World music
World music fans are in for a treat right at the beginning of July with a live show from the Argentine ensemble Zingaros (5 July, Stary Klasztor), who combine tango with gypsy music. The same audience look forward to the exquisite Brave Festival, held between 10 and 17 July and devoted to griots, who are African bards and traditional story-tellers. We are going to write a separate feature on the festival, but here is just a handful of names to appear during the festival: Balla Kouaté, Sona Jobarteh, Abou Diarra and Vieux Farka Touré. It is high time you booked your tickets!
The T-Mobile Nowe Horyzonty Film Festival in turn features a live performance from Yasmine Hamdan (25 July, Arsenał), a Lebanese artist who combines the legacy of Arab music with digital innovations. The festival itself is also worth popping in, which is not only to attend its associated live music events.
Rock and heavy metal
Another group to be happy with this July's live music calendar are those who like hefty rock and heavy metal sounds. The very beginning of the month brings a real treat from the bikers' club Eleven, the fantastic Eleven Bike Fest (3-5 July, Pola Marsowe). The first day of the event features a number of Polish bands such as Sebastian Riedel's Cree, Proletaryat, Big Cyc and Złe Psy, while the second, attention please, brings heavy metal legends from abroad: Black Label Society and Saxon! The latter band is particularly worthy of attention. Saxon, being heavy metal veterans, are still at the top of their game. But Zakk Wylde is no mean guest either.
Blues Pills, who are garnering a lot of praise these days are coming to Wroclaw in mid-July (12 July, Alibi). The Black Dahlia Murder are following a day later with something special for guitar rumble and pogo fans (13 July, Liverpool) while the last day of July brings a live show from Cannibal Corpse (31 July, Alibi), which a real feast for radical death metal fans and those who revel in obscene lyrics. In the meantime, the T-Mobile Nowe Horyzonty Film Festival brings the Wroclaw-based and popular band Kormorany (24 July, Arsenał), and two days later Pere Ubu, which is a real legend for a number of audiences (26 July, Arsenał).
New sounds
With a little bit of good will, one might say that these new sounds are brought to you by a one-day travelling festival known as Męskie Granie (Manly Male Music), which arrives on 11 July in Wroclaw (Pergola) with a number of celebrated musicians such as Ten Typ Mes, Maria Peszek, L.U.C., Artur Rojek and Fisz Emade Tworzywo. The show at the Pergola also features Lech Janerka, whose fans, both in Wroclaw and elsewhere, are now anxiously waiting for his new album. Whether it ever comes, that's a completely different matter.
While Cannibal Corpse maniacs head to Alibi to join in headbanging madness, those who prefer something more sophisticated will sway to the rhythm of the songs performed by Skubas, Julia Marcell and Xxanaxx (31 July, Park na Wyspie, ul Wróblewskiego 9, former Ślęza grounds, just behind the zoo). Spragnieni Lata (In the Mood for the Summer) is similar to Męskie Granie in that it is a travelling event. There is hope that we will be able to enjoy some summer by the end of July.
