Submitted by Peter Astedt
We can’t say enough how much we now see that midsize festivals are taking over before the big ones. Festivals that have been growing over the years in their own country and become a spot that now is launching internationally. Here you really have Tak Brzmi Miasto. It means sounds of the city and the only hard thing with the festival is to pronounce the name.
It doesn’t matter, Tak Brzmi Miasto presents a perfect sized festival. Here you can meet the whole Polish industry, from the most experienced to the new ones. Of course, this has been the focus over the ten years Tak Brzmi Miasto has been around. Make a great meeting point for Poland. A couple of years ago they started to get some international people in and now the rest of Europe starts to see this as a great spot to start your European network.
We were surprised how many good international speakers and delegates the festival already has. You had representation of the leading showcase and normal big festivals in Europe. The festival is small but big at the same time. It’s held in a culture center with many rooms and keeps two panels, workshops etc. at the same time. Also, there is plenty of space to have great meetings or just bump into the right people. The panels and workshops are from basic level up to expert level so you can get something out from the festival whatever level you are in.
The gigs were this year divided into two gig places that had a show when the other was changing. We were running between the two gig places, luckily they are very close to each other. It was mainly a Polish band that was playing. Only one band from abroad I saw. On the other hand, that band was part of the exchange program with other showcase festivals. The good part of this is that we could actually see all bands performing. At the same time the festival could expand and put in a couple of more gig places. Krakow has a great scene so it should be possible. It would work out to have around four to five gig places.
The quality of the bands was really high as well. The polish scene has developed a lot in recent years and many good artists are on the verge of getting outside Poland and getting an international career.
Tak Brzmi Miasto is a kind of hidden gem that you should explore if you are either entering the polish scene or market. But also try to get on right now since they are developing quite fast and are already one of the festivals that will be counted as the most important midsize showcase festivals in Europe. A perfect example of what a showcase festival should be like.