The Austrian music scene has a long memory. Anyone flipping through concert calendars these days will find bands that became big forty, fifty years ago and still fill venues. Alongside them are groups that have returned after long breaks. Two of these are the centrepiece of our report: the Styrian-Viennese New Wave band Minisex and the Viennese dialect rockers Alkbottle. Add to that some big names of Austropop.

Minisex: Eismeer, Spion and a Rudi who should pay attention

The band was founded in 1978 in Styria. It became a cult band of the Neue Deutsche Welle in Austria. Frontman Rudi Nemeczek, born in 1955, is still the face of the group. Anyone who hears the opening bars of "Rudi gib acht", "Du kleiner Spion", "Eismeer" or "Ich fahre mit dem Auto" usually sings along immediately. That was already the case at earlier open-air events, such as in Wiesen in Burgenland: there the audience proved to be remarkably word-perfect.

In the 1980s, according to the band's own account, Minisex played around 250 concerts and then stopped. In 2014, they got back together for a new album. Since then, the setlist has included the newer album "Reduziert" and the old classics, plus "Millionen zählen nicht". The band's motto is "Loud, wild and proud". Techno veteran Christopher Just and keyboardist Martin Mader have joined the core line-up with Hannes Seidl, Walter Marchart and Tommy Böröcz. The result is what the band calls "Electro meets New Wave", plus sing-along choruses and a fairly laid-back sound.

Next Vienna date: On Friday, 4 December, Minisex will play at the Vienna club Chelsea. Admission is at 8 pm, the show starts at 9 pm. Pre-sale tickets cost 32 euros; the price at the door was not yet confirmed.

Alkbottle: The beer night man is coming

Anyone who thinks Christmas is quiet and contemplative doesn't know Alkbottle. In the early 90s, the band brought hard rock, metal and punk with "cheeky" Viennese dialect lyrics to the masses. By now they've been around for over thirty years. After a seven-year break, they celebrated their comeback with three sold-out nights at Vienna's U4. They then played open-air festivals like Heavy Mölltal and Brain Bridge for the first time in nine years.

Now the "Biernachtstour" (Beer Night Tour) is heading through Austria again. Announced hits include "6 Bier", "Fliesenlegen" and "Blader, fetter, Lauter & a bissl mehr". The organisers also promise a Christmas tree massacre and angels with whips. For those who prefer things a bit quieter, there are rare "UnBottled" unplugged evenings. The band's website recently listed dates in Vienna and Graz for these.

  • Fri, 4 December: Friedrichhalle Großpetersdorf (Burgenland). Tickets available from oeticket from 30.38 euros.
  • Mon, 7 December: Freiraum St. Pölten. Start 7:30 pm, pre-sale 36 euros (concession 34 euros).
  • Fri, 11 December: VZ Komma, Wörgl. Start 8 pm, tickets 39 euros.
  • Thu, 17 and Fri, 18 December: U4 Vienna ("Biernächte in Meidling"). Admission 6:30 pm, start 8 pm, pre-sale 38 euros, door price 42 euros.

The veterans: Cornelius, Ambros, Bukowski, Goisern

In addition to the two cult bands, several songwriters from the early Austropop years are on tour. Peter Cornelius, born in Vienna in 1951, celebrated his 75th birthday in January and has been touring with his band since under the title "!ZEiTLOS!". The programme includes songs such as "Reif für die Insel", "Segel im Wind" and "Du entschuldige i kenn di". The tour has taken him to Innsbruck, Bregenz, Linz, Graz and Eisenstadt, among other places. Most recently he was a guest at the Arena Nova in Wiener Neustadt. The big finale takes place from 5 to 7 November at Vienna's Stadthalle, Hall F, each at 8 pm. On the Stadthalle website, only Thursday had tickets available recently, with none left for Friday. Anyone who still wants to go should check quickly.

Wolfgang Ambros is also performing live, usually with "die No. 1 vom Wienerwald". On his website, autumn dates include 14 November at Kulturhaus Knittelfeld and "Ambros pur!" on 23 November at Toscana Congress Gmunden. Further "Ambros pur!" evenings follow on 24 November (Ried im Innkreis) and 26 November (Gersthofen, Germany). Dates for 2027 have already been announced, including Burgarena Finkenstein on 28 August and Donaubühne Tulln.

Boris Bukowski, who will turn eighty in 2026, celebrated this in August with the anniversary evening "Legenden des Austropop" in Wiesen. Also on the bill were Reinhold Bilgeri, Minisex and the Schick Sisters with Opus mastermind Ewald Pfleger. For the Vienna area, a concert with his "bunten Hunde" is listed at SiMM City, with pre-sale price of 47 euros.

It's also worth looking ahead: Hubert von Goisern, now 73, returns in 2027 after a three-year break from performing with the tour "Zu leise? & Zu laut!". Important dates include Brucknerhaus Linz on 25 April (tickets 54.50 to 75.90 euros), Vienna's Konzerthaus on 26 April and Toscanapark Gmunden on 11 June.

Concerts you shouldn't miss

  • Minisex at Chelsea (4 December): a chance to hear 80s hits from the original line-up live.
  • Alkbottle at U4 (17 and 18 December): the biggest show of the Beer Night Tour in the capital. If you want tickets, you should be quick, as the U4 dates sold out during the comeback.
  • Peter Cornelius at Stadthalle (5 to 7 November): an anniversary with songs that many of us know.
  • Wolfgang Ambros: dates in November, with Burgarena and Donaubühne continuing in 2027.
  • Hubert von Goisern 2027: book early – the tour has almost 40 fixed dates.

A tip to finish

Note that Minisex at Chelsea and Alkbottle in Großpetersdorf are playing on the same evening, 4 December. If you want to see both, you'll have to choose. Before buying tickets, it's worth checking the organisers' websites, as prices and availability change constantly. The prices mentioned are pre-sale prices according to the organisers' websites cited.

Further information: alkbottle.at | Chelsea Vienna | Peter Cornelius | Wolfgang Ambros

Sources: ntry.at, www.chelsea.co.at, www.schnappen.at, www.alkbottle.at, www.oeticket.com, www.freiraum-stp.at, www.u4.at, laendleticket.com