Homegrown music with POPgroningen and Grunnsonic

''You don't have to look that far to find good music,'' says Sanne Smelt of POPgroningen. ''For the same money, your neighbour is in a rock good band''. Northern music is there to be heard, thinks POPgroningen. A club of people that gives local talent a voice. That is why they make every effort to promote it. Encourage. Acting as a catalyst, through development projects. They do this through working sessions, providing a network and arranging gigs, among other things. Everything to help the northern musician move forward.

They do this all year round, including during Eurosonic. Part of this three-day festival is Grunnsonic: a series of showcases of musicians from Groningen. POPgroningen has a leading role in this. ''There is plenty of talent in our local ponds. So these are artists who have visibly worked on their act over the past year. They are ready for it, can put down a set,'' says Sanne.

Part of Grunnsonic's aim is to highlight these artists and offer them stage experience. And thereby make them better known to the wider public, but also to professionals in the music world. ''We literally offer these artists a stage,'' says Sanne. ''After all, a booker also wants to see how a band plays. Of course, you can send the booker a music track from Spotify, but it's much better if he or she can see it with their own eyes.''

Logged out but not done with music yet? Quite understandable. Luckily, Groningen is a city of music all year round. So there are plenty of places where it's good to be musically. From jazz to rock and everything in between. Almost every day, someone will perform in a pub or café. Nice and cosy, small-scale, and here and there a musician on a street corner. If you prefer a bigger concert, next to Simplon you can also go to VERA and SPOT. Groningen always has music to your ears.