Last year’s list of headliners included Fontaines D.C. and Kneecap. Now it’s time for a new batch of artists from the new and exciting Green Wave: Sega Bodega, The Mary Wallopers, Chalk, Madra Salach, and M(h)aol are acts and names that you won’t want to miss August 7–9 at the 2026 OFF Festival Katowice!
“The performances by Fontaines D.C. and Kneecap were some of the biggest events of last year’s OFF Festival,” says Artistic Director Artur Rojek. “These two bands have become star headliners of the world’s leading festivals and ambassadors of the Irish music scene – a scene that’s witnessing a beautiful rebirth, as we’ll all see at this year’s OFF Festival. Dublin and Belfast are joining the ranks of Berlin and London as the sources of an outpouring of fantastic music: from raucous rock through folk music that gets under your skin to electronic music that breaks one boundary after another. I can’t wait to introduce everyone to this scene at the 2026 OFF Festival.”
Sega Bodega
Producer, singer, DJ, visionary: Born in Ireland to a Chilean father, Sega Bodega makes music that echoes the geography of surreal, non-existent worlds. “A soundtrack to your dreams” is an apt description for the 34-year-old artist’s sensually stimulating sound. He dabbled in rock in his early years, playing in black metal and grindcore bands, but soon discovered the possibilities of electronic music and has been faithful to his new love ever since. Today, he blends genres, bends boundaries, and explores the unknown realms of his and our imaginations. I Created the Universe so That Life Could Create a Language so Complex, Just to Say How Much I Love You – that’s the title of his latest, beautiful album. Don’t miss Sega Bodega – co-founder of the collective Nuxxe (which featured ShyGirl, Coucou Chloe, and Oklou) and co-author of tracks recorded with Björk, Rosalía, Blood Orange, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Arca – at this year’s OFF Festival.
The Mary Wallopers
Remember when we were holed up at home waiting for the pandemic to end and the OFF Festival to come back? That’s when The Mary Wallopers, back in Ireland, were playing electrifying online shows that brought together people desperate for human connection. Their punk versions of traditional Irish songs won them a major following and launched The Mary Wallopers – along with bands like Fontaines D.C., CMAT, and Kneecap – onto the new Green Wave, as the burgeoning Irish music scene is often labeled. “Folk got this name of being very meek or timid. There needs to be a voice that’s giving the rowdy side of folk back to people,” says one of the founding members of The Mary Wallopers. Hear, hear! And they’ll do just that at the OFF Festival!
Chalk
They met at film school, bonding over a mutual love for raucous music that none of their friends were listening to. Both subjects remain important to the band: they shoot their own videos and pay attention to the visual dimension of their art, which blurs the line between punk, techno, and electronic music. They hail from Belfast, but their music has a bit of Berlin in it, and has even been called “Berghain rock.” The BBC calls it “the most exciting Northern Irish guitar band in years.” Listen to Chalk for just a few minutes and it‘ll be immediately clear the work of Joy Division, Nine Inch Nails, Gilla Band, Wim Wenders, Ingmar Bergman, and Caravaggio – all of whom the band cite as influences – wasn’t wasted on them. Don’t miss this chance to see them at the OFF Festival!
Madra Salach
It’s pronounce MOD-rah SAH-lukh, and it means Dirty Dog. There was plenty of buzz about them before they even released their debut EP, It’s a Hell of an Age. All thanks to their amazing concerts, which drew praise from the like of Pixies’ Kim Deal. Frontman Paul Banks senses it’s thanks to his rebellious Irish nature, which is gaining a following overseas. Another reason could be the keyboards, distortion, and the influence of acts like My Bloody Valentine, Just Mustard, and Boards of Canada, which Madra Salach draws on to modernize Irish folk. Clash calls the result “simply extraordinary.”
M(h)aol
If you’re looking for raw, exciting punk rock that can heal you or maybe even change your life, M(h)aol is it. Themes of improvement and purification run through reviews of this rowdy band’s albums and concerts. Its members chose the name under the influence of the riot grrrl movement and the 16th-century Pirate Queen Gráinne Mhaol. The reference to the feminist icon ties the band to the Irish language and culture. “Growing up in Ireland has shaped us for better or worse. We have a lot of trauma, but there is also so much joy to be found in our rich history of rebellion,” M(h)aol explain. Some have described the band as definitive of 21st-century punk rock. Get your tickets today and see you at the OFF Festival August 7–9.
The OFF Festival 2026 lineup includes: Amyl and the Sniffers, Yung Lean & Bladee, Oklou, Einstürzende Neubauten, Earl Sweatshirt, Clams Casino, 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, 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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