This event, which has been running for 15 years, brings together Polish and international enthusiasts of alternative music in the broadest sense of the word – rock, electronic music and jazz aficionados will feel at home. To date, over three hundred concerts have been organised in the capital of Małopolska as part of this festival. As always, the majority of this year’s events will be hosted by the RE club, featuring performances by Kultur Shock, Ventolin and Public Circuit. The GZF will also come to the Poczta Główna Meeting Club for the first time (Nuovo Testamento and Soft Vein). This year also marks its return to the Betel club after several years (King Ayisoba).

Line-up

• 1.05 – Kultur Shock, Gypsurge / RE
• 8.05 – Trupa Trupa / RE
• 9.05 – ||ALA|MEDA|| / RE
• 15.05 – Ventolin / RE
• 16.05 – Black Mynah, Bazgrołki / RE
• 22.05 – Nuovo Testamento, Soft Vein / Poczta Główna
• 23.05 – Rycerzyki / RE
• 28.05 – Public Circuit, II Fala / RE
• 29.05 – King Ayisoba / Betel

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1.05

Kultur Shock
When singer Gino Srdjan Yevdjevich left war ravaged Sarajevo and settled in Seattle in the mid-90s, he hauled two things in toe - his immense vocal and songwriting talent, and his relentless ambition to create. Little that he knew that after starting Kultur Shock in 1996, he’s not only going to become the beating heart of one of the most consequential genre-bending bands of the last couple of decades, but also the de-facto grandfather of a movement that people today casually refer to as gipsy punk. For the following 25 years, Kultur Shock embarks on a never ending path of experimentation, mixing Balkan folk melodies and bizarre meters with face melting metal and blood pumping punk rock, being lyrical, obnoxious, political, irreverent, all the while respecting every influence they’ve had to make the Bosnian sevdah more sevdah, the rock more rock, and gipsy-punk-metal what it currently is - a culture shock.

To describe Kultur Shock’s style and sound, people usually refer to Gogol Bordello, System of a Down, Dubioza Kolektiv, Manu Chao, The Pogues or Band of Four but none of that does the band a justice, because Kultur Shock’s sound and approach to music is literally in a league of their own. The band released its first three studio records produced by Faith No More’s Bill Gould on his KoolArrow Records between 2001 and 2006. Since 2007, Kultur Shock has been self-produced and self-released on its own label Kultur Shock Records, and has put out four LPs, one EP, and 3 live albums. In early 2022, the band has re-released a re-mastered 20th anniversary edition of their iconic "FUCC The INS" album (Kool Arrow, 2001) on the same label. It is followed by a fresh collaboration between Kultur Shock Records and Jello Biafra’s Alternative Tentacles Records, with a 7” single featuring tracks "King" and "Country Mohammed" from the album "Integration" (Kultur Shock Records, 2009) and a new studio album, still in the works. After another great touring season in spring 2023, covering all european major music markets and the UK, Kultur Shock embarked on working on their new record. Half way through it, a series of unfortunate personal events affecting the band and its members delayed the process and live performances with almost a year. By the time healing took place and the record could be re-kindled, a lot of new ideas were accumulated, so the band had a choice to make – finish what it started, or get into the adventure of exploring new creative territories, as artists that do not evolve turn into legacy ones, or just die. So the idea of a double album under the working title “House of Kultur, House of Shock” was born, planned to be completed by the end of 2025 and released in the early 2026. Experimentation with themes and sounds brought expansion of the number of musicians involved past the band’s core, featuring some amazing talent from the US and Europe, previous members of the band, as well as young musicians that deserve to be discovered, heard and appreciated.

Today, Kultur Shock is no longer just a high-voltage blend of multi-ethnic music, attitude, and raw stage presence. It’s a Project – an open, ever-evolving platform that breaks through creative limits and sheds the weight of legacy. In the meantime, answering the call from fans and promoters alike, Kultur Shock played a select run of festival and headlining shows across the U.S. and Europe from May through August 2025 as a prelude to a major tour in spring 2026, celebrating the new release and three decades of boundary-breaking music and performance.

With over a 1000 shows under their belt, Kultur Shock’s most important festival appearances include Bumbershoot (Seattle WA, USA); Victoria Folk (Canada); Sziget (Hungary); Exit / Ritam Evrope / Arsenal (Serbia); Sayanskoe Kolco (Siberia, Russia); Festival of Peace (Kazan, Russia); Esperanza (Belgium); Fest am Berg / Wilwarin / Folk’n’Fusion (Germany); Senglar Rock / Castellbisbal / Iboga / Capdepera / Pireneus Sur (Spain); Fete de la Musique / Festival de la Boheme / Les Musicaves / Welcome to Tziganie (France); Ariano Irpino / Arezzo Wave / Summer Lab (Italy); Lent / Rock Otocec / Schengenfest (Slovenia); INmusic / Pula film fest / Spancirfest (Croatia); Beerfest / Kaleidoskop / OK fest / Sarajevo Film Fest (Bosnia & Herzegovina); LakeFest (Monte Negro); IRAF / Stufstock (Romania); Spirit of Burgas / Hills of Rock (Bulgaria); Nilufer Music (Turkey); Kavala festival (Greece); Taksirat / DFest (North Macedonia) and many more…

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22.05

Nuovo Testamento
The Los Angeles based trio consisting of Chelsey Crowley (vocals), Giacomo Zatti (drums) and Andrea Mantione (synth) - has spent the last several years seizing dance floors across the world with their blend of dark Italo-disco and synth drenched pop. Think of all of your favorite synth-era throwback hits mixed with a modern pop sensibility and songs that will carve their way into your synapses...and stay there.

Their 2019 debut EP Exposure (Avant! Records) acted as a coldwave calling card for the group, showcasing their promising musical acumen and establishing them as a goth-night favorite. However, it was their 2021 follow up New Earth that truly articulated the trio's dark-pop prowess and earned them a spot amongst the fastest rising stars in the alternative scene. A kaleidoscopic blast of vintage club sounds, pulsing synths and modern pop precision, the release earned nods from across the genre spectrum. 2023's self-released Love Lines and tours with Molchat Doma and The Soft Moon solidified the staying power of the band, opening the door for remix collaborations with groups like Drab Majesty, Curses, and Scowl and a busy itinerary of live performances.

2025 was another breakout year for the group, with new EP Trouble showcasing the trio's most mature and explorative repertoire to date.

"This record doesn’t hide, it’s curious and pushes back and is willing to believe in a future. Trouble speaks to the shifting plates and faults within us and dares to want something different, something playful, something true.”

Singles "Picture Perfect" and "Dream On" encapsulate the '80s and '90s influences the group holds dear - melding freestyle, synth pop and alternative music into a cohesive (and danceable) sonic statement. With crystalline modern production and effervescent songwriting, Nuovo Testamento has created a fresh new sound unmistakably their own.

Soft Vein
The California-based darkwave solo project of musician Justin Chamberlain, debuted in late 2022 with a pair of singles, the haunting ‘GIVEUPTHEGHOST’ and its industrial-tinged successor ‘VIOLENTIA.’ Blending influences from cold wave, industrial, and modern darkwave, SOFT VEIN “…paints a vivid picture of desperation and lust in the dark, but with a strangely romantic bend.” (POST-PUNK COM)

SOFT VEIN’s sound is at times urgent, visceral and dangerous; at other times, lonesome, longing and darkly romantic. Minimalist drum machines, metallic synthetic percussion, lurking synth basslines and lush synthesizer and guitar arrangements all combine to flash grainy pictures of love and lust in a dark room.

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28.05

Public Circuit
Much like a close shave, Brooklyn dark-synth paladins, Public Circuit, culminates a palpable intensity that can only be likened to that of a human spirit's indomitable will to live.

Marrying the late 70's minimal synth-punk ethos of Nervous Gender and The Sound with the new wave romanticism of New Order and Iron Curtain, Public Circuit is determined to lead an inquisition upon electronic music as they carve their niche in the bedrock foundation that minimal synth was built upon.

Public Circuit's debut album, Lamb, released March 8th, 2024 via à La Carte Records.

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29.05

King Ayisoba
Often called “King of Kologo” and “A living legend”, has an unique sound and significant range of voices, which makes him sound like no other.

Coming from a rural area in the far north of Ghana, descending from a Frafra hunting tribe, his performances are full of tribal power, his grandfather’s voices which materializes through his incredible range of deep and loud nasal cries as well as soft high singing accompanied by his kologo. Supported by his band of Frafra musicians, with their mesmerizing infectious beats, high energy dances and singing, King Ayisoba provides captivating stage performances with rhythms going straight to the heart and inner pulse with a touch of repetitive trance. He has a great ability to interact with his audience, reaching the young and old with his straight forward lines, making them respond to his cries and dance along.

Already as a very small child King Ayisoba started to play the kologo, since then it’s been like an extended part of his body, not a single day goes by where he is not playing. King Ayisoba is pure music, his main communication tool, singing in the local languages Frafra, Twi and Pigeon English, he brings the traditional and modern together while addressing personal, social and political issues that he thinks needs attention and change. He wishes to inspire people to be more conscious and to act upon injustice, corruption, greed or how a father treats his family.

Panji Anoff discovered King Ayisoba and produced his first album “Modern Ghanians” in 2006, the album took everyone by surprise and the hit “I want to see you my father” spread like a bushfire through Ghana and honored King Ayisoba with 3 awards, “Discovery of the year”, “Traditional song of the Year” and “Most popular song of the year” at The Ghana Music Award in 2007.

Since his breakthrough King Ayisoba has won more awards, released 7 albums, featured on countless releases and toured around the Globe from US, Canada and Europe to Asia, Australia and Africa. Some highlights have been Roskilde Festival (DK), Fusion Festival (DE), Womex (PL), Respect Festival (CZ), Yeowoorak Festival (KR), WOMAD (AU/NZ) amongst many more.

King Ayisobas main focus will always be his own composed songs played with his traditional band ranging from 2 - 10 band members, depending on the setup, all traditional Frafra musicians, vocalists and dancers.

Continuously talented musicians keep discovering King Ayisoba and invites him to team up to do new releases, be it dub mix, dj’s or instrumentalists from a wide range of music genres, in the crossover collaborations King Ayisoba’s music keeps evolving into new areas of hiplife, punk rock, dancehall, reggae, folkmusic and even techno. He has worked for more than a decade with Zea, front figure Arnold de Boer from the Ex (NL) and has additionally made collaborations with international artists like Lee “Scratch” Perry (JM), Orlando Julius (NG), African Head Charge (UK), Adrian Sherwood (UK) , Djuma Soundsystem (NO), MoBlack (IT), Pharfar (DK), New Age Doom (CA), and many others.

Source: press release