If you have been following our blog, you will notice that this is the second time Fangtasia Music features Kurna Chata.
Last year's entry was about my first trip to Poland and Kurna Chata's concert at the Ducal Palace in Szczecin. If you want to read it again or if you have no idea what I am talking about, you can find the story Kurna Chata: The Call Of Sirens here.
This year is about a very special occasion for the band: Polish radio station Radio Koszalin invited Kurna Chata to perform in their recording studio. Knowing full well that I love what they do, they invited me to that very exclusive event in Koszalin, Poland, which would take place on the 10th of November, 2019.
But wait! What is better than one Kurna Chata concert? You guessed it! TWO Kurna Chata concerts.
Upon my arrival in Koszalin one day before, on the 9th, the band casually told me that they they were going to play another concert that same day at the Gminny Ośrodek Kultury (which is something like a Community center) in their hometown Ustronie Morskie. I was not prepared for that but the idea alone of seeing them perform twice on the same weekend, made it an absolute no brainer for me.
I took the train and about thirty minutes later, I was in Ustronie Morskie: A small and quiet village in north-western Poland.
At 7 pm the concert started. The first song was the beautiful Oj Boże (Oh God), and it is structured in a way that, at the beginning, Kasia sings alone, a cappella. About two minutes in, Maja joins in, and you can hear the band unleash their full power.
As both voices played with each other, the song grew more and more intense to the point that it overwhelmed me and I started crying.
It was such a powerful song that I could not contain my emotions. It is as if, somehow, it had touched me deep in my soul. From the very beginning I was reminded why I love the band.
The rest of the concert was as magical and special as I had expected it to be. The auditorium was packed with friends, family members and fans. Afterall, it was their hometown and a relaxed and friendly atmosphere confirmed it.
At the end of the show, there were many people trying to talk to the band -me included- and at last, I was able to say hello to them.
After spending some minutes with them, I went back to my hotel in Koszalin to rest after a very long day of travelling and to get ready for Radio Koszalin.
On Sunday, I met Kurna Chata at around 2 pm at a pizza place, where we ate and drank something and were able to catch up. We had a moment to relax before leaving for Radio Koszalin, where they still had to do the sound check.
We went together to the radio station. They got all their equipment plugged in, tested and had enough time to make sure it all would sound perfectly. At around 5 pm I left Radio Koszalin to give them some time to prepare and get ready for the show, which was scheduled to start at 6pm.
The plan was to play a 50-minute or so set, in front of an audience (tickets were sold out way in advance) and, Radio Koszalin would record the show to later broadcast it to their listeners. This is a huge boost for any band, and I am very happy that they got invited to do so and I am honored that I had the privilege of being part of it.
At 6 pm, radio host Adrian Adamowicz came in, talked for a while and introduced Kurna Chata to the audience. A couple of minutes later, The Koszalin Radio Session, as I call it, began.
The set was very similar to the one played the night before, with the difference that, this time, it was in a much more professional and controlled location.
Kurna Chata started off their show with the same poweful song Oj Boże (Oh God), which, once more, made me shiver. The audience felt that energy, too. I could tell.
For 45-50 minutes they played their best songs. The audience was very engaged during the concert and cheered after each and every song.
Once Kurna Chata were done with their set, and after a minute or so of the audience clapping, demanding more music, the band got the green light to play one last song: Rumba Demencja, which, if I am not mistaken, has now become their catchiest tune and one that everybody seems to enjoy. Who could blame them? The song IS an earworm.
Something I noticed was that some arrangements on some of the songs have changed and that some songs, Rumba Demencja included, have become more complex than in previous videos and concerts.
Perhaps this is done with the intention of keeping their music fresh and to offer something different than what can be heard on the records.
It was truly a magical weekend in Poland. One that will stay in my heart and one that I will remember forever. Weekends like this one remind me that I love what I do and that there is nothing more beautiful in the world than music.
I look forward to hearing more from the band and their future plans. Perhaps 2020 will be the year when we finally see a full-length album come out? Only time will tell.
In the meantime, you can listen to both of Kurna Chata's productions: their Black EP and their White EP on Spotify and all other digital stores and streaming platforms.
UPDATE 23.12.21: Their concert at Radio Koszalin is now available everywhere!
Put your headphones on. Turn the volume up. Press play and let yourself be immersed in the enchanting world of Kurna Chata. You are in for a magical experience.
Congratulations, Kurna Chata!
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