“It will be the best edition”: Colours returns after three years
After a lengthy Covid-imposed break, one of Czechia’s biggest music festivals, Colours of Ostrava, is back. The first edition since 2019 kicked off on Wednesday and as well as big international acts such as The Killers will again feature the popular Melting Pot forum. I spoke to Colours spokesperson Jiří Sedlák just as the event began.
“We hope for the best edition of our festival, because of those two Covid years.
“After three years, we hope for the best atmosphere and the best visitors.
“And I think the bands are hoping for the same, so it will be the best edition.”
How close is the line-up to what you had been planning for 2020?
“It’s 85 percent the same. The majority of the headliners and the line-up is the same.
“The reason is that we started selling Colours of Ostrava 2020 tickets in 2019, so we promised those headliners from that year – and we wanted to also keep the promise also for this year.
“So The Killers, Twenty One Pilots and Martin Garrix were also scheduled for Colours 2020 and for Colours 2021.
“Of course some bands, like Franz Ferdinand, have only been added recently, for this edition.
“But in general, also with the so-called minor or less-known bands, it’s 85 percent the same.”
What about you, which acts are you most looking forward to seeing in Ostrava?
“It’s hard to say, but Princess Nokia, a radical rapper – it will be a really great concert.
“Also in our Gong Hall will be Hiromi, the Japanese jazz pianist, playing with her quartet, and that will be a very distinctive musical experience. Also Tindersticks.
“And maybe the last one: Fatoumata Diawara, the Malian singer and one of the best voices in African music.”
Will there be anything new at this year’s Colours? You’ve had a few years to think about how to maybe improve the festival.
“We want of course to bring the best of what visitors know from 2019 and the years before.
“The three-year break was great for the Melting Pot international forum.
“The speakers are, how to say, new but they mirror recent happenings in the world in various areas, like science, politics, personal development, arts and literature.
“We have nine stages for the Melting Pot forum and it is of a full progamme.
“One of the headliners of Melting Pot is Wim Hof, the 'Ice Man', and many others are really great speakers.”
