Swiss Review 3/2021

Swiss Review / June 2021 / No.3 23 everyone will want to see in a few years’ time.” If their futures are in doubt, then there will be a dearth of talent. Sputnik Sushi is therefore waiving its performance fee, like many other Ghost Festival acts. Money that will help others instead. “We need to support those who are earn- ing absolutely nothing at themoment.” Money for nothing? Two purchased tickets to the Ghost Festival lie here on my editor’s desk – as do a few newspaper articles that have taken the event to task. Com- ments range from “fraud” to “muting the musicians instead of giving them a voice”. According to “Weltwoche”, theGhost Festival is a “shameless form recover. “Itmeans that the long-term prospects of getting work are bleak for creative artists like me.” Instead of light at the end of the tunnel, all she sees is a murky darkness. There is nothing to look forward to. No straws to clutch. Szanto is of course not the only one to have felt this way during the pandemic. “But the expe- rience for artists like me has been particularly hard, I would say.” Boulevard of broken dreams Zurich band Sputnik Sushi is one of themany small acts that featured on the Ghost Festival poster. The four- piece prefers to perform at minor venues, combining cover versions from the 1940s to the 1990s with Americana influences and their own rough-and-ready material. Sputnik Sushi’s double bassist Daniel Reichlin knows that he and his fellow band members are relatively lucky. At least they have a concert scheduled for Sep- tember 2021, albeit one that may or may not take place. Reichlin wonders how many of the acts mentioned on the Ghost Festival poster will still be performing after the pandemic. Small, ambitious amateur formations like Sputnik Sushi should not have too many problems, he says. Bands like his live for music, but not for the money. Headline acts are also sitting pretty. “However, there is currently huge pres- sure on all the young, talented profes- sional musicians who may still be starting out. These are the acts that Had it been a real festival, Bernese folk rockers Kummerbuben would have showcased their new album “Itz mau Apo- kalypse” (Apocalypse now). Photo provided