk in 2009 and, in late May 2011, released a video of its I Wanna Be Madonna and a mini-album — available for download from its official website.
