SKANKAN
Where to start? Skankan are the quintessential Polish ska band. For over 30 years (with a break from 2010 to 2019, but who’s going to be that petty?), they have shaped the music scene and have now achieved legendary status in Poland. Their music, which oscillates between ska and ska-punk, incorporates a bit of reggae and traces of old-school rock “n” roll, is extremely danceable and incredibly uplifting. Wonderful brass sections, snappy guitars, vocals in Polish and English, and a tight offbeat.
The list of current and former members easily fills three smartphone screens, so we’ll just say this: it’s going to be packed on the Sonnenbühne stage.
And hopefully in front of it too, because anyone who misses this performance will be missing out.
It’s an honour for us.
MAD EAGLES
By the bassist’s beard, what a complete package. Although the line-up is more traditional, it’s the little things that make the difference here and cause amazement. The bass is plucked rather than strummed and the rhythm guitar is a semi-acoustic one in mint green. Since punk alone is no longer enough for the Fürstenwalders, who are well versed in the Spree, rock and metal are happily mixed in, processed into a homogeneous mass and seasoned with a good dose of (gallows) humour. And so it is that a song called ‘Schlecht’ (‘Bad’) brings a grin to your face and puts you in a good mood. Their first longplayer is released just a few days before their gig with us. It’s on with them.
