It’s that time of the year again: organisers are announcing the first artists booked for next year’s OFF Festival – Please welcome our benevolent overlord IGGY POP, the revolutionaries from BIKINI KILL and the guitar sensation TROPICAL FUCK STORM.
What is there to say about IGGY that everyone doesn’t already know? He’s the father of punk rock, the living embodiment of rock’n’roll, an animal on stage, and a conscious and versatile artist to boot. Whether he’s backed up by a wall of noisy guitars, French chanson songs, authentic blues, a jazz trio, or electronic beats, IGGY POP always sounds convincing. We hosted him and the legendary Stooges seven years ago at the OFF Festival, and if you were there, you’ll remember it for the rest of your life. For everyone else, here’s another chance. This time around, IGGY POP will be performing his solo work, and he’s got quite a back catalog to draw on. We’ll be proud to witness him sing and dance with us again in Katowice.
“We’re Bikini Kill and we want Revolution Girl-style now!” The American band BIKINI KILL introduced themselves to the world with these words on their debut EP, produced by Ian MacKaye of Fugazi fame and released in the fall of 1992. Their feminist breed of punk rock was a fresh and important voice in the macho rock world, lighting a spark that ignited a much greater and brighter flame. Kathleen Hanna and company blazed a path other bands soon followed. The Riot Grrrl movement might not have been a mass movement, nor did it break into the mainstream in its original take-no-prisoners form, but it gave inspiration to thousands of women across the globe. It pushed them to speak up instead of waiting to be called on. It encouraged them to choose the form and content of their band own statements.
BIKINI KILL wasn’t around for too long, they didn’t even survive the decade, but you know no serious discussion of 1990s indie rock in America is complete without at least a mention of the albums ‘Pussy Whipped’ and ‘Reject All American’. BIKINI KILL’s return to the stage is as much an artistic event as it is a social one: sadly, the band’s message remains as relevant as ever. We’re excited to hear “Rebel Girl” at full volume here at the OFF Festival.
We think you know that rumours about the death of rock are greatly exaggerated. We’re now witnessing a renaissance of guitar-driven music, thanks is no small part to such acts as Idles, Black Midi and Girl Band, all of whom have graced the stages of the OFF Festival. The time has come for another recent revelation: the Australian group TROPICAL FUCK STORM. Punk rock grime, psychedelic freedom, and the truth of pure blues, along with plenty of revolutionary ideas, are all features of this band’s sound. Led by Gareth Liddiard (formerly of The Drones), the group has but two LPs to their name—A Laughing Death in Meatspace and Braindrops—yet they’ve already managed to secure a slot among the top names of the passing decade (and their sensational live shows aren’t exactly a career obstacle).
IGGY POP will perform at the OFF Festival Katowice on Saturday, August 8, at the Perlage Stage. BIKINI KILL will appear Friday, August 7, and TROPICAL FUCK STORM is scheduled to play Sunday, August 9.
The 2020 OFF Festival Katowice will take place August 7–9, 2020, at Three Pond Valley, its usual venue. Three-day passes are now available for 299 PLN. Three-day passes with campground ticket are on sale for 389 PLN. All tickets available here: www.off-festival.pl