Prague - An annual music festival in Ostrava initially aimed at minority world music is now slowly becoming a mass Benetton poster-like event with people of different styles, images, age and complexion flocking to the Silesia´s capital from all over the world.
Last year, the international festival Colors of Ostrava was subtitled "Barvičky" (small colours) and attracted 20 thousand people.
The artists invited for this year´s music feast, which starts today, prove that the musical scope of the event has broadened widely: from world music to more mass-oriented and mainstream music. But in most cases the Colors will still remain a smart entertainment with a truly colorful taste.
"Artists of diverse styles"
This year´s Colors of Ostrava will see an Irish singer and songwriter Sinéad O'Connor who is undoubtably one of the most glamorous stars to ever attend the festival.
Other major celebrities are British groups Goldfrapp and Happy Mondays, Norwegian saxophonist with a Czech sounding name Jan Garbarek and folk singer from Mali Habib Koité.
"I am happy that for this year´s program we managed to pool artists of such diverse styles. But all guarantee an extraordinary experience," says Zlata Holušová, the festival's director.
The festival has been awarded the public service Czech TV award called Anděl (Angel) for the Music Event of the Year. Anděl is a Saturday´s night live talkshow named after the presenter Pavel Anděl.
Psychedelic music meets US gypsy-punk
British psychedelic band Hawkwing will play not only in Ostrava but in the Czech Republic for the first time ever.
"The visual aspect of their concerts is close to manic-depressive state, voodoo rituals mixed with mellotron, synthesizers and a laser show," say the organizers.
US multi-ethnic gypsy-punk band Gogol Bordello keeps coming back to the Czech Republic again and again, enjoying their growing popularity among the locals. They are to appear in Ostrava on Sunday.
Swedish electro-jazz Koop or eccentric banjo-player Tim Eriksen will hit the Color of Ostrava´s stage as well.
"We decided to go more for foreign artists than just local artists because Czech bands perform a lot in local festivals," said Holušová, explaining the festival's strategy.
Read more: Gypsy punk is not dead. Take it from its founder
Czech pop represented too
This year´s surprise, however, is clearly a Czech pop star Lucie Bílá, Czech ´Madonna´ and a protagonist of commercial musicals.
Among other Czech artists are going to be extravagant violin player and singer Iva Bittová, jazzman Emil Viklický, Laco Tropp, funky band J.A.R., world music band Hypnotix, rock band from a north-Bohemian spa town of Jeseník Priessnitz and sonwriter and a joker Xavier Baumaxa who can imitate any kind of music style, starting from hip hop, jazz, swing or even the US band Pearl Jam.
Festival will take place for four days and more than 100 artists will perform on eleven stages.
Theater plays, workshops, movies and debates are on the program as well.
You can see the program here.
Have a taste of Xavier Baumaxa performing at Střelecký Island in Prague:
