#sofar souds

In the middle of the room was a piano, indicating the nature of that evening. Sternlumen, a composer from Copenhagen got up first to enchant the audience with his music. During his performance, he reminded the audience, that 12th of April was the 57th Anniversary of the day Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin went to space, and he commemorated the day with a piece he wrote. The last piece he played was called Neon Lakes. As he smoothly ran through the piano keys, all people gathered there felt the swing in the atmosphere. It was as if he switched an invisible button joy. Apparently there was no melancholy in his music, just pure passion, love and a positive energy that seemed to flow through the room. It was very impressive.

As a second artist performed none other than Helaine Vis, a young and talented singer-songwriter from Krakow. She performed at our shows in the past and people simply loved it, the music and her pure, angelic voice. The same happened that evening, when she performed her own material live for the second time ever. Beginnings are always the hardest, and she apologized for being nervous, yet, all that nervousness was invisible to the audience as they were quite fascinated with her voice. Helaine Vis’s performance started with Ice, a lovely and sad ballad. Then she proceeded with two more songs, ending with a song she wrote as an acknowledgment to her parents and family.

The last to perform was Simeon Walker, a talkative modern-classical pianist and composer from Leeds. He plays slightly different music than Sternlumen. Walker describes his work as sad piano music. The audience went silent the moment he started playing his pieces. He played quietly, people weren’t making any sound focusing on the pianist. Louder noises from outside the window suddenly were hushed as we all sank into the melancholy. The compositions played that evening were moving to the core. Walker played a song called Drift from his newest album Mono. When introducing the songs, he spoke about how a certain American graphic artist created the cover art for Mono after just hearing some of Walker’s music. The composer didn’t talk him through his inspirations and the meaning behind all songs, yet in that particular artwork, the artist enhanced all what inspired Walker to create this music. He also played Hush, about the need to hide from whatever’s bad in the world, and Shelter, a song he released recently. Last song he played was a short piece introduced with a story of how at the end of the day some monks say a prayer of comfort as a way to sum all day up. He was happy and sad at the same time, as that was his last show in April. After doing some Sofar shows he returns home.  He even managed to sneak a bit of politics into his performance, commenting on the current situation in UK. Walker mentioned that he is a piano teacher, and he teaches some Polish children. He told them about the trip to Poland he was going to make, and ask if they could teach him some Polish words or phrases. Unfortunately, after playing in Germany, when he arrived to Krakow, all he could remember at our show was Dziękuję (Thank you), which seems enough, considering that Polish language is very difficult to learn.

Before our first concert began, our MC Klaudia Urban briefly talked all the people gathered in the apartment through the history behind Sofar Sounds Krakow, and Sofar Sounds in general. None other than our city leader Marianna Kosch, after attending Sofar Sounds London gig, had the brilliant idea, and enough courage to transfer this idea to Kraków, resulting in 1st ever Sofar Sounds Krakow gig on April 1st, 2015. 

And there we were, three years later. Well, almost, to be exact. Nevertheless, after handing out some chocolate cupcakes to our guests, Sabina got up to the stage and started her set as the first musician to perform that evening. The girl has so much power in her voice, she could easily tear that apartment down. Yet she sang with incredible smoothness and feeling. She and her band performed her entire Live Session EP, with a slight change of sequence. Starting with Lepidoptera (meaning Butterfly in Greek) she sang of love, passion, desire and freedom. Then she performed her first single Kołysanka (Lullaby) about physical love of woman to a man. She ended her set with Sreberka (Wrappers), a song about kissing. She sang her heart out for sure.

So did the second performing artist, Edyta Górecka. She’s the living embodiment of kindness and an easy grace. And she has one of the most soothing, superb voices one could ever hear, at least in Poland. Her and her band’s marvelous performance started with Poznaniowa, a song which is actually not about Poznań, one of the larger Polish cities, but about life of a retired sailor Edyta Górecka once met when walking around the beach by the sea. It was only composed in Poznań. When introducing her next song, Mitologiczne miasta (Mythological Cities), she suggested closing one’s eyes, as this song is about a journey to past moments of happiness and freedom, the ones even from childhood. The last song performed that evening, Sierpień (August), took all of us back to dreamy-like, warm and happy summer days. The audience enjoyed it so much, they couldn’t stop applauding.

NIOMÍ, a singer-songwriter from London was the last to perform. She played on keyboard and sang in a delicate manner, as if to lull us to sleep. But no one would fall asleep, not after hearing her voice. As for the music, people were amazed by these simple and melancholic, yet somehow powerful tunes. NIOMÍ’s new single Sugar will be out on the 5th of April, that is a date worth remembering for everyone who loved her performance, as for sure, there were such people.

The first musician to perform, at that special in many respects and full of surprises edition, was our dear friend Ed Carlsen. It was his third time playing for us. As he explained that was not his ordinary performance, for during the show he used electronic samples from his laptop, and he usually plays calm, peaceful and slow ambient songs. He played a not-yet-released song, so he was not keen to tell the audience its title. But the song was really good, and people cheered. When he played, he empathized so much with it that the leg of the piano bench he was sitting on almost broke. But it was slightly damaged earlier, so it was not Ed’s fault. Before playing another song he asked the crowd how many couples were there that evening. He was surprised to see that only few people raised their hands and went on to play a more typical song of his, a Loom, from his latest album. Then, he announced the first surprise of the evening by introducing a young and talented Polish singer Jagoda Kudlińska from a band Lor to join him. The duo performed for the first time their collaborative single Snowman. It was a rather fast song with Jagoda singing beautifully (again and again people compared her to a Norwegian singer Aurora) and Ed playing not only piano but guitar. As it was Ed Carlsen’s last song, after they finished, people could not stop cheering and applauding. It was really a remarkable experience.

After ten minutes break our MC and city leader introduced Rubie, our surprise guest, an extraordinary singer-songwriter with a powerful voice. Rubie played on piano with passion and strength. Durability of the piano bench was put to the test once again. They started with a sad a cappella song about one’s identity. It was a rather personal song representing the as Rubie identify themselves as neither a man nor a woman. Then, they played a very dynamic song in which Rubie laid their vocal talent before the audience. Rubie have the voice like one would not expect them to have. The entire set was emotional and gripping.

It was Amani, a marvellously talented singer from London, who invited Rubie to come with her and her bandmate. In the previous year she released her first Perpendicular. At our gig she sang some of the songs from that album. She also did an a cappella piece which was quite intense. Her amazing, soothing yet somehow strong, voice charmed all the people gathered in the room. Her songs could almost touch the core of one’s soul. She sang them with passion and dedication, creating comfort while filling people’s hearts with joy.

Last to perform was a renowned Polish producer Wojtek Urbański. He recently composed music for AXN’s TV series Ultraviolet starring famous Polish actors and actresses like Agata Kulesza (who led in the Awards winner for Best Foreign Language Film in 2015 Ida). On that evening Urbański showed how talented he really is and proved to be a perfect closing musician creating a special atmosphere in the, already filled with positive emotions, room. He played the music from Ultraviolet with some of his older compositions, and recalled that one particular song he played in Kraków that was recorded in a submarine. What an experience it had to be!

At the beginning, our MC introduced Mateusz Cybula, Manager of Technology working at the venue. He introduced himself and thanked for the opportunity of hosting such an event. The first to perform that evening was Sonbird, a young alternative rock band with high hopes and dreams. And actually their dreams might come true, as their gaining more and more attention and acclaim. Their debut album is set to be released in spring. At our gig, they played a short acoustic set consisting of five songs. Among them was their soon-to-be single called Głodny (Hungry). Starting off with their debut single Ląd (Land), they brought smile to people's faces with their performance. Besides these two songs, they played Wtorek (Tuesday), Ananasy (Pineapples), and Wada (A Vice). During the penultimate song, the vocalist and the guitarist Dawid Mędrzak forgot the song lyrics - he paused for a few seconds, then he laughed and started singing Pa pa ra ra. Were people bothered? No. They sang with him! It was a very refreshing and energizing set.

After ten minutes break, The Moon, French - Polish duo lulled the audience with their soothing folk songs. The combination of cello and acoustic guitar was perfect for a cold winter evening. One of the songs they played, entitled Margo, was a song the vocalist and the guitarist wrote for his little niece. They created a very unique atmosphere of proximity, exactly what Sofar Sounds is so famous for.

Speaking of proximity, the last concert of the evening delineated the boundaries between musician and audience, or at least redefined them in some people’s minds. All because of Charlie Hole, a well-known British singer-songwriter who, at the end of his set, at first unplugged his guitar, then went to sing between people sitting on the floor. All of it while playing a cover of Three Little Birds to exhilarate everyone. But earlier on, he played his own four songs: Stones on a Sandy Beach, Find Someone Who Cares, Someone Else’s Dream and Chapel of Unrest. What's most important, he told funny stories while introducing the songs. Find Someone Who Cares is a song he wrote for his father’s wedding. His father asked him to play something for the occasion, so Hole asked him what song would he like him to play. “There’s this Bob Marley song, No Woman, No Cry”, Hole’s father replied. That was a terrible choice, obviously, so Hole’s father asked him to write something. The last song, Chapel of Unrest was written as Charlie Hole's “ticket to a radio station in UK”. But the radio station refused to play the song, saying it was too dark for the radio. At Krakow Technology Park he brought down the house with his vocals and guitar. People cheered and applauded him for a long time.

However it all started with a laptop and Ukrainian Melancholy Drive. The two, Alana and Dima, met in Lviv. Then, they discovered that they were born on the same day. Such a blessing resulted in a musical friendship and forming a band that combines samples from a laptop and a piano. Pleasant, lovely sounds entwined in the air. During their performance, they had some minor technical difficulties, but it all created the feeling of authencity and naturalness. Besides, when they started playing again, people instantly forgot about it. Dima, the vocalist, sings in a very high notes. He sang in falsetto and those people at the back, who couldn't see him were asking whether he is a boy or a girl. Along the songs performed that evening, was a cover of Radiohead's Idioteque. It was, to some extent, a faithul cover and the song surprised those of the audience, who are fans of Thom Yorke and his band. The whole set was very entertaining.

Wojtek Szczepanik, one of that evening virtuosos, started playing after a 10-minutes break. I'd like to invite every one of you to my musical world. Have a nice trip he said after introducing himself. He played four songs taken from his 2016 album Instinct. A task that a good composer should undertake is not only to make sure that every tune is in its right place is, but also to communicate with the audience through the music, he said. And so he did. The music Szczepanik played, with an incredible passion and investment, was very emotional. He encouraged people to close their eyes and let the music flow through them. He also mentioned about the recording process of his latest album; he wanted was to convey and express a closeness and escape from the city in its sounding . Piano was recorded in a chapel. Because of that, the sound on the album is very natural. Every minute of his set was astounding.

Roberto Attanasio, performing as the third musician and the second guest from abroad (Italy – he even made a joke that his English is very bad because of the fact), showed another, a different approach to playing on such a wonderful instrument as a grand piano. His compositions were more calm, delicate and soft than that of the previous composer. Along with the Christmas tree in the background, it created an almost ideal atmosphere of silent appreciation. Attanasio does not like to talk about his music as other musicians often do. Still, he explained shortly that the aim of his music is to help people in some way. Four songs played that evening, were taken from his 2017 album Isolated.

26th Sofar Sounds Krakow didn't end after Attanasio's show finished. Our MC Klaudia Urban stood up and once again introduced all of the perfoming musicians. Then, she asked all the hosts and musicians of our previous shows who were present at Dworek Białoprądnicki that evening, and all of our Sofar crew to stand along with the artists and sing a Christmas carol. We chose Silent Night, as this is a very old song that was translated into so many languages that it is impossible for people to not know the lyrics. And so we sang in Polish, English, and Italian!

The first to perform was none other than our dear friends - a prestigious string quartet - Dobry Ton. Playing at Sofar Sounds Krakow for the fourth time (and for the fourth time that year), it was the first time they played solo.They chose to play four covers of Sigur Rós that they arranged for the special occasion. And the whole audience went Awww when they revealed the fact. They started with the peaceful, yet climatic Untitled #3 (Samskeyti) - Samskeyti means Seam or Joint)-then proceeded to more introversive Untitled #4 (Njósnavélin) - Njósnavélin means The Spy Machine, and more aggressive Sæglópur - Lost at Sea. Yet it was the ending of their set that transfered all the people to another dimension:  Starálfur - Staring Elf. As members of Dobry Ton said during song breaks, music of Sigur Rós means a lot to them and they hope that most of our guests feel the same. These songs are very poetic in meaning and they are performed in Sigur Rós’s own language - the one that speaks of emotions. Dobry Ton brought the magic of these songs to Sofar. It was very emotional set, indeed!

The second artist was a very talented girl from Canada: RIELL. Currently she’s in UK, and will be there until Christmas, doing a couple of live shows before returning home. At Goethe Institut she accompanied herself with a mini keyboard and laptop. She performed mostly her own songs (pop with a touch of soul, including a single wonderful Eye to Eye, a promise of her first EP)  and one cover. Well, two actually, because it was a mash-up of Imagine Dragons’ Radioactive and Britney Spears’ Toxic. She surprised the audience but was welcomed with open hearts! Though she was a bit stressed, she did a great performance and surely found herself new fans and listeners. One could dream of a voice like the one she has.

We went international by having a German singer-songwriter with Jamaican roots, Novine, to perform at our show with a help of a friend accompanying her on a guitar. She was grateful for the opportunity we created: It was her first Sofar Sounds ever - she was a bit nervous. Nevertheless, she mesmerized all of the audience with her soul-r’n’b songs, pure vocals and charming modesty. Soon she will be releasing her first EP. She sang a single from the minialbum, Roots, . As she described, the song is about that time when one feels like their all alone in a whole world, alone in a new place. It's about remembering the importance of one’s roots.

It was Halloween, but again, only our presenter remembered to dress up for the occasion, and was standing in the room as a rather ghoulish or zombie-ish version of herself. The atmosphere was certainly not spooky and scary. The audience cheered throughout the shows. Artists playing that night were singers-songwriters, performing solo or in a duo, without a mic, assisted only by their guitars.

Kuba Zaborski performed at the beginning, bringing all the people gathered in the room to a place of hopes and dreams. As a skilled singer, he charmed us all with his voice, and stories he told us between the songs. He started with a very short song Beat that stopped suddenly, then he proceeded to longer compositions. He is studying philosophy and is fascinated with a theme of death and passing by. It reflected in one of the songs he presented that evening, though he explained that the song has a cheerful, major melody. It is worth noticing that was the only song he sang in Polish. He felt it that way, as all the other musicians were singing in English. The song was, perversely, called Otchłań (The Abbys). One of his songs, All My Lovers was dedicated to someone once very close to him and the first part is about his past and present friends. The text is somehow so universal that one can even blush relating it to a part of their lives. Delicate melodies and touching texts moved the audience. At the end of his set, he sang a song called Neverland. Before that, he explained that he also loves Disney and the song brings back all his happy childhood memories, and asked the public to sing along some melodies of the song with him. And so they did, wonderfully.

The second to perform was Magdalena Radecka, a very talented singer who performed at our 21st edition a couple of months ago with her band Side Roads. It is interesting how she got to perform at Sofar Sounds again. Our city leader was in Paris, and she went into a bar or a restaurant where Magdalena was playing. She  did not recognized her voice at first, and thought that it was beautiful. How surprised she was when she found out that it was the voice of Magdalena Radecka! That time she went solo and did a great job. She accompanied herself on a guitar and sang, as she described, a set of introvertic songs. Her soft voice, combined with the warmth and the atmosphere, created a feeling of comfort. One could just close their eyes and sank into a land full of amazing sounds. She rarely spoke during her show, however there was a moment when she asked the audience to sing along with her.  In her set was a place for a cover of Youth by Daughter. She did well and recreated the charm and beauty of the original one.

Last but not least, David Fly started his set of acoustic songs. One could say that almost everybody felt the goosebumps when he sang. He had the strongest voice of the three performing musicians, yet he fit in perfectly with songs taken from both his first and second album. He told a story of how he had to gather some money, record and release his debut on his own, because no one he knew was interested in helping a folk musician. Whereas, in America, as he said, in every third house there is someone playing folk music. One song, Just stop, he wrote when trekking in Annapurna Massif in Himalayas. It is about taking the life as it is. During the song he, as well, asked the audience to hum along with him.

After he finished the set, people in the room were so astonished they could not stop applauding and asking for an encore. Magdalena Radecka and Kuba Zaborski joined David Fly for the beseeched encore. He played on guitar and sang one of his song, and Magdalena and Kuba improvised vocally at the same time.He was playing on a guitar and singing one of his songs while Magdalena and Kuba were improvising vocally. That was magical! At the end people stood up and went out joyfully exchanging the opinions on the effects the concerts had on them.