Sunday Music Show | All stories

Lazer Viking are very much the brainchild of Jakub Kaifosz, who also records with Wild Tides and is a Radio Wave DJ. Following Radical Karaoke (2015) and Flesh Cadillac (2016, in collaboration with Sabreheart), Lazer Viking have just released their wonderful third LP, Drag, on which Kaifosz is now backed by a band. The new collection again showcases the Prague musician’s topnotch songwriting, excellent vocals and guitar-playing and – with song titles such as Hum and Rattle and The Last Waltz – deep immersion in pop culture.

On the eve of International Roma Day, Radio Prague is featuring music by some of the country’s best Romany singers.

Czech singer and songwriter Zuzana Michnová, one of the most distinct vocalists on the Czech folk rock scene, is celebrating her 70th birthday. The legendary singer is perhaps best known for her long-time collaboration with the folk band Marsyas.

Long before the term world music became widely used the brother-and sister duo Petr and Hana Ulrychovi played Moravian folk songs with electric guitars. Later, in search of a more authentic sound, they introduced acoustic instruments as well. The band Javory, which they established 45 years ago, is still going strong largely because of their ability to merge different genres and present Moravian folk songs in a different light, making them attractive to a younger audience. This year Hana and Petr are celebrating 55 years on stage and more than 30

Věra Bílá died of a heart attack this week, days before her scheduled comeback tour. The Roma singer, who was widely regarded as a great talent and once sang to sold out audiences across the world, spent the last years of her life heavily in debt and living in a lodging house. Since her death, many have said that her songs will forever live on as exceptional examples of the world music genre.

Today’s Sunday Music Show is dedicated to winners of the Czech music industry's annual Anděl awards. Among them are The Atavists, named Discovery of the Year and winners of the Rock Album of the Year, for Lo-Fi Life, their second LP. Also in the programme are rock giants Lucie, whose disc EvoLucie was awarded Album of the Year; funk stalwarts Monkey Business (Band of the Year); Ty Nikdy (Best Rap Album) Barbora Poláková (female Singer of the Year) and Miro Žbirka (male Singer of the Year).

Karel Kryl, perhaps the greatest Czech protest singer ever, was born on this day 75 years ago. Kryl’s spare and highly poetic songs such as Bratříčku zavírej vrátka (Close the Gate, Little Brother), composed in the wake of the Soviet-led invasion of 1968, reflected the frustrations of many Czechoslovaks and remain popular to this day. This year is also the 25th anniversary of the folk artist’s premature death at the age of 49.

The roots of Czechoslovak punk stretch 40 years back, to a concert of an alternative band called Extempore. The gig took place on February 23, 1979 in a Prague pub U Zábranských, and featured several cover versions of well-known punk hits. How has the Czech punk scene developed since then? And does punk music still resonate with today’s audiences? Find out more in this edition of Sunday Music Show.

Václav Hudeček got his first violin at the age of five and at 15 he performed at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The exceptionally talented young man studied at the Prague Music Conservatory and was one of David Oistrakh’s last students. In a career spanning more than half a century Hudeček has performed the world over, playing in the most prestigious venues and appearing at festivals in Europe, Japan, and Australia. Hudeček has also presented master classes in Canada, Germany, and Japan, and runs an annual academy for promising young Czech

Czech pop-singer Václav Neckář is perhaps best-known for his role of Jiří Hrma in the Oscar-winning film Closely Watched Trains by Jiří Menzel. He enjoyed his biggest popularity as a singer in the 1960s and 1970s as part of the Golden Kids trio. Despite recently turning 75, Neckář continues to perform and sell out concert halls all around the country.