MIGHTY SOUNDS FESTIVAL IS COMING!

The fifth jubilee year of Mighty Sounds is almost here! Summer ska explosion will as always take place in South Bohemian village OLší u Tábora on July 17-19 and visitors can look forward to a real interesting programme.

There will be more than 150 performers from 20 countries all over the world. They will perform on three live stages, three dj stages and in one theatre marquee with colourful programme, not only expected different performers and theatre shows.

Apart from music, we have also prepared a supportive programme. There will be a BMX exhibition on a U-ramp, fire and juggling show, or performance of a German-Brazilian drumm group Bloco Pavão. For those who like to sweat, climbing wall and in the first place Gambrinus fun town with lot of enjoyment are waiting. You can join us for a game of paintball in a nearby forest, like every year.

Also this year we will introduce you to representatives from the cradle of ska a reggae. This time it will be Jamaican veterans Pat Kelly and Dave Barker with his younger English colleague Chris Ellis. European reggae top will represent French Dub Inc. Their inimitable version of dirty reggae will bring an American formation The Aggrolites. Not to forget other ska/reggae headliners: Swedish cult band Liberator or well known New York Ska Jazz Ensemble.

Other bands to look forward to are Slovenian skapunk jokers Elvis Jackson, 2tone The Rifffs from Malta, Italian ska rebels Talco and their Spanish colleagues La Gossa Sorda. We will have Dutch showman Mark Foggo arriving from the country of tulips and European legend Mr. Review.

Mighty Sounds is not just ska and reggae music. Rock´n´roll bands are gaining on space in the festival line up. Gourmands will definitely appreciate Canadian punk veterans NoMeansNo, legendary British Buzzcocks, Swedish rough guys Backyard Babies, Swiss rockabilly trio The Peacocks or a perfect punk cabaret The World Inferno Friendship Society.

Fans of harder guitar riffs will enjoy the concert of British punkrock band Deadline, Dutch „Motorhead“ Peter Pan Speedrock or more and more popular Americans Far From Finished. Only few people will leave out the appearance of psychobilly freaks Koffin Kats and their Canadian colleagues The Brains. A chapter for itself will be more then dozen of young energetic groups from the British Isles.

Czechoslovak scene will be represented not only by fixed stars like Polemic, Sto Zvířat, Fast Food Orchestra, Prague Ska Conspiracy, The Chancers, NVU, Totální Nasazení, but also many new young and promising formations playing all kinds of styles.

Tickets are available in Ticketpro, Ticketstream and Ticketportal networks. Their price is 680 CZK (approx. 26E) until the 16th of July.

!IMPORTANT! NO NEED TO BE AFRAID THAT FESTIVAL GONNA BE SOLD OUT! THE FESTIVAL AREA IS LARGE ENOUGH. THE PRICE AT THE DOOR IS 750CZK (approx. 29E) FOR ALL 3 DAYS.

MIGHTY SOUNDS vol. 5

150 performers from all over the world on seven stages
styles: ska, punk, rock 'n' roll, reggae, dancehall, hard core, drum'n'bass, jungle etc.
date: 17. - 19. July 2009
location: Olší u Tábora (100km south from Prague)
number of visitors - last year: 12.000
MS has been nominated this year for „Festival of the year“ award by the Filter magazine

Profiles of some interprets:

BUZZCOCKS (UK)

Buzzcokcs formed in 1975 in Manchester and became one of the most influential bands originating from the very beginning of the punkrock wave. Fragile melodies, souped up guitars and sarcastic lyrics of guitarist Pete Shelly lifted the band soon to the top. Buzzcocks were in the very start inspired by the energy of Sex Pistols, but did not follow their angry political attitudes, on the contrary the always stayed original and filled their three minute pop hits with passion and great energy. Shelly´s funny and at the same time anxious lyrics about growing up and love belong in their time to on of the most catching. You can still hear echo of their music in the songs of bands like Husker Du or Nirvana.

NO MEANS NO (CAN)

No means no, but only few music fans reply „No“ to question if they had ever heard Canadian NoMeansNo. This trio is a living legend and does not live on its past glory. NMN belongs to the rare species under bands, which are able to make great records and give phantastic concerts for three decades. American Wright brothers gave in 1903 to the world one of the most spectacular inventions – an aeroplane, their Canadian namesakes gave the manhood, three quarters of century later one of the best punkrock bands in the history. NMN is not just about punk and that´s where the secret of their long life is. Absolutely distinctive style enriched with jazz, hardcore and rock´n´roll elements and bit of maths have kept the level of their music pretty high for last 30 years. If we add big variety of studio recordings, perfectly sarcastic, socially critical lyrics, and in the first place show incredibly filled with energy and power, these guys are, still in their fifties, able to perform, there can be no doubt that NMN will be one of the biggest Mighty Sounds stars.

DUB INCORPORATION (FR)

Dub Inc is an absolutely perfect ensemble of mature musicians, not any worse than their Jamaican colleagues, adding a special extra into their music. Perfect coordinationn of two vocals – high and soft voice of Hakim, originally from Northern Africa, who enriches the music by Arabic elements and deep voice of Aurélien, who on the other hand intonates in the deepest voice positions, brings energetic ragga into the music of Dub Inc. The band started in 1997, inspired by many music styles, resulting in very swinging reggae, stuffed with energy. This has brought the band to the top.

THE AGGROLITES (USA)

Responsible for this whole show are a guitarist Brian Dixon and a frontman Jesse Wagner. You can recognize Aggrolites by their roughness lightly mixed with authentic 60s ska. The magic of this stew made of the juiciest meat consists of ingredients like Lee Perry, War and Toots and The Maytals. Result of this mixture is delicious dirty reggae. The band was originally founded to back a famous Jamaican legend, to Mighty Sounds visitors well known Derrick Morgan. But later it supported other legends e.g. Prince Buster, Cedrick Brooks, Phillis Dillon or Dean Frasier, bringing with its music something completely new as well. The world, being used to all kinds of Jamaican ska with a dash of rock, punk or reggae, was completely surprised by music reminding of Kingston in 1963 and London in 1979. If you add a rough hardcore image, things start getting clear to you...

BACKYARD BABIES (SWE)

These four guys have been together for incredible 20 years since getting on the unstopable train of drugs, sex and rock’n’roll, surprisingly still existing in the original formation. Scandinavia served in the 90s as a refuge for rock’n’roll spirit, when the rest of Europe was hit by a dancefloor, techno, hip-hop, crossover and britpop tsunami. Bands like Turbonegro, Hellacopters, the Ark or Backyard Babies helped themselves with a bit of punk and held the dying out glamrock, rock’n’roll, hard rock and heavy metal above water till better times came again. Apart from 6 LPs, hundreds of concerts, tours with AC/DC, Social Distortion or Motorhead, Dregen the band´s guitarist stood at the beginning of two other essential formations – Hellacopters, which he had to leave after two records because of growing popularity limiting his native Backyard Babies, and Supershit 666, built from members of Hellacopters and British The Wildhearts. Backyard Babies featured recordings of stars like Joey Ramone, Hanoi Rocks, The Cardigans, The Dwarves, L7, Danko Jones, Turbonegro or The Dictators. The band has received several Swedish Grammy awards.