The Colors of Ostrava festival actually had a double final. The first, with their euphoric, vigorous and timeless concept of blues rock, was provided by the lively American women, the Lovell sisters with their band Larkin Poe.
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“Folks, this song is a hundred years old,” announced the adaptation of the John The Revelator gospel classic, sending the audience into a state of ecstasy during the second of the main scenes. But they were also successful with original compositions.
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The nicest and most special thing about Colors of Ostrava is that listeners with different tastes can come together and not get in each other’s way. Dutch DJ Martin Garrix said goodbye to fans of carefree dance. His performance was built, apart from the obvious extremely loud beats, on spectacular light shows and pyrotechnics.
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The project of Ukrainian musicians Balaklava Blues used electronics in a completely different way in Canada. In terms of music, it was varied with live instruments and guest performances by the Karvina choir Permoník.
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The most important, however, was the message of the entire band, carried by the singing of frontwoman Marichka. The content of the songs, often benefiting from folk tradition, was underlined by impressive visuals, film touches and translations of the texts into English projected on the screens. For example, about what it’s like to fear for life, loved ones, home, future, what it’s like to just want to survive.
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It was not about anything painful or depressing, but about sharing hope in the victory of justice through music. It was one of the most emotional experiences of the Ostrava festival.
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Inhaler is fronted by Elijah Hewson, son of U2’s Bon Vox.
Photo: Tomáš S. Polívka
Anyone who didn’t know about the family connections would easily call the Irish Inhaler a mere, albeit high-quality, copy of U2. Already because of the color and stuttering suggestiveness of frontman Elijah Hewson’s voice. It’s also easy not to know, because Elijah doesn’t shout out his dad’s name for obvious reasons.
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He can’t deny Bona Vox’s genes, though. Fortunately, he didn’t waste them, for example, by deciding not to make music. Inhaler presented themselves in Ostrava as a convincing group that only made it through talent.
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Markéta Irglová, accompanied by a multinational band and string quintet of the South Bohemian Philharmonic, offered humility, beauty and tenderness. She presented both songs from the upcoming album Lila, as well as verified ones including Falling Slowly.
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She has always been a brilliant emotional singer, but the surprise after the break in activity was how she still grew expressively and singing. If the festival had its quiet and fragile peak, it was the Irglová concert.
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