Notoriously Different: Artists, Art & The In-Betweens at the upcoming OFF Festival 2018

Two weeks to go until this year’s edition of Poland’s most unpredictable taste-maker festival: The OFF Festival 2018 once again gathers artists that are trending, artists you never heard of and sounds you barely expect at a Pop Music Event.

20/07/2018
by Henning Grabow

The OFF Festival in Katowice, Poland is approaching and NBHAP is more than thrilled to be part of it again. The festival will take place from August 3^rd to August 6^th and once more, we’re sure, it’ll prove its notorious search for genre-crossing, inspired and inspiring entertainment.

The beautiful thing about this festival is how balanced it is. They don’t hit you with a snobby avant-garde attitude; you’ll get to enjoy stars like M.I.A., Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jon Hopkins and others that transcend the sheer ‘indie’ spectrum. But in no way is this festival about merely satisfying needs.

Name me one event where you get a traditional Bulgarian choir next to Polish Black Metal, next to trending US-artists Bishop Nehru and Moses Sumney, next to King Ayisoba’s afrobeat, next to original gospel straight from the Mississippi Delta by The Como Mamas. You can’t? That’s why OFF is unique. And the best part is: This eclectisism usually really works out.

Showcase of local talent

Due to its relaxed atmosphere and short walks between the four stages, you quickly get into a mindset where you’re just curious what will be up next. You’ll still have headline performances you can look forward to but in the meantime, you simply enjoy the beauty of the Three Ponds Valley and the next musical surprise. It might strike you as a given in nowaday’s festival landscape: But of course there are chill out areas, a food court inspired by sustainability and children’s areas. In the end, it’s the mixture that OFF always gets right and that makes it so highly enjoyable.

In its heart though, the OFF Festival foremost wants to showcase the talent, tradition and spectrum of Polish music. From the various local acts that are going to play the four different stages during these three days, we’ll highlight three for you:

Coals

These two might be not that unfamiliar for some of you. Katarzyna Kowalczyk and Łukasz Rozmysłowski aka Coals gained some attention with their songs and released their debut album Tamagotchi last year – which brought them not only praise but also on tour throughout Europe. At OFF Festival, the duo from Gliwice, which is pretty close to Katowice, presents their blissful dream pop on home turf. Probably something that’s not to miss.

MIN t

Martyna Kubicz’ aka MIN t’s unpredictable Dark’n’B blueprint, mixed with goth pop, rap elements and just the right amount of theatrical presentation – Kubicz is a trained actor and musician – form a musical style that’s pretty successful right now. She’s one to keep an eye out for, also besides OFF.

Tęskno

Joanna Longić and Hani Rani are from different backgrounds – one leaning towards electronic, one interpreting contemporary Polish classic music on piano. In combination, Tęskno melt their influences into mellow chamber pop tunes. Perfect to dream away in the sun, slightly hungover but delighted.

If you’re as eager as we are to experience the exceptional OFF-vibe this year, head over to the official site for more infos and tickets. See you in Katowice!