Warsaw: Passing the Jan Twardowski Statue

 Back in Spring, I went to Mass at the Visitationist church on Krakowskie Przedmieście in Warsaw and came upon this wonderful monument to the late Polish priest and poet, Jan Twardowski:

I felt obliged to get a shot of the monument from all angles:

Have just read that Father Twardowski served the Visitationist church between 1959 and 2004, and the church very much pays honour to his service, both outside and inside:

The Visitationist church, itself, is stunning inside:

It's well worth a visit and honours another famous Polish clergyman:

Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński (1901-1981) who valiantly stood up to the communist regime, of course.

Happy Drinking Holba Again

 Really happy to be drinking Holba again, both the 4.7% version above, plus the 4.2% one below:

Have just read that the Holba brewery is based in the town of Hanušovice in the Olomouc district of the Czech Republic and dates back to 1874. 

Of Monsters and Men - Warsaw Stodoła (18-06-26)

 The highlight of this week: seeing Of Monsters and Men at the Stodoła in Warsaw.

Had wanted to see Of Monsters and Men for quite some time and finally, I got round to doing so.

Despite being packed in like a sardine for a sold out show, I soon found myself tapping along to King and Lionheart (a truly beautiful song), the heavier 'Alligator', and, of course, Crystals.

But, the highlight was always going to be the show-ending Fruit Bat which has a great Prog-type feel to it.

Was also happy to catch RAKEL doing her set beforehand:

I'm now 60 years old and enjoy bands that I'm curious about who I've never seen before (I've been going to gigs since January 1980).

After the sardine can kind of crowd dynamic, I was very grateful for a cold beer:

But the Stodoła allowed very little time to finish the beer (the bigger concert places in Warsaw are going downhill with this kind of thing, while smaller places tend to be more human).

Cabaret Voltaire - Warsaw Palladium (10-06-2026)

Went to see Cabaret Voltaire out of curiosity and so glad I did, I had a wonderful evening.

I'm old enough to remember the band back in the 80s and even the 70s but only in passing.

 But still, I recognised more tunes than I expected.

And what a top tune The Set Up is, plus Animation; Seconds Too Late; Spies in the Wires etc.

 With the band bowing out with Nag, Nag, Nag and Sensoria.

The gig was part of something called The Ephemera Festival:

So glad I caught Cabaret Voltaire, I was transfixed from start to finish.

It's great getting to see bands that I should've paid more attention to when I was younger.

Garbage / Izzy and the Black Trees (Warsaw Progresja Outside Stage 30th May 2026)

 My highlight from last weekend, Garbage at Warsaw Progresja Outside Stage:

First came across Garbage in my attic flat in Bury (Lancashire), listening to evening radio in the mid/late 1990s ('Stupid Girl' was the first song I heard, I think, the memory kind of fades).

Hence, having never seen the band before, I didn't think twice about seeing them when they passed through Warsaw recently:

And I wasn't disappointed, songs like 'I Think I'm Paranoid'; 'Vow'; 'Special'; and 'Only Happy When I Rains' etc. are highly melodic, and it was an honour to catch the band live (singer Shirley Manson has a great voice, of course).

Was also really happy to see that Izzy and the Black Trees were opening the show:

Having lived in Warsaw/Poland for many years, I should've already caught this great band but eventually I did so:

Really liked 'This Land Is Ours', 'Two Sides', and, of course, 'I Can't Breathe' (with recent events in my native England, I couldn't help but think of Henry Nowak, RIP, of course).

Yeah, I really enjoyed both bands.

Spring in Full Swing

 As the pictures do show:

Spring is now in full swing:

With daytime temperatures between 24-28 Celsius in Warsaw, just how I like it.

Warsaw: Passing the Land Registry Office

 Have passed this way many times before:

Without taking much notice of the Land Registry Office:

The other Sunday, having a bit of time to spare, I ended up properly noticing the building:

Giving it the time and attention that it deserves:

When in a rush, you can miss the fine details.

The Land Registry Office lies on the short walk from the Capuchin church/centre (near the Old Town) which is famous for feeding/trying to help homeless people:

Up to Ratusz Arsenał metro station.

Christopher Cross - Warszawa Progresja (26-04-2026)

 My highlight from last weekend, Christopher Cross at Warsaw Progresja, loved every minute of it.

Not just Sailing; Arthur's Theme; and Ride Like the Wind, but also Dreamers; Light the World; Minstrel Gigolo etc.

Now 60, I find myself going to see performers I've never seen before, out of curiosity, to see something I've never encountered before.

And Christopher Cross and his band/female choir were fantastic.

It's great to see varied music.

Karnivool / Intervals - Warsaw Progresja (20-04-2026)

Another musical highlight from the week, seeing Aussie Prog (Metal) band, Karnivool, at the Progresja on Monday evening.

Find Karnivool incredibly melodic and still have tunes like Simple Boy and New Day playing in my head after Monday evening.

As usual, I was stood near the back of the hall where it wasn't always easy to see the band on stage:

But still, I thoroughly enjoyed the set.

Think that Karnivool have an incredible rhythm section.

Also really enjoyed Canadian band, Intervals:

Their kind of five-minute instrumental pieces work well, with Leave No Stone being my favourite tune of the set.

So lucky to still be going to gigs when I'm now 60, I started going to concerts in Manchester in January 1980 when still a 14-year-old schoolboy.

And great gigs like Karnivool/Intervals still give me a thrill. 

Kim Gordon - Warsaw Progresja (21-04-2026)

Found myself kind of tranced out at this gig, it was an amazing audio-visual experience.

Right from the word go, the Play Me album worked well live.

Favourite songs on the night from this album were the opening PLAY ME (a beautiful kind of retro tune) and, of course, the closing BYE BYE, with the wonderful outro.

When I first heard the Play Me album, I didn't really know what to make of it, but seeing it done live was incredible.

But the highlight of the night for me has to be the amazing Cigarette, this tune has a sublime build up and crescendo, it's mesmerising.

Mainly went to see Kim Gordon out of curiosity and nostalgia (can remember listening to the Sonic Youth John Peel sessions back in the day, mainly the mid to late 1980s), and was extremely happy with the experience.