Rock Monsters Romania

The East European Rock Alliance (EERA) is a groundbreaking international initiative designed to support and empower young and emerging rock artists across Eastern Europe. Funded by the European Union, this ambitious project brings together Romania, Poland, and Slovakia in a unique cross-border collaboration. EERA 2025 aims to ignite the region’s rock scene, blending raw talent with established icons to shape the future of rock music.

Today, we’re talking to Heľenine Oči, one of the bands in the East European Rock Alliance (EERA) project. This dynamic group from Slovakia is known for their high-energy fusion of rock, ska, reggae, folk, and metal, drawing festival crowds of all ages and musical backgrounds. With around 100 shows a year, they’ve taken their music beyond Slovakia and the Czech Republic, performing at festivals and venues across Poland, the Netherlands, the U.S., England, and Ireland.

Although you’ve performed in Romania before, many of us are still discovering your music. What should the Romanian audience know about Heľenine Oči, and what makes your music stand out to catch the attention of those who haven’t heard you yet?

We try to approach music as a whole. We never set the boundaries or limit ourselves to a specific style or genre. You can feel that in our songs and our performances in which we try to bring this fusion to life in a way that works and feels fulfilling both for us and for our fans. We love playing live, and the audience can definitely feel that energy at our shows.

For those who haven’t listened to you yet, which song or album would you recommend as the perfect introduction to the world of Heľenine Oči?

CD Cirkus 22

Heľenine Oči is a band that defies categorization, blending rock, ska, reggae, folk, and metal. How do you think this musical diversity will resonate with Romanian audiences, considering our own eclectic music scene?

That’s exactly why we believe our music has a place on the Romanian scene – because we blend multiple genres, including Slovak folklore, which we incorporate into our songs, just like Balkan influences. When you mix that with a bit of ska, rock, and metal, you get Heľenine Oči. But in the end, we invite everyone to come to our show and make their own mind about what genre we play.

Beyond your eclectic musical style, you’re known for your incredible live energy. What can the Romanian audience expect from a Heľenine Oči concert?

We’ve been working on our live performance for a long time, focusing on the connection and interaction between the band and the audience. That’s what we love the most. Every year, we try to take our stage presence a step further. We enjoy the energy and the fact that people can let loose at our shows.

You’ve already had concerts in Romania. How did you feel the Romanian audience reacted compared to other countries, and what made you want to come back?

Since we’ve always played in Romania with the band Dirty Shirt, most of the audience has been metal fans, which is a style we only touch on a little bit as a band. But despite that, we felt like they were having a great time at our shows and really engaging with us. That gives us even more motivation to introduce ourselves to the Romanian audience on a bigger scale. After these first shows in Romania, we can definitely say—Romanian metalheads are awesome! 😆

On February 28, 2025, you’ll be performing at Club Quantic in Bucharest alongside Dirty Shirt and Łydka Grubasa as part of the EERA – East European Rock Alliance tour. What are your expectations for this concert, and how are you preparing to give the Romanian audience a memorable experience?

We’re preparing a new live set for 2025, and the shows within the EERA project will be its premiere. We’ve included a brand-new song in the set, inspired by our concerts in Romania.

The EERA project includes, beyond the tour, cultural initiatives like workshops and a dedicated festival. How do you see the impact of these efforts on the Eastern European rock scene, and what role does Heľenine Oči play in promoting collaboration among bands in the region?

In Slovakia, we’re an established band, and through the EERA project, we’re connecting with other foreign bands on a similar level. The experience we can pass on to younger bands gives them valuable insights that we didn’t have when we were starting out, making their journey easier. At the same time, for us as a band, the workshop is a great opportunity to see how other bands work or how they think, how they approach band management, and how they operate in general. We see our role in the region especially through our festival, Helfest, where we invite bands not only from Eastern Europe but also from Western Europe, helping to spread awareness and bring diversity to the audience. We also aim to educate and cultivate our listeners by offering them a variety of musical experiences. By inviting Western European bands, we help broaden their horizons when it comes to the Eastern European and Slovak music scene. Our goal is to go beyond the borders of Eastern Europe and shape our festival’s lineup with a Europe-wide reach.

In 2023, you launched your own festival, Helfest, in Slovakia. Are you considering expanding this concept to other countries, maybe even Romania, given the growing interest in your music?

We want to focus on creating a well-crafted, top-notch festival in Slovakia. Since the festival is also a celebration of our birthday, we want to give visitors a unique experience. This festival is for them. I believe we’re on the right track, and since every edition so far has been sold out, the bar is set high.

What message would you send to the Romanian audience who might not know you yet but are open to discovering something new and different in the music scene?

There’s really only one thing to say here – come to our show and see for yourself! We’re one of the most energetic and most attended Slovak bands. We absolutely love playing live, and we hope to share that joy with the Romanian fans who decide to come and see us live.

Do you have any message for the people who are reading this interview?

Three amazing bands, from three different countries, in three cities, over three days! And since we all know that three is a lucky magical number – grab two more friends and come join us. 😊

Interview by Ionela Pleșan and Radu Mihai