Culture in Poznań

Culture

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A wave of waterfront concerts

The summer festival season is in full swing. Fortunately, you don't need to travel far to see prominent and amazing artists. They will all be within easy reach at the Poznań series of concerts #NaFalach, which again will be held at Lakes Malta and Strzeszynek.

photo of Kamil Bednarek with the band - grafika artykułu
Kamil Bednarek with the band, photograph from the press

The Malta Music Stage is a unique venue. Over the course of recent years, this floating stage has seen the likes of Mucha, Taco Hemingway, and Mikromusic. The other prime stage of the #NaFalach concerts is at Lake Strzeszyn. The two sites afford these urban concerts an atmosphere reminiscent of large music festivals, which are often placed at waterfront locations on a sea, river or lake. 

While the early #NaFalach editions were more of a lucky find for fans (some may remember Mucha in 2015 appearing before small clusters of audience members gathered close to the stage), concerts in the series are increasingly well-known and popular. By all indications, the formula adopted by the organisers is working perfectly. Last year's concerts, including that of Mikromusic, drew a capacity crowd, filling every square foot of the Lake Malta area by the stage. This year's edition features scores of outstanding concerts in a range of genres. The majority of its famous and well-liked bands and solo artists have considerable stage experience and will offer articulate, well-thought-out and well-designed performances. Most of them are talented music professionals.

It is no secret that women are the mainstay of contemporary Polish music. They write and sing many of the biggest hits: both the pop ones and the more alternative. They headline festivals as solo artists or members of bands and duets. The #NaFalach series will be no different with Natalia Nykiel appearing in the opening act. The artist has two albums to her name in which she deftly mixes pop with electronics with a dash of other genres thrown in for good measure. The piece "Bądź duży" ("Be big") has quickly risen to popularity, riding on Nykiel's effortless blends of simple tunes and catchy lyrics. 

Fans will see another popular artist, Daria Zawiałow, who has recently appeared in Poznań as a Spring Break headliner. Zawiałow has done magnificently on the main stage in Wolności Square. This experience was not new to her after she had performed on the main stage of the Orange Warsaw Festival. 

This year's line-up also features Natalia Przybysz and the Poznań duo Rebecca, all of whom are known for remarkable concerts. The festival's gradually crystallising schedule already includes Iwona Skwarek and Bartosz Szczęsny. In Spring Break, they shared the stage with dancers and a third musician. #NaFalach we have Rebecca and Rosalie appear on the same day.

Some of the artists featured in #NaFalach are invited to please mass audiences: these include Kamil Bednarek, Happysad and Mrozu. Once again, the Lake Malta stage will be graced by the presence of Rasmentalism. The Łona and Webber duo will return to Poznań after an extended absence. LuxFest, an event scheduled for late July, will bring together artists associated with Luma, such as Luxtorpeda and Noah's Ark, as well as Coma and Kowczeg Noja. 

The #NaFalach series will close with a feast of electronic music from Kamp! and Bokki. 

Jolanta Kikiewicz

translation: Krzysztof Kotkowski

  • The #NaFalach concerts
  • 29 June-30 August
  • Lakes Malta and Strzeszynek
  • Free admission
  • For more, see www.nafalach.poznan.pl