As Sunday, April 6 approaches, all eyes (and ears) are on IHO NYX, the band ready to electrify Sydney with a bold new concept concert dedicated entirely to Greek Rock.
Stepping away from their signature tribute performances, the group is diving deep into a genre that’s long resonated with emotion, rebellion and soul—but often sits outside the spotlight of traditional Greek music events.
Ahead of the show on Sunday at The Factory Theatre in Marrickville from 6.30pm, The Greek Herald spoke with frontman Adoni Petrandonakis about why now is the perfect time to celebrate Greek Rock’s legacy, and what audiences can expect.
What inspired you and the band to shift from your usual tribute format to a genre-focused concert, and why Greek Rock specifically?
Being part of the Greek Festival of Sydney event calendar provides us with an opportunity to connect with the local community on a broader platform. We felt that this year we should turn our focus on a very rich part of our musical culture that normally isn’t a focus point.
Greek Rock isn’t always front and centre in Hellenic music discussions. What do you think makes it such a powerful – and perhaps underrated – part of Greek music history?
The lyrics would be key I’d say. Quite often, they’re deeply rooted in the challenges and struggles of people across all parts of our community. The powerful lyrics are reinforced with soulful music that produce a very impactful result. Songs like “Fanis” can be very hard to sing at times due to its very emotional content.
The setlist spans from the 1970s to today. How did you go about selecting which songs and artists to include in the performance?
This was probably one of the most challenging elements in our preparation for this event. Our song choice will be relatable to all ages, as we focused on including a flavour from ballads to faster and more upbeat tunes from the past four decades. There’ll be many opportunities for the crowd to join in with us!
For audience members who might not be familiar with bands like Trypes or Xylina Spathia, what would you say they can expect to take away from the experience?
While there are samples from huge Greek rock bands like the two you’ve mentioned, a major part of our material will be by more mainstream artists that our audience will find very familiar. It’s actually quite surprising how many well-known songs fall into this category!
What do you hope this concert sparks — not just in terms of entertainment, but in the wider Greek Australian community’s relationship with Greek Rock and its cultural legacy?
It’s a fantastic opportunity for our audience to experience the power and depth of these songs. We also would like to see this as an opportunity to bring in closer members of our community that perhaps wouldn’t attend a more “traditional” set list!
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
I would like to thank The Greek Herald and yourself for always supporting us and getting our message out there. We would like to thank the Greek Festival of Sydney for their faith in us and of course, all of your readers and followers! A massive thank you to the IHO NYX team for the endless amount of work that has gone into preparing this show and a massive thank you to Carly Yelayotis for coming all the way from Melbourne to join us.
Event Details:
- EVENT: IHO NYX – A Greek Rock Tribute
- Date: Sunday 6 April 2025
- Venue: The Factory Theatre (105 Victoria Road, Marrickville New South Wales 2204)
- Tickets: $35 + BF – https://www.factorytheatre.com.au/event/greek-festival-greek-rock-tribute/
