Dionysis Savvopoulos is coming to the Rockwave Festival

“The guys with the hair and the black clothes…” The Rockwave Festival celebrates 30 years of life this year by honoring Dionysius Savvopoulos

Dionysis Savvopoulos is coming to Rockwave Festival “to mix old and burning tracks with the rock of our future”!

Dionysis Savvopoulos, father and soul of Greek verse and song, comes to expand the circle of his musical journey with two historic appearances.

A journey full of colors, stories and melodies that touched and united thousands of hearts and lives meets with a festival – an institution that in 2025 celebrates its own journey.

The Rockwave Festival celebrates 30 years of life this year by honoring Dionysis Savvopoulos for the path he opened in Greek rock and his contribution to music.

It is, therefore, an honorable and moving meeting which will take place in not one but two Rockwave stages.

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The Saturday, June 14 at Terra Vibe in Athens and the Saturday, June 21 at Terra Republic in Thessaloniki. A concert for “the kids with the hair and the black clothes…” and a return to his homeland that was unpredictable and especially subversive – how else would Nyonios do it?

On June 21, at the vernal equinox, he will celebrate World Music Day with us at the first Rockwave Festival in the history of the festival to be held in Thessaloniki. A rock collaboration to remember that “this is the Balkans, it’s not play and laugh”.

THE Dionysis SavvopoulosGreek composer, lyricist and songwriter, was born on December 2, 1944 in beautiful Thessaloniki and since then he has been surprising himself, his family and the public with his extreme honesty and the courage of his opinion. The first signs were already visible when, still a young student, he decided to leave the Law School to pursue his passion, music.

He started performing in 1964 writing bold songs with political, emotional and historical content. He was present with the youth of the 60’s when he was reacting strongly against the authorities, giving voice to repressed feelings and expressing the concerns of an entire generation.

Dionysis Savvopoulos became the main exponent of this persistent demand for change, a symbol of his generation and a source of inspiration for the next. As Manos Hadjidakis had said to Lefteris Papadopoulos:

“I consider Savvopoulos the most important representative of your generation that succeeded ours.”

With his innovative, daring lyrics, his inimitable musical compositions, and his characteristic voice all sweetness and roughness, like his look and opinions – which have so often been criticized both by the public and, or even predominantly, by the same.

Dionysis Savvopoulos established a new school in Greek songwriting. His timbre and compositional approach, where folk, “light” singing and traditional music meet rock culture created a sound and style that was completely unconventional. Revolutionary for its time and place.

Deeply rooted in social and cultural developments, his work remains a benchmark, continuing to inspire and influence generations of artists from then until today. Leading creators such as Alcinoos Ioannidis, Katsimihaioi and Sokratis Malamas have cited Dionysis Savvopoulos as an important influence, which is proven by most of their recording and live collaborations.

In a special concert designed exclusively for the 30th anniversary of the Rockwave Festival, Dionysis Savvopoulos will take us on a journey through his first artistic period through songs that marked his rock phase, such as “Black Sea” and “Jackal” while he will paint us with his voice “Ball”. A 17 minute track which he has described as:

“A more synthetic form of song… With Ballos’ music, I move around like a singer in the Balkans that I have in my mind. I’m going to the Black Sea, Bucharest and Constanta. I also go to Athens and Ankara. My song is an image, so to speak, that can walk alone…».

Another memorable track is “Zeibekiko” from the iconic album “Dirty Bread” (1972). According to the creator himself, “Zeibekiko” was written at a time when the anniversary of the Asia Minor Disaster was being silenced due to the junta. Three years later, he decided to re-record it, this time with the participation of Sotiria Bellou, on the album “10 Chronia Kommatia”. Their collaboration was not just a musical partnership; it was a “union of souls” that gave birth to a song-symbol, bringing back to the fore an entire historical memory. A moment that proved that one song is enough to make history.