Medimex 2026: from Pet Shop Boys’ synth to Suede’s Brit

From the elegant synth pop of the Pet Shop Boys to the rarefied atmospheres of Slowdivepassing through the Britpop of Suede and the punk legacy of Ramones: The Medimex 2026 transforms Taranto into a sound map that spans forty years of international music. From the 17 to 21 June the festival promoted by the Puglia Region and Puglia Culture as part of the Puglia Sounds activities will bring some of the most influential names on the world scene to the stage of the Rotonda del Lungomare Vittorio Emanuele III, in an edition that looks at 50 years of punk but also chooses to tell all its subsequent evolutions, including electronic, alternative rock and new contaminations (all the info on the complete program here).

The return to Italy of the Pet Shop Boys

Among the most anticipated events is the return to Italy of Pet Shop Boysprotagonists the June 20th with “Dreamworld The Greatest Hits Live“, the first date of the European summer tour and the only stop in Central-Southern Italy. For Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe it is a new chapter in a show that in recent years has sold out in the main international arenas, becoming a monumental celebration of their career and the synth pop aesthetic that has marked the music of the last forty years. The concert will go through some of the most iconic songs in the British duo’s repertoire, from “West End Girls” to “It’s a Sin”, passing through “Always on My Mind”, “Domino Dancing”, “Suburbia” and “Go West”, in a production that combines music, visuals, lights and scenography in perfect Pet Shop Boys style. A live performance conceived not only as a collection of hits, but as a true story of European pop culture from the 1980s to today an edition dedicated to fifty years of punk with an original production curated by Marc Urselli, sound engineer already alongside – among others – Lou Reed, Nick Cave, U2 and Elton John: the NYC Redux Band, a special project dedicated to the music of the Ramones presented as a world premiere on June 21st. Although far from the sonic imagery of dirty guitars and the urgency of New York’s CBGB, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have in fact always embodied a form of iconoclastic attitude capable of redefining the codes of mainstream pop through irony, electronic experimentation, queer aesthetics and social criticism. Their music has crossed eras and movements while maintaining the ability to speak to different audiences intact, transforming synth pop into a universal language. Tickets are available on Ticketone at this link and on Vivaticket.

The Agents of Time, set off from Puglia to conquer the world

On the same evening, that of June 20ththey will also take the stage Agents of Timea project born in Puglia and which in recent years has become one of the most recognizable Italian companies on the international electronic scene. Made up of Andrea Di Ceglie And Luigi Tutolothe duo – now permanently present in the main global clubbing circuits – represents one of the most significant musical stories to emerge from Southern Italy in the last decade: starting from Puglia, the Agents of Time have managed to conquer international festivals, dancefloors and line-ups thanks to a personal, immediately recognizable sonic language. Active since 2013, over the years they have built a path away from passing fads, developing a stylistic signature that combines house, techno, acid and melodic electronics in a balance capable of speaking both to club audiences and to more transversal listeners. Their productions move between cinematic tension, emotional atmospheres and dance pulses, with an approach that looks both to the European electronic tradition and to contemporary rave culture. The international growth of the project has been constant: from their debut in Italian clubs to their sets at the most important festivals and dancefloors in the world, Agents of Time have brought their sound to key events and venues on the global electronic scene, establishing themselves as one of the most exported Italian names in the sector. A path that has seen them collaborate with some of the most influential labels and platforms in international electronic music, while always maintaining a strong connection with their Mediterranean identity. Presence at Medimex 2026 therefore also takes on a symbolic value: the homecoming of a project born in Puglia and capable of transforming into a global phenomenon. The live set scheduled for June 20th at the Rotonda del Lungomare Vittorio Emanuele III promises a sonic journey that crosses house, techno and acid with the usual melodic and visionary imprint that has made the duo recognizable on international stages. A concert that fits perfectly into the spirit of this edition of Medimex, built precisely on the idea of ​​crossing different musical worlds and telling how local scenes can become universal languages. Tickets are available on Ticketone at this link and on Vivaticket.

Suede and Slowdive on the same stage

The June 21st instead it will be the day dedicated to alternative British sounds. In fact, two bands will arrive in Taranto with the only joint date in our country, both born in the United Kingdom but capable of profoundly influencing the global scene. On the one hand Suedeled by Brett Anderson, a band that symbolized the Britpop explosion of the early Nineties: a movement that brought the guitar back to the center of British pop culture, transforming the group’s urban, decadent and theatrical aesthetic into a truly generational imaginary. On the other hand Slowdiveabsolute pioneers of shoegaze, a sound language that revolutionized the way of understanding the electric guitar. Their compositions build expanded soundscapes, where voices blend with deep reverberations and melodies emerge as suspended fragments, almost dissolved in the sound. Tickets are available on Ticketone at this link and on Vivaticket.

Marc Urselli’s project dedicated to punk

Ideally closing the circle will be one of the most anticipated original productions of this edition: the NYC Redux Bandspecial project curated by Marc Ursellihistoric producer and sound engineer who during his career has worked with Lou Reed, Nick Cave, U2 and Elton John. The project, which will be presented as a world premiere on the same evening as the Suede and Slowdive concerts, the June 21stit will make homage to the Ramones and the punk revolution that started in New York fifty years ago. The performance of the NYC Redux Band promises to restore that original energy through a contemporary lens, bringing together executive rigor, curatorial vision and a production sensitivity that bears the signature of Urselli. A live performance designed for the big stage, but also to tell how punk, born as a gesture of rupture, has become a shared cultural heritage over time. Tickets are available on Ticketone at this link and on Vivaticket.

Tickets and season tickets

Tickets for the Medimex 2026 concerts are available on Ticketone at this link and on Vivaticket. Tickets for single dates are also available (the one on June 20th with Pet Shop Boys and Agents of Time and the one on June 21st with Suede, Slowdive and NYC Redux Band: the cost for tickets is 30 euros plus presale fees and any additional commissions) what subscriptions (at a more advantageous price: 40 euros instead of the 60 you would have to spend to buy tickets for the two dates).

The panels and showcases

Alongside the major international live shows, Medimex 2026 will offer a busy calendar of showcases dedicated to the most interesting projects of the new Apulian and national scene. Among other activities, from 18 to 20 June the first edition of Medimex Hip Hop Laba project coordinated by Reverendo and Django Music, which includes masterclasses and talks with Shablo, Murubutu, Davide Shorty and Gep Caserta. The review of Antonio Diodato “Le Strade del Mediterraneo”, with concerts by Sara Gioielli, Davide Ambrogio and Sam Galbi. All appointments are free: further information and access methods are available on the website Medimex. This year too, Medimex will host a great event show. After the one dedicated to Amy Winehouse last year, this time it’s the turn of one exhibition on the impact of punk and the Ramones. “Roberta Bayley: The Ramones, CBGB’s and New York City”, this is the title of the exhibition, will be open from 17 June to 5 July at the MArTA in Taranto. The photos are those of Roberta Bayleywhich witnessed firsthand the explosion of punk and the rise of the Ramones.

Taranto capital of music for five days

With its mix of exclusive concerts, original productions, training and cultural contaminations, Medimex 2026 confirms itself as one of the most important musical events on the Italian and European scene. Medimex, International Festival & Music Conference is promoted by the Puglia Region and Puglia Culture as part of the project for the development of the regional music system Puglia Sounds, an intervention financed with resources from the POC 2021-2027 Rotation Fund in the framework of the agreement between Puglia Culture and the Puglia Region Tourism Section, an event organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism – National Single Tourism Fund, with the support of SIAE – Italian Society of Authors and Publishers, with the patronage Rai media partner Radio Rai.