R.U.T.A.

Folk with attitude from Polish punks

Songlines Encounters Festival opens with a bang with the extraordinary R.U.T.A. A folk-inspired punk band in Poland that have existed for less than a year, they already have a hoard of enthusiastic fans as well as calls for them to be banned! Fronted by Guma, the Polish Johnny Rotten who also plays in Moskwa, the band’s repertoire consists of old peasant revolutionary songs. The real voices of peasant uprisings against the feudal system in Poland but given a new sound with guitars and old-style Polish fiddles, thanks to members of the Warsaw Village Band.

It’s a totally unexpected soundworld – incendiary lyrics against brutal landowners and the Catholic Church all yelled out so fiercely that those flying Polish consonants could lacerate your cheeks and backed up with scratchy folk fiddles and powerful percussion. The group are unearthing a totally forgotten side of Polish culture, in sympathy with the Occupy protests across the Western world.

See the full Songlines Encounters Festival programme
A limited number of festival passes are available 

R.U.T.A. website
Photo credit: Bartek Muracki

Curated by Songlines Magazine and Ikon Arts Management
Supported by ORLA.fm and londynek.net