Seasoned festival goers have one answer to this question: nothing and no one. If you organize your time well, you can watch virtually all concerts and use the pass to its full potential. However, if you are going to Katowice, knowing only two or three headliners and you just want to have a good time, but you also don't want to miss what the Internet will be buzzing about a few weeks after the festival, use our tips.
To be on OFF Festival and not watch even a fragment of her performance? Don't make this mistake! Is that GraceJones she is an “icon” and a “legend”, you may have heard her songs more times, but that's probably because… she really is a pop culture icon and a living legend. A model, actress, singer who would probably do many other things with the same success if she had some free time. “May Day” from “A View to a Kill” was the muse of, among others, Andy Warhol and the controversial photographer Helmut Newton, and years later it also turned out to be an inspiration for many contemporary artists.
On the one hand, Grace is able to seduce listeners and, on the other hand, serve them crazy disco rhythms. The singer also knows how to surprise, because the 75-year-old is in better shape at concerts than many colleagues half her age. Moreover, the group Klaxons, which once had a bet with Grace backstage at another Polish festival, can say a lot about this. The star did such stunts backstage that the musicians rubbed their eyes in amazement. It's true that this happened several years ago, but Jones can hula hoop on stage even today, so she would probably repeat her behind-the-scenes feat without any problems.
Even if you go to this concert and put in earplugs – not that there is a reason – you will have a better time than at many shows with sound. Group Future Islands She delighted the world for good when she appeared on an American talk show – and not even with a song, which soon became a hit. Singer Samuel Herring moved in such a way that the “Dancing with the Stars” jury would have their jaws on the floor at the sight of his feats, and the audience couldn't believe that it was possible to come up with such choreography. Fortunately, it wasn't a one-time stunt. He simply can't stand still on stage, which makes it impossible to watch the group's concerts without a smile on his face.
Of course, let's not forget about the soundtrack of these contortions, because the crew sounds as original and great as they look. Future Islands mix delicate electronics with guitars, and Herring, who can both sing a lullaby and scream like a true punk rocker, enhances it all with his voice. The effect is that you know what to expect from such a concert, but you still come out surprised. The group will definitely play something from the new album “People Who Aren't There Anymore”, so it's even more worth catching Future Islands at OFF Festvalu.
Imagine entering a baroque or even medieval church with the organ playing. Suddenly, the drums join them, and after a while a man comes on stage and sings his stories with a baritone. Madness? No, that's what concerts are like John Maus. Well, maybe apart from this church. A former philosophy lecturer who fell in love with creating music is one of the most interesting performers you will see at this year's OFF Festival – and the competition is really tough. Some will find references to 80s synth pop in John's music, others will feel as if they were listening to a new incarnation of Ian Curtis. Either way, we recommend the singing philosopher and doctor of political science – not only during lectures.
Imagine that you are moving into a new apartment, one that is quite a few years old. You open the closet and see that the previous tenant left there old CDs, recorded by himself. One of them has a large inscription, carelessly written in black marker: “MTV, 1994.” Curious, you put the disc into the player, press “play”, and the first sounds of the disc play from the speakers. Music George Clanton sounds like everything you could hear in such a situation. The artist is associated with vaporwave, a genre in which musicians reach for older sounds and build new songs based on them. Clanton, however, argues that he does not do it mockingly, as some people do. For example, he uses inspirations from the 90s and creates quite serious songs that sometimes sound like a new incarnation of Moby, and sometimes like pop hits of popular boy bands, but with a hint of nostalgia, like Lana Del Rey's. It sounds interesting? Then don't miss George on stage, you won't regret it!
One could say that “they will be talked about”, if it weren't for the fact that… they are already loud. Glass Beams They've been making quite a stir on the alternative scene lately, and it just so happens that this group's music sounds best live. Glass Beams don't invent gunpowder, they play everything you've probably heard before, somewhere, from someone. However, they do it as if they had just discovered these sounds – and you along with them. The father of the group's leader, Rajan Silva, moved from India to Australia in the 1970s. There he learned completely new music, including The Beatles, and at the same time listened to what he knew well from his youth. Now imagine that your son soaked up such an original mixture. One day he was listening to English or American rock at home, and the next day he was listening to disco or psychedelia from India. All these influences can be heard in Glass Beams' music today. It's a bit like Tame Impala on steroids, freshly returned from a trip around the world, and wearing masks, which makes an even greater impression on stage.
This artist doesn't play concerts, she gives a show. Sevdaliza he sings, produces and writes music, creates visualizations, and also directs. So don't expect a person on stage who will spend the entire performance in one place, standing still in front of the microphone. The singer can be immersed in nostalgia one moment and dance madly the next, as if at the best party. So is her music. Sevdaliza was born in Iran, but when she was a child her family moved to the Netherlands. The artist combines elements of different cultures and moves efficiently between genres. One moment you feel like you're listening to a trip-hop version of Björk, and the next moment something comes from the stage that sounds like a hit straight from the pop charts. After one Sevdaliza concert, you have the impression that you have just been to several performances at once. Any coach who teaches you how to make the most of your time would be delighted.
The musicians in the photos almost always look like they are playing slow rock for dads who are bored with life. However, when you play their album, if you didn't know them before, you start to understand how fooled you were. The real surprise, however, are the concerts of New Yorkers. Les Savy Fav it's indie rock, noise and punk all rolled into one, and the artists really take no prisoners. The group can get even the most sluggish festival-goers moving. You'll see: this most withdrawn colleague from work will also go crazy in front of the stage with a pogo. Vocalist Tim Harrington always makes sure that no one is ashamed of having a good time, so the artist can go out into the crowd in just his underpants. Les Savy Fav will come to Katowice after the premiere of their latest album, “Oui, LSF”, for which they made fans wait 14 years. Polish fans will be among the first people in the world to hear the new material live.
Every self-respecting festival also has its dance version, a The Blaze they prove that such music does not have to be simple or soulless. Guillaume Alric and Jonathan Alric, cousins, create electronics and dance at the highest level. The duo's story began when Jonathan asked his cousin for help with his final paper at film school. The artists worked so well together that they decided to continue this adventure. In the family homes of both musicians, they listened to a lot of classical music, Guillaume was also fascinated by reggae for a long time, but it so happened that their joint songs went in a completely new direction. One thing has not changed – The Blaze care very much about the visual layer, and the duo's music videos sometimes look like short films about ordinary life and emotions. Artists not only produce sounds, but also sing, so basically everything they present on stage they do themselves. If you are looking for a concert where you can lose yourself in the dance one moment and be deeply moved the next, don't miss The Blaze on the festival schedule.
If you are coming back to Katowice this year, you already know perfectly well what to expect from this event, but if you are going to OFF Festival for the first time, first of all, go there with an open mind. There's nothing better than random musical discoveries, artists you might never normally come across. At OFF you will get them in one place, almost on a golden platter. Good news for those who don't like to walk a lot: this festival takes place in a relatively small area, so you can get from one stage to the other in literally a few minutes. Of course, it is worth taking some warm clothes and a raincoat with you, just in case, because festival goers know perfectly well that the weather in summer likes to make surprises. OFF Festival 2024 it will last three days and will start on August 2, of course in Valley of the Three Ponds In Katowice.