Warsaw Wianki nad Wisła (25-06-22)

 

As I kind of do every year now, I went to the Wianki nad Wisła event on Saturday evening.

 

First up on stage were  Żywiołak, a more than decent Folk band, kind of in the Percival vein.

The Żywiołak set was full of atmosphere and had quite a few people up dancing in the middle aisle:

And the female vocalist, called Wiktoria if I remember correctly, had a really good voice:

Second up, it was the turn of Polish-Ukrainian band, Dagadana, who I'd seen at the Progresja not that long ago:

It's not easy to define or pigeonhole Dagadana, but I kind of view them as a nice mix of electronica, folk, dream pop, and jazz.

And some of the screen imagery during the Dagadana set was amazing:

And finally, it was the turn of Mikromusic who I've now seen a handful of times:

And they did Godzina, an absolutely beautiful tune.

Marymont Park: Marian Tree Shrine

While walking through Marymont Park, I saw this Marian Shrine, positioned halfway up a tree.

It was near what looked like a War memorial.

Warsaw Marymont Park

 

Occasionally, I go up to Marymont Park to get some exercise, because there's a small outside gym near the basketball court.

During winter, the place is grey and bleak, but from mid-spring through summer, the greenery transforms the place:

It's not a bad place to slowly walk through to recharge the batteries.

An Interesting-Looking Flower

 An interesting-looking flower that I passed while walking round the Warsaw Comedy Theatre.

Warsaw Comedy Theatre Building Walk

 

Between Plac Wilsona and Marymont metro stations, there lies a Comedy Theatre.

For many years, I'd just walked past it taking in nothing more than the front of the building, which is very pleasing to the eye:

 But a few Sundays ago, I had a very pleasant walk around the whole building outside:

And found myself regularly stopping to take some shots:

From all angles, the building was photogenic:

With some interesting features:

Will definitely have a walk round the Comedy Theatre again some time.

As it offers 15-20 minutes or so of enchantment.

The Dandy Warhols - Warsaw Praga Centrum (21-06-22)

 

At long last, I finally got to see The Dandy Warhols, and loved every minute of it.

Was made up that the band came on with Mohammed, my favourite Dandy Warhols tune, as I'd not expected them to do it.

 First came across The Dandy Warhols in about the year 2000 when I heard them doing a Radio 1 evening session while I was living in an attic in Canterbury, south-east England.

Thus, after knowing about the band for over 20 years, it was a real joy to finally get to listen to Get Off; Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth; Godless; Bohemian Like You; Holding Me Up etc. live.

Really think they're one of the most melodic bands around today in a kind of profound, understated way.

Passing a Lilac Tree

 

Passing a beautiful lilac tree on the way down to the Citadel.

I saw a horse-and-cart pass by:

And a monument to a Professor:

Twin Trees

 

Down on the Citadel in Warsaw, it's not uncommon to come across what I call twin trees, two trees that appear to have taken root right next to each other.

Corpus Christi 2022

 

Couple of nice shots from the procession around a Warsaw church after the Old Latin Mass on Corpus Christi.

Really like the fact that lots of young people attend the Old Latin Mass in Warsaw (and all over the world).

For some reason, the shot above got me thinking of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited, probably because Catholicism is often viewed as the main character in the book.

Sundown in Warsaw

 

Sundown from the Ratusz Arsenał tram stops in Warsaw, Poland, on the way up to the Progresja to see American band Warpaint a few Saturdays ago.

And sundown in Warsaw again below, this time passing a bar in Pole Mokotowskie Park midweek on the way to see American band Larkin Poe at the Proxima a few weeks ago:

Neal Morse Band - Warsaw Progresja (15-06-22)

 Last Saturday, it came the time to catch up with the Neal Morse Band at Warsaw Progresja:

As expected, this was a wonderful evening of entertainment (The Great Adventure; Your Place in the Sun; Waterfall etc.), the highlight of which, for me, was the 32-minute, Beyond the Years, an incredibly poignant epic.

The sign of a good (2-3 hour) concert is when it seems to go by in a flash, almost an instant, which was certainly the case last Saturday night.

It's not just the first class Prog but also the generic-type Christian message which makes the Neal Morse band such a special, endearing group.

Have seen the band a few times now, and after each gig, I've felt some kind of uplift and catharsis, as the lyrics, music, and visual display come together to offer great meaning.

Long may this great band continue to produce such profound and uplifting music (and of course, take it out live).

Citadel Walls Near The River

 

Major-looking building work taking place at the Citadel Walls down near the river in Warsaw.

Not far away, the Citadel Walls are far more serene:

Although things may get disturbed occasionally by the bell below:

But still, it's quite a good place for a birdbox:

High up in the trees:

Gary Numan - Warsaw Progresja (3-06-22)

A shot of the Gary Numan tour bus which greeted me when I arrived at Warsaw Progresja last Friday evening.
 

As expected, it was a great concert with a nice balance of old tunes and more recent ones.

Having been at school in the late 70s and early 80s, it was the old tunes like Down in the Park; I Die: You Die; Cars; Are Friends Electric? etc. which most resonated with me.

Have now seen Gary Numan three times over the last 10 years or so, and really like some of the more recent tunes, especially The Fall and Prayer for the Unborn.

Hope to get to see him again some time, of course.