Pol’and’Rock 2018: Alpha Blondy, Big Mountain and Balkan Beat Box in Kostrzyn nad Odrą

Several stages, extraordinary attractions, crowds of friendly, colourful people and a unique atmosphere: these are the things that draw music fans to Kostrzyn nad Odrą every year. Pol’and’Rock Festival 2018 offers a dazzling variety of artists, performing from 2–4 August! The festival’s name has changed this year, but the Przystanek Woodstock format remains. The Main Stage will start at 15:00 on 2 August, with Jurek Owsiak’s traditional declaration that we are ready for departure. Dubioza Kolektiv will open the festival, an act sure to delight anyone who loves dancing and working up a sweat. Their exuberant concerts stay in the memory, while their brilliant rhythms, distinctive vocalists, committed message and stage show attract legions of fans. We are already certain that this will be one of the festival’s finest concerts!

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD!

This year’s edition will be incredible, and artists we have the pleasure of working with include Alpha Blondy, Big Mountain and Balkan Beat Box!

Alpha Blondy – LIONSTAGE collector’s poster

Thursday’s Main Stage concerts will close with the long-awaited Goo Goo Dolls. Polish fans must be overjoyed, having waited so long for this group to visit our country. This legendary band have become one of the most influential acts in pop-rock. Surely everyone knows Iris, written for the soundtrack of the film classic “Miasto Aniołów”. Iris topped charts worldwide for months and remained on Billboard’s chart at various positions for a year! It is worth staying until the very end of this star-packed day for their concert!

The Small Stage will also be packed with names worth your attention! Among them are Lower Silesian band Bethel. These guys know what reggae is all about, making their concerts an explosion of positive energy and an incredibly friendly atmosphere. The Main Stage’s smaller sister will also welcome a band who need no introduction. Big Cyc will play songs everyone knows, and their on-stage energy will get the whole audience dancing.

On Friday, bands from worldwide will overpower the Main Stage. They include You me at Six, surely familiar to pop-punk fans. The British musicians draw on Blink-182, Incubus and Thrice, while hip-hop rhythms also weave through their songs. This dynamic group will delight everyone who reaches the stage, if they can get through the throngs eagerly awaiting another Polish concert!

Immediately after You Me at Six, Polish band and Złoty Bączek winners Nocny Kochanek will perform. They play classic heavy metal with fast riffs, impressive drumming and Krzysztof Sokołowski’s memorable soprano vocals. Festival fans sing along to their satirical lyrics, and there is no denying that Nocny Kochanek are among their favourites. Hence their victory in the Złoty Bączek poll, the audience award for the festival’s best performance.

Judas Priest at Pol’and’Rock Festival 2018 is an essential proposition for heavy metal fans. Few bands can boast success as thunderous as this British outfit’s. Despite the passing years, Judas Priest remain at the top, enjoying enduring attention from devotees of heavy music. The 1980s belonged to them, securing their place among the leading metal bands. Over the years, they have earned international recognition. In 2010, they received music’s most prestigious honour, a Grammy for Best Metal Performance. “Flowerpower” became their highest-charting album in the USA. Their performances can unreservedly be called spectacles, making this an event you simply cannot miss.

The Small Stage will resound with brilliant music. Among those appearing will be Krzysztof Zalewski, who stepped back from the musical limelight for many years after winning Idol to refine his craft, playing for outstanding acts such as Hey and Brodka. Now Krzysiek performs with his own band, and his rock songs have earned him devoted fans and sold-out concerts across the country. Pablopavo i Ludziki will also appear on the smaller stage. Singer Paweł Sołtys, widely known as a member of Vavamuffin, has been pursuing his Pablopavo project for several years. The musicians describe their music as disco, although they are unsure whether the right discos exist to play it. You have to create or imagine one yourself. That is all the more reason to head to the Small Stage and see what they get up to!

The final day of Pol’and’Rock Festival 2018 maintains the high standard of the preceding days. The Main Stage will welcome one of the world’s most popular reggae artists, Alpha Blondy. Born in Côte d’Ivoire, the singer is a leading ambassador for the genre and undoubtedly the most important figure in the history of African reggae. He consistently dedicates many of his compositions to people living in poverty, excluded and pushed to the margins of society.

He has written over 200 songs to date, often honouring his origins by singing in his native Dioula. Blondy avoids the mistake of many reggae artists who repeat their previous albums. He approaches each individually, continually drawing inspiration from fresh sounds. Alongside classic reggae, his recent records feature heavier guitar riffs, electronics and hip-hop sounds combined uniquely. Alpha Blondy rarely performs in Poland, so do not miss his appearance for the world’s finest audience gathered in Kostrzyn nad Odrą!

Saturday also brings In Flames, considered pioneers of melodic death metal. The Swedish band have enormously influenced heavy metal’s development worldwide. They are unquestionably a genuine musical phenomenon and an untamed creative force in heavier music. They continually develop, their melodies and lyrics forming an inimitable style.

BIG MOUNTAIN – LIONSTAGE collector’s poster

The Small Stage will host some real powerhouses on the festival’s final day. Big Mountain, known for their superb cover of Peter Frampton’s “Baby, I Love Your Way”, are certainly worth attention. The American reggae band have enjoyed high chart positions worldwide, including on the influential Billboard Hot 100. Their journey has been winding and complicated, but they have always put musical quality first. Over the years, they have released several records that made an impression on the reggae world. After a break lasting a few years, they returned with a refreshed line-up in 2013. In 2016, they released their latest album, “Perfect Summer”, and embarked on a world tour. Their performance is sure to stay with everyone who gathers to hear them!

It has long been clear that Kostrzyn’s festival offers more than concerts. Numerous attractions await, including meetings with outstanding social activists, actors and writers. Visit the ASP tent to hear discussions with Anja Rubik about the #SEXEDPL campaign, Katarzyna Puzyńska, Dorota Wellman and Artur Barciś, among others. The ASP night stage will also present Teatr 6. Piętro’s “Polityka”. Festivalgoers will find enormous food areas, the familiar Allegro Ferris wheel and the Lech zone.

Pol’and’Rock Festival 2018 is a huge celebration worth putting in your diary: several days of the best fun at the most beautiful festival in the world!