The 14th Blues Band Review took place at Skafander club on August 11. This year’s review was named after the recently deceased Tadeusz Nalepa. To honor the memory of the father of Polish blues, each competing band presented the audience with its own interpretation of a song from his repertoire. The performance that stood out in particular was the Tri-City band Hodgepodge’s rendition of Breakout’s “Poszłabym za tobą”.
After heated deliberations, the jury awarded the main prize to the very good band from Nowa Ruda—Łowcy $zmalu. The band will receive PLN 2,000 and a 30% discount on the purchase of amplifiers, and will also have the opportunity to perform at Tuesday’s BnB final concert. Tomasz Myćka, vocalist and bassist of the Nowa Ruda band, also received a distinction.
The audience prize went to Koledzy. The band consists of BnB workshop participants and vocalist Bartek Gruszecki (Bartek Gruszecki Band). The band will receive PLN 1,000.
The jury also awarded prizes to the best musicians. Jarek Motała of Sugar Free was named the best vocalist of the 14th Review. The best guitarist was Artur Rozlach, also of Sugar Free. The rhythm sections of Koledzy and Hodgepodge were also honored: drummer Bartek Korczyński and bassist Alan Wykpisz. The winners will each receive PLN 500.
What is more, the jury decided to award a special prize—PLN 500—to Chicago Blues Revue “for the most stylish performance of the blues”. The awards ceremony will take place during the final concert.
The evening’s star, The Twisters, gave an absolutely fantastic concert. The band was the winner of the Blues Band Review two years ago. They performed both their own songs and several classics. There was “Roadhouse Blues” by The Doors, as well as—apparently obligatory at blues concerts—“Sweet Home Alabama”. The latter was performed together with Twisters vocalist Tomasz Sawczak by Barbara, one of the workshop participants, who spontaneously joined the band.
The star did not disappoint. The Twisters played with incredible energy. But they also showed that their music is not one-dimensional. At the end, they performed their own version of Tadeusz Woźniak’s “Zegarmistrz światła”, sung along with by the audience. A great ending to an excellent performance.
(GA information)