Front Fabrik Festival in Krakow

Krakow in spring. The air still bites your cheeks, the Vistula river runs sluggish and grey, and the city feels like it’s nursing a hangover that started somewhere around 1939 and never quite ended. But beneath the postcard scenery of medieval spires and cobbled streets, something else stirs in the darkness.

That’s where Front Fabrik Festival comes in. Not your average tourist trap or neon rave for sunburned Brits on stag weekends. We arrived in the Podgórze district where the club was held in a derelict building which definitely had seen better days. Inside, the crowd was the expected patchwork of leather, latex and several layers of attitude. Locals, Slovaks, lost Swedes, a German or two — all unified by the drone of machinery and the hiss of smoke machines. No VIP lounges. No artisanal mojitos. Just boots, drums and Żywiec.

This evening saw the first ever stage performance by Black Sun Dreamer and the electro-industrial act Anti-Terror. The final band was Düsseldorf, veterans of Polish EBM which have been around since 1989 when they debuted at Jarocin festival. Düsseldorf put on massive beats which really filled the room.

Polish band Düsseldorf in Podgórze.

Second day of the festival opened with The Opposer Divine from Slovakia, followed up by La Santé from Sweden. La Santé turned out to be my favorite gig of the festival, as André and Roy filled the hall with energetic EBM featuring Polish lyrics and fast-paced drums.

Next up were Astma from Sweden and Terminal State from Slovakia. The temperature was raised significantly as German EBM act Jäger 90 entered the stage. Lead singer Thoralf Dietrich joined us in the moshpit while Marcel Lüke was hitting away on the drums.

Jäger 90 at Klub Studencki Zaczek.

The last performance of the festival was none other than scene legend Dirk Ivens with his solo project Dive, which is a bit different than his other bands The Klinik and Absolute Body Control, featuring a massive droning sound that cannot be ignored.

All in all, a nice weekend in a beautiful city with great bands from the scene. Hope to be back at next year.