Domplatz Open-Air: Pop am Dom

From classical music to punk cabaret, from indie rock to electro excess: for one weekend, the Domplatz St. Pölten will be a playground for music that pushes stylistic and emotional boundaries. The Tonkünstler-Orchester kicks things off with ‘Friends’ and a lively evening centred around the theme of wine. Two days later, the open air culminates in a musical state of emergency: The Dresden Dolls crown the line-up at Pop am Dom – with expressive power and theatrical furore. Jehnny Beth brings dark art rock and electronic energy to the stage, Dry Cleaning deliver British post-punk with fine linguistic acrobatics – and the St. Pölten-based Laundromat Chicks provide a brilliant start to the evening with their anthemic indie songs.

The cult band The Dresden Dolls from Boston, founded by Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione, have been writing music history for 25 years. Between punk, chanson and vaudeville, they have created a refuge of artistic freedom in which extravagance and vulnerability dance together. Their sound is characterised by Palmer's intense piano playing, her unmistakable vocals and Viglione's energetic drums. Under the self-chosen label ‘Brechtian punk cabaret’, they show staging instead of illusion and thematise the search for identity, the exploration of personal and social boundaries as well as heartbreaking self-doubt. Their live

Their live album A Is for Accident from 2003 was still raw foreplay. With their studio debut The Dresden Dolls (2003) and the singles Girl Anachronism and Coin-Operated Boy, they achieved their breakthrough shortly afterwards. With Yes, Virginia ... (2006) and No, Virginia ... (2008), they expanded their repertoire with gothic vaudeville gems. Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione are also successful in their solo careers, but The Dresden Dolls remains a project close to their hearts: ‘It's not about nostalgia - it's an open account,’ says Viglione provocatively. In St. Pölten, they will finally be on stage together again: an experience for sworn fans and new discoverers alike!

A tornado of noise rock and electro: that's Jehnny Beth. The French singer rose to fame with the post-punk band Savages. In 2020, she released her acclaimed solo debut To Love Is to Live: industrial pads, fragile piano motifs, brute guitar riffs and electronic excesses combine to create a musical borderline experience. Her voice sounds sometimes powerful, sometimes just as distorted as the guitars. The lyrics about power, sexuality and loneliness go as deep as the bass drum and bass. Beth's concerts are pure ecstasy according to the motto More Adrenaline (2023): Instruments outdo each other, only to finally subordinate themselves to Beth's voice – somewhere between primal scream and rock aria. Beth ventures into the depths of the soul and yet scales unimagined heights of performance art.

Dry Cleaning catapults post-punk poetry into the spotlight with dry satire and clean wordplay. At the centre: spoken word genius Florence Shaw. Founded in 2017, the London quartet quickly became a cult act. After two DIY EPs, the album New Long Leg 2021 was their breakthrough. They let distorted guitars screech and soft synth clouds roll in. Shaw demonstrates a perfect feel for phrasing in lyrical collages that range from consumer criticism to gender role frustration, setting her audience in brilliant chains of association.

Originally from St. Pölten, the band Laundromat Chicks have long been at home on the underground stages of Europe. In May, the group led by songwriter Tobias Hammermüller played their first major tour of France and England, where they thrilled indie fans with their fearless mix of jangle pop and power pop anthems. With Trouble (2022), Lightning Trails (2023) and Sometimes Possessed (2025), they have already delivered three albums full of charming, biting and catchy songs. A promising start!

The Domplatz open-air concerts are an expression of a lively collaboration between the city of St. Pölten, the province of Lower Austria and the Festspielhaus. As lasting signals from the focus year Culture St. Pölten 2024, these trend-setting projects show how culture can have a direct impact on the city.

The detailed schedule will be published here soon.