OFF Festival Katowice 2011: From whispers to screams

dEUS

dEUS was the first band on the Belgian alternative rock scene to earn an international following. They gained attention with their 1994 debut Worst Case Scenario, and were rumored to be planning to shoot a porn film. That might have just been gossip, but the bare truth about dEUS is that their music is an original variety of indie rock, one where hard driving guitars mingle with string arrangements. The group is currently working on their upcoming album, Keep You Close, which is set to come out in the fall.

Gangpol & Mit

Gangpol & Mit are two Frenchmen, Sylvain Quément and Guillaume Gastagné, who find inspiration in children’s cartoons and video game soundtracks. They must really know what they’re doing, seeing that Mike Patton took them under his wing, signing them to his label, Ipecac. Have a listen to the album The 1000 Softcore Tourist People Club, but be prepared for more than just music at their live show: there will be images, and lots of them.

Trembling Bells

Trembling bells are 21st century troubadours. They’re coming over with their mentor, Current 93 frontman David Tibet (with whom they’ll be performing on Thursday evening), but don’t expect any hardcore avant garde or eardrum-shattering experimentation. Trembling Bells take the tradition of British folk songs and add a pinch of the best in psychedelic hard rock. While they might come across as artifacts from another era, their music sounds extraordinarily fresh.

AIDS Wolf

AIDS Wolf is a noise-rock trio from Montreal. Their inspirations include No Wave, the experiments of Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa, American underground hardcore, and the heroic days of the British industrial scene, which they forge into original and brutal sounds. Their latest album March to the Sea is the best proof.

Hype Williams

Not much is known about Hype Williams, aside from the fact that this London-Berlin duo chose their name in homage to Harold “Hype” Williams, an American film director best known for his music videos. Jaws dropped when the pair came out with their surreal music and ethereal, DIY-inspired videos, which featured clips from videos by Britney Spears. The title of their debut album didn’t help, either: Find Out What Happens When People Stop Being Polite And Start Gettin’ Reel.

D4D

Also known as Dick4Dick, these guys are colorful, unpredictable, and hardcore. Anything can go down at their impressive, dynamic shows, and nothing is impossible in their racy music videos. Once heavy and almost veering into heavy metal, their music has become downright danceable in recent years. There’s a topless woman on the cover of their latest record, Who’s Afraid Of?. Oodles of fun.

TRYP

TRYP is an alternative supergroup from Łódź, featuring members of Cool Kids of Death, 19 Wiosen, NOT, and Agressiva 69. They debuted last winter with the shocking album Kochanówka, which details the liquidation of a local mental hospital by the Gestapo. As for the music, it’s punk, new wave, and industrial: these guys mean business.

Mołr Drammaz

The return of the legendary band formed in the mid–90s by Wojtek Kucharczyk (The Complainer) and Asia Bronisławska (Asi Mina). Their live and electronic drumming was a breath of fresh (rhythmic) air in a country obsessed with guitar riffs. The internationally acclaimed Mołr Drammaz are coming back to perform at the OFF Festival!