19/08 The garden of bass in MÓZG, Bydgoszcz
After a quick coffee, humus sandwiches and cat times in Veronica's place we head to the Katowice to catch our train. Six hours pass fairly slow but we get to Bydgoszcz with no trouble. The weather is ace, and after a quick train ride we arrive at MÓZG. Our host Jakub is already there so we get straight to soundcheck. We were supposed to do an open air show but the club crew has decided to do it inside so we can be as loud as we want. And damn we're loud. MÓZG has a massive PA and everything sounds awesome. It seems we're up for a good night! After the check we wander a bit inside the club, a cult place founded in 1994 by Jakub's father - Slawek Janicki quite an important figure in Poland's jazz (and underground) scene. Here's more on him here. First thing I sense in the otherwise dark club is a strong scent of flowers and Jakub tells us they have a garden on the rooftop and even plans to bring few plants and arrange the around the speakers.
After the check is done me and Petar go for a walk around the city. In an hour and a half we come back well-fed and ready to play. The room where we're playing looks awesome, plants are all over there are chairs and a small blanket so people can lay on the floor. In a bit Petar starts and the sound is great you can hear all layers of his loops, his bows are cutting through the mix like knife cuts fucking butter. It's great and people seem to love it. After that it's my turn and I blast the place with full volume. Bass is all around me and on several moments I'm almost losing myself in the sound and visuals. The rooms is pretty full, everybody's quiet during both our sets and when we finish I have no clue where I am.
We chill in the venue and luckily manage to listen to Jakub performing live a short but very interesting and thick techno set. We are staying the night in a cosy room in the venue so after hanging around a bit more it's time for shower and sleep.
20/08 Warsaw, let's do that!
We can't get tix for the early Polski Bus so we are to get on that at 1 pm, which means time for a breakfast and coffee in Bydgoszcz. We hit the zapjekanki spot again and head on a hunt for a small coffee shop in the tiny streets and we manage to find one called Cafe Kino. Loving the place in Bristol with the same name I immediately go for it and it's all good nice coffee and an hour passes chilling out. Around 12 we are back to the room, grab our stuff and we head to the bus station. Four hours later we are in Warsaw. Already a bit late for the event we get to Ada Pulawska around 8 but Martyna, who is our host but is also performing tonight is about to soundcheck with Darek and Piotr.
A bit later they start the gig and are playing a noise/eai set before us and end it with massive feedback. I thought it was planned and had a blast, later they are telling me it's not exactly what they had in mind. What can you do, that's the beauty of noise music. Tonight I'm playing before Petar because I sense it will do the gig good if we don't go from mellow to heavy but vice versa and it really works out fine. I have just a tiny bit of noise from the charger so I skip the quiet parts of my set but blast only the meanest sounds. The room is crammed with people. I think it's our most attended show. Everybody looks deep in the sound, sitting on the floor and towards the end of my final piece I leave the stage and join the people sitting on the floor, enjoying my final chords on this tour.
After a short pause Petar is on. It's insane how I've been listening to his set for 6 days in a row and every night I find new details in it. All the time I feel both happy we managed to do these gigs but a bit sad that tomorrow we won't be playing again. Luckily, Amek is releasing his debut tape so my trip with ate is not over yet.
After the gig we hang out with Martyna, who shows us around Ada Pulawska. I haven't been to a proper squat in quite some time so it feels awesome. We grab a quick bite and head downstairs again where the next hour I chat with my homie Tekla from cetieu who has managed to come to the gig so we finally meet outside the Internet. Around 12 the squat is closing and its sleeping time.
Now I'm finishing this report in the plane. Petar is still one hour away from his bus to Gdansk and I'm one hour away from Sofia. Looking back at the past week it surely was a tough one, but despite all issues we managed to play each and every gig. Big ups to everybody who did a show for us, who hosted us in their homes and let us play with their cats, huge ups to Ola for saving our asses, when both shows in Lodz got cancelled. Thanks to Gosia for lending me her laptop charger (and designing Petar's tape artwork). Last but not least huge ups for Petar himself for being a top dude and touring mate, we are surely doing this again!
PS. Keep your fingers crossed that the good boys at Apple can save the remains of my HDD because all music I've ever done is on this computer with no backup whatsoever.
