The charming founder of The Smiths, Johnny Marr, to perform at the 2026 OFF Festival Katowice! Joining him are Deafheaven, Los Thuthanaka and more
Johnny Marr, the brilliant guitarist and songwriter behind the legendary Smiths and many other beloved artists, will perform at the 2026 OFF Festival Katowice. The lineup at Three Pond Valley on August 7–9 will also feature the acts behind some of 2025’s most acclaimed albums, the artists at the heart of the new Italian sound, Palestinian hip-hop pioneers, and musical revelations from Poland. Tickets are now on sale.
“‘This Charming Man,’ ‘There Is a Light That Never Goes Out,’ ‘How Soon Is Now?’… It’s hard to pick just one track out of The Smiths’ catalog, but I wouldn’t hesitate to list them, alongside The Beatles and Oasis, as one of the most influential British acts in history. Much of that is thanks to the guitarist and songwriter Johnny Marr, whose entire career is a testimony to his artistic prowess. Today, at 62, Marr continues to garner rave reviews: critics described him as being in peak form after the release of the 2025 LP Look Out Live!. That makes me all the more excited to invite him to this year’s OFF Festival. This will be his first performance in this format in Poland. You don’t want to miss this show!” says Artur Rojek, program director of the 2026 OFF Festival Katowice.
Today we’re announcing a slew of new additions to the OFF Festival program, featuring electrifying names and acts representing the most interesting sounds the alternative music scene has to offer, alongside previously announced artists like Amyl and the Sniffers, Yung Lean & Bladee, Einstürzende Neubauten, Oklou, and more. All of them will perform August 7–9 at Katowice’s Three Pond Valley.
Johnny Marr
For a while, he tried to play like his idols, Nile Rodgers of Chic and The Pretenders’ James Honeyman-Scott, before he finally came up with a style all his own. It made him one of the biggest guitarists of our times. “A fucking wizard” is what his great fan and mentee Noel Gallagher called him. And he knew what he was talking about: he’d had an opportunity to see Marr at work on Oasis albums and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. The guitarist and songwriter has also worked with Talking Heads, Beck, Pet Shop Boys, Bryan Ferry, Hans Zimmer, and Billie Eilish. But enough about the side projects. If it weren’t for Johnny Marr, we wouldn’t have had the “Beatles of the ‘80s” – The Smiths – and Morrissey wouldn’t have been their lead singer. We wouldn’t have their inimitable sound and the records that would one day inspire the likes of Blur, Suede, Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead. After The Smiths broke up, Johnny Marr went on to play with The Healers, The The, Modest Mouse, and The Cribs, and released four solo albums that proved not only that he’s a guitar genius, but that he has a knack for writing catchy songs. And in 2026, the legendary Johnny Marr is going to perform them at the OFF Festival!
Deafheaven
They’ve released four widely reviewed albums since they first performed at the OFF Festival back in 2014, shifting the boundaries of metal in ways that made some love them even more and others hate them with even greater passion. But Deafheaven has always had its own vision of heavy music and didn’t particularly care if people asked “But is it metal?”. They wanted people to say: “It’s Deafheaven.” So let’s hear what the critics had to say: “Unexpectedly heavy and entirely brilliant” (Kerrang!); “A multifaceted, multilayered gem of an album” (Clash); “Ragingly beautiful” (Rolling Stone). Marking the band’s fifteenth year and the start of a new chapter with Roadrunner Records, the album Lonely People With Power dropped in 2025 to rave reviews. The California-based outfit was hailed as one of the best acts today’s metal scene has to offer. There’s no arguing with that: see you at the OFF Festival.
Los Thuthanaka
Pitchfork’s 2025 Album of the Year. Live at the OFF Festival in 2026. The joint effort by Chuquimamani-Condori and her brother Joshua Chuquimia Crampton – which also made it into the The Wire’s top three and earned a Silver Lion at the Venice Biennale Musica 2025 – has rightfully been described as being ahead of its time. The trance-inducing Los Thuthanaka takes you on a fascinating journey into the past and future. It combines the stories of the native inhabitants of the Andes – the siblings’ ancestors – with digital and club noise, which, in its live rendition, makes for an extraordinary and loud experience that you have to feel to believe. “It’s not supposed to be painful, but it’s supposed to change you, it’s supposed to make you feel healed in some way,” say the artists. Whether you’ve heard the self-titled album or not, their live combinations of psychedelic sounds, guitars, and Aymara beats are bound to be one of the best things you’ve experienced in your entire life. You’ll find out at the OFF Festival.
NuGenea
Inseparably tied to Naples, its music, and its culture, NuGenea is a band that remains open to the broader world. Their music combines romantic Italian melodies and the rhythmic Neapolitan language with disco, funk, and jazz. Founders Massimo Di Lena and Lucio Aquilina, whose roots lie in the electronic music and DJ-ing world, are the creators of the excellent Napoli Segreta series of records in which they dust off forgotten musical gems from the 1970s and 80s. But as NuGenea, they forge their own version of the Neapolitan sound. Theynamed the album Bar Mediterraneo after the local cafes where people sip their morning espressos shoulder to shoulder at the bar, talking, getting to know one another, and making connections. Their songs are a similar venue for personal connections – and that includes the duo, who invite guest musicians from all over the world (including one of the fathers of Afro-beat, Tony Allen). It also includes us, because NuGenea’s songs create a space not unlike a Mediterranean cafe, where we can meet, relax, or just dance. You’ll experience it all at the OFF Festival.
DAM
“We came from the hood / Straight to the stage / Holes in our pockets / All we carry is the truth.” That’s how Palestinian hip-hop pioneers DAM describe themselves on the track “Street Poetry.” Since 1999, they’ve been rapping about crimes and human rights, in an effort to spark change. They’ve drawn inspiration from the likes of Tupac Shakur, who stoked their love of rap and once said: “I’m not saying I’m gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.” They’ve also drawn on the work of Public Enemy, Notorius B.I.G., and Pharoahe Monch, combining Western hip-hop sounds with Arab music to tell the story of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation. They hail from Lod, which they describe as a “tough city plagued by crime and poverty” where they’ve experienced violence and exclusion. And while they know that music won’t stop a war, today they grip their microphones harder than ever. We’re waiting for them at the OFF Festival.
Mlecze
Imagine you’re hanging out with a friend, talking about life and emotions – candidly, honestly, with no filter. That’s what listening to Mlecze’s music is like. The band was hailed as one of the biggest revelations of last year’s Great September Showcase Festival & Conference, where they launched their debut record, Maru-da. Those who’d heard it later compared it in the comments to chilling on a summer day and the soundtrack to a great summer. That’s probably because Mlecze come across as warm and affectionate in their songs – and contagiously happy on stage. They play indie bedroom pop packed with youthful dreams, longing, and emotions that have yet to happen. But Mlecze will definitely happen at this year’s OFF Festival, and they’re coming with new material.
Drabusheyka
A rapper from nearby Mysłowice, aka the most intriguing figure in the Polish underground. His music diet? Prince, Lil Wayine, The Future Sound of London, and ‘80s guitar rock like Mötley Crüe. What does he like? “Experimenting, experimenting, experimenting.” What does he say? “Your whole life could be over in moment / so take those obstacles and turn them into mansions.” Drabusheyka plays around with a number of musical styles and hip-hop itself. His critically acclaimed 2025 album HYPNOZIZ features guest appearances by schafter, Kacha (Coals), Żabson, and Młody West. After the LP dropped, Drabusheyka joined Kuba Więcki for one of his HoshiiSessions, where he recorded a feisty version of “Buffalo.” “Too young to be old,” he quips on the track. If you feel the same way, we expect to see you at the OFF Festival.
The OFF Festival 2026 lineup includes: Amyl and the Sniffers, Yung Lean & Bladee, Oklou, Einstürzende Neubauten, Earl Sweatshirt, Clams Casino, Sega Bodega, Current Joys, Chat Pile, Black Country, New Road, Getdown Services, WITCH, Joanne Robertson, Sunny Day Real Estate, HTRK, Frankie and The Witch Fingers, Joshua Idehen, Babymorroco, Rusowsky, Surf Gang DJ Set, The Mary Wallopers, Chalk, Madra Salach, M(h)aol, Współgłosy, Sw@da x Niczos, Allarme, and Ludzie Wschodu play Nowa Aleksandria. More announcements to come!
About the Festival:
The festival is hosted by the City of Katowice. The OFF Festival Katowice takes place August 7–9, 2026, at its usual venue, Three Pond Valley. Visit www.off-festival.pl for three-day passes, now available for 669 PLN plus service charges. For more information, visit facebook.com/offfestival and instagram.com/offfestival. Check out our official playlist: open.spotify.com/user/off_festival
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