No Major Surprises
Artur Rojek and the team behind OFF Festival got lucky this year. First, not a single drop of rain fell on Dolina Trzech Stawów throughout the festival. In previous years, at least one headliner would usually end up playing in a downpour. Second, apart from The Drums, who cancelled shortly after being announced, nobody dropped out of the lineup. Wednesday, who were stranded in Sicily because of volcanic activity, still managed to make it to Katowice and perform on the final day. Even being moved from a Saturday evening slot on the Main Stage to 4 p.m. on Sunday at the smaller Orlen Forest Stage did not put them off.
The organisers put together a genuinely interesting lineup - easily the strongest in years. There were very few misfires like Romy - the worst DJ set ever? - or Natalie Bergman, who ended her solo country set after just 20 minutes. This year, apart from a disastrous performance by Saam Sultan, who could barely keep up with the backing track, I did not see any major failures. At first, I had my doubts about Current Joys, an American guitar band I had never heard of, despite some of their songs having close to half a billion (!) streams on Spotify. There was no need to worry. To my surprise, Nick Rattigan and his band played a very good indie-rock set that quickly won me over.
What’s Next?
The only thing that worries me is that while ticket prices keep rising - they are slowly approaching the price of a four-day Open’er ticket—the festival itself has been scaling back its facilities for some time.
Three years ago, we said goodbye to the Literary Café, which was replaced by a jazz stage. That change I can understand. Last year, the organisers removed the family area, which was a shame, as it had been an important place for younger festivalgoers. This year, the campsite disappeared. I will not even mention the lack of parking or something as basic as an A4 sheet with the festival schedule.
This worries me for one reason: Poland’s festival calendar is becoming increasingly crowded. Next July will bring the first edition of Messt Festival, also held at Dolina Trzech Stawów, while a week after OFF, BitterSweet Festival and Orange Warsaw Festival will be competing for headliners. OFF is not a big event and, for now, it can still rely on a loyal audience. The question is: for how long?
For comparison, I recommend taking a look at how Pop Messe in Brno is developing. Since last year, it has taken place at the same time as OFF.
But anyway, let’s get to the point. Here are the eight most interesting concerts from this year’s edition - chosen, of course, only from the ones I actually saw.
For various reasons, I missed the much-praised Współgłosy, a Fryderyk Award-winning project created by jazz musicians and people with disabilities, as well as Wednesday, the indie-rock band who filled the space left by MJ Lenderman’s excellent performance last year. Lenderman is also a member of Wednesday and, although he no longer tours with the band, he still records with them.
Deafheaven, whose perfect sound completely floored me, and Earl Sweatshirt came very close to making the final list. Give me as many hip-hop sets like Earl’s as possible: great beats, strong flow, and talent to spare.
8. Oklou
Saturday, Forest Stage
This was a perfect example of how to create an absolutely hypnotic show with minimal means. After listening to choke enough, I expected a fairly predictable setup: backing tracks from a laptop and plenty of Auto-Tune on the vocals. Instead, it was a carefully directed performance in which Oklou made use of every available element - from smoke and lights to the stage design and filtered video footage recorded and projected live. Her voice sounded even more intriguing than it does on the album, somehow angelic and mechanical at the same time. During the set, it occurred to me that this is what Billie Eilish might sound like if the music itself were her main priority.
7. Getdown Services
Sunday, Experimental Stage
On record, the Minehead duo’s combination of T. Rex guitar riffs and the dance-floor energy of LCD Soundsystem works pretty well. Live, though… oh my God. In Katowice, Josh and Ben took off their shirts and delivered the wildest karaoke show I have ever seen. Almost all the music came from a backing track, but it hardly mattered. Josh, Ben, and their extraordinary performance were always going to be the centre of attention. What else can I say? They turned the Experimental Stage into one of the best parties this place has ever seen. Next time, I just want to hear more of that live energy on their records.
6. Céline Dessberg
Friday, Trójka Stage
Artists playing the smaller stages at OFF Festival are often surprised by the size and enthusiasm of the crowd. How much of that is an act, and how much is genuine disbelief? Sometimes it is hard to tell, but Céline Dessberg’s reaction was clearly sincere.
Her music sits somewhere between the art folk of Aldous Harding and the subtlety of French pop, with the sound of the traditional Mongolian yatga added to the mix. She pointed out several times that the band had never played to such a large audience before.
The nerves did not get the better of her. Her voice sounded every bit as phenomenal as it does on her recordings.
5. Arthur Verocai and the AUKSO Orchestra
Saturday, Main Stage
This is what music is all about.
The legendary Brazilian composer, whose 1970s debut album was rediscovered years later by artists including MF DOOM and Thundercat, came to Europe to perform it with the AUKSO Orchestra from Tychy. It was a real privilege to watch the 81-year-old musician conduct an orchestra from the other side of the world and bring his decades-old compositions back to life. Verocai arrived onstage in a wheelchair, and the performance was clearly a major physical effort for him. He was joined by two vocalists and even sang Caboclo, the opening track from that celebrated album, himself. The result? I do not think anyone at this year’s OFF Festival received louder applause. Visibly moved, Verocai pointed helplessly at his watch, making it clear that he would gladly have continued, but there was simply no time left.
4. Johnny Marr
Sunday, Main Stage
I approached this concert with some reservations. I love The Smiths and know Marr’s solo albums, but guitarists who played a supporting role in their bands rarely make convincing frontmen. See: Noel Gallagher. I’m happy to report that I was very wrong this time. Johnny walked onstage as the sun was setting, and by the second song, Generate! Generate!, he had already won over the entire crowd. His voice on The Smiths songs did not bother me at all. Besides, I was far more focused on the guitar. Hearing the tremolo from How Soon Is Now? played live by the man who created it - priceless. The same goes for singing There Is a Light That Never Goes Out with the entire crowd during the finale. In a wonderfully ironic moment, just as Marr reached the line And if a double-decker bus crashes into us, a small plane from the nearby airport flew past just a few metres from the stage.
3. The Flaming Lips
Friday, Main Stage
What I remember most from The Flaming Lips’ first OFF Festival performance in 2010 is the giant robots, the confetti, and Wayne Coyne inside an inflatable ball. The songs? They somehow passed me by, overshadowed by the spectacle. In the years that followed, I caught up with the band’s discography. Today, I regularly return to several of their albums, including Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. I was a little worried about how all the details woven into that record would sound live in Katowice. There was no need. Even a song like In the Morning of the Magicians sounded almost exactly as it does on the album. Wayne seemed slightly tense and lost at first, and his voice was shaky. Eventually, however, he found the right rhythm and led the show with confidence. This time, the production was just an extra. Without it, I would have rated the concert just as highly.
2. Nu Genea
Sunday, Forest Stage
You know what’s missing here? A band that could really get the party started, a friend complained at the end of the festival’s second day.
His wish was granted on Sunday during the performance by Italian group Nu Genea. Their live incarnation expands into a full band featuring jazz musicians and four vocalists. They mix funk, jazz, and disco, and we got the full experience in Katowice.
I arrived in front of the stage just as a long conga line was forming in the crowd, circling around in time with the music. That’s right - the whole concert was one long joyride. At times, I felt like the hero of an Italian film, racing a Fiat 500 down some remote Italian back road. A fantastic and completely unexpected experience.
1. Sunny Day Real Estate
Sunday, Main Stage
I have no idea how the organisers managed to bring Sunny Day Real Estate to Poland. Standing in the crowd, I could hear people speaking Italian, German, and French - and it was hardly surprising. The cult Seattle band had never performed in any of those countries. Apart from the UK and Ireland, they had appeared in Europe only once: at Primavera Sound in Barcelona in 2010. I was there, and it remains one of the best concerts I have ever seen. The band, still featuring Nate Mendel at the time - now solely a member of Foo Fighters - sounded perfect.
Sixteen years later, SDRE came to Katowice. They closed the festival with a concert completely different from the shows by The Flaming Lips or Yung Lean & Bladee. There were a few amplifiers, simple lights, and five men playing songs filled with an enormous emotional charge. Everything worked: the dynamics of the performance, the guitar sound, the career-spanning setlist with a heavy dose of Diary, and Jeremy Enigk’s voice. Time seems to have stopped for him in the ’90s. Without question, this was the best concert of the festival.
Sunny Day Real Estate remain firmly near the top of my list of the best live bands I have ever seen.