
Blog: Archives: 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 About/Contact	Fuck OFF! Anna Siemiazcko previews the 6th annual OFF Festival in Katowice, Poland In the centre of an area known for its coal and sweat, this weekend (August 5 – 7) there happens to be the most culturally diverse event in Eastern Europe, featuring a line-up that makes rocking out a certainty. A modest event launched by Artur Rojek, the front man of the band Myslovitz (pioneers of the Polish Britpop-induced scene of the 1990s) in 2006, OFF is now an internationally recognised gem in the vein of Barcelona’s Primavera or Chicago’s Pitchfork. In its beginnings the festival was predominantly a celebration of the Polish alternative scene. But it has since evolved into an international event which in recent years has attracted the likes of The National, The Flaming Lips, Mogwai, Caribou, British Sea Power, of Montreal, Spiritualized, Iron & Wine and Final Fantasy. The festival has recorded higher attendances each year since its launch, and OFF No. 6 promises to deliver on multiple fronts once more. A separate gig by the eclectic British band Current 93, with their 20 year old history of folk-based apocalyptic experimentations, precedes the festival on Thursday. Then the business starts proper. It’s a case of deja vu as post-rock mammoths Mogwai repeat their headlining slot of 2008. Brit legends abound with John Lydon’s Public Imagine Ltd., Gang of Four and Primal Scream, the latter playing their legendary Screamadelica in its entirety. More legends come in the form of Canadian electro duo Junior Boys - at which juncture it is important to note that the electronic aspect of OFF is looking to be hotter than ever this year. This aspect includes Alan Palomo’s Neon Indian, their fantastic debuting diamond Psychic Chasms having been the official hot discovery of 2010, and Suuns, who are set to be the tingling icing on the Screamadelica performance cake, taking the stage after Primal Scream to top the Saturday night bill with their hypnotising blend of guitar fused electro. Dry the River offer the beards chequered shirts and melancholy guitar chords for those willing to sway around in their straw hats. Fans of the oriental will find Brian Schmikovitz’s awesome Tapes From Africa swaying the experimental stage with a skilful blend of Zimbabwean, Senegalese and Ethiopian rhythms. And – possibly the best prospect of all – Syrian Omar Souleyman takes over the experimental stage on Friday with a mindfucking blend of Middle Eastern rhythms and Western beats. Other established bands at this year’s OFF include Xiu Xiu, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Warpaint and the pioneering Low. Sheer noise, PC inspired mathrock (Polvo), psychedelic schisms, ambient, droned synthpop (see Emeralds), metal, punk and the inevitable avant-garde. All mean that OFF FESTIVAL should rock like a fucker. © 2011 Anna Siemiaczko
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Fuck OFF!

Anna Siemiazcko previews the 6th annual OFF Festival in Katowice, Poland

In the centre of an area known for its coal and sweat, this weekend (August 5 – 7) there happens to be the most culturally diverse event in Eastern Europe, featuring a line-up that makes rocking out a certainty.

A modest event launched by Artur Rojek, the front man of the band Myslovitz (pioneers of the Polish Britpop-induced scene of the 1990s) in 2006, OFF is now an internationally recognised gem in the vein of Barcelona’s Primavera or Chicago’s Pitchfork. In its beginnings the festival was predominantly a celebration of the Polish alternative scene. But it has since evolved into an international event which in recent years has attracted the likes of The National, The Flaming Lips, Mogwai, Caribou, British Sea Power, of Montreal, Spiritualized, Iron & Wine and Final Fantasy. The festival has recorded higher attendances each year since its launch, and OFF No. 6 promises to deliver on multiple fronts once more.

A separate gig by the eclectic British band Current 93, with their 20 year old history of folk-based apocalyptic experimentations, precedes the festival on Thursday. Then the business starts proper. It’s a case of deja vu as post-rock mammoths Mogwai repeat their headlining slot of 2008. Brit legends abound with John Lydon’s Public Imagine Ltd., Gang of Four and Primal Scream, the latter playing their legendary Screamadelica in its entirety. More legends come in the form of Canadian electro duo Junior Boys - at which juncture it is important to note that the electronic aspect of OFF is looking to be hotter than ever this year.

This aspect includes Alan Palomo’s Neon Indian, their fantastic debuting diamond Psychic Chasms having been the official hot discovery of 2010, and Suuns, who are set to be the tingling icing on the Screamadelica performance cake, taking the stage after Primal Scream to top the Saturday night bill with their hypnotising blend of guitar fused electro. Dry the River offer the beards chequered shirts and melancholy guitar chords for those willing to sway around in their straw hats. Fans of the oriental will find Brian Schmikovitz’s awesome Tapes From Africa swaying the experimental stage with a skilful blend of Zimbabwean, Senegalese and Ethiopian rhythms. And – possibly the best prospect of all – Syrian Omar Souleyman takes over the experimental stage on Friday with a mindfucking blend of Middle Eastern rhythms and Western beats. Other established bands at this year’s OFF include Xiu Xiu, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Warpaint and the pioneering Low.

Sheer noise, PC inspired mathrock (Polvo), psychedelic schisms, ambient, droned synthpop (see Emeralds), metal, punk and the inevitable avant-garde. All mean that OFF FESTIVAL should rock like a fucker.