LaText are Petar Chukov (poetry, vocals, guitar), Elena Peneva (vocals, lyrics, synthesiser), Ivan S. Vulev (bass, vocals, poetry) and Grisha Manikatov (drums). The band was formed in 2012 as an experiment to explore how the poetry of one of Bulgaria’s most popular and award-winning contemporary poets – Petar Chukov – combined with various styles of rock music, without adhering to the classic song format. Subsequently, Elena Peneva and Ivan S. Vulev (himself a winner of the ‘Pegasus’ Grand Prize for Poetry in the ‘Southern Spring’ national competition for debut literature for his collection ‘Turn’). Over the past 11 years, LaText have performed in numerous Bulgarian clubs and at over 10 festivals, with other poets and musicians from Bulgaria, the USA, New Zealand and elsewhere joining them on stage as guests. In 2014, the band won the audience award at BNR’s “Golden Spring” with their track Shoot Me Again, and in 2023 their song “When She Talks About Sex”, along with its accompanying video, was named Song of the Month for February in BNT’s “New 10 + 2” chart.
