Unsound Festival has announced the first tranche of artists for the 2026 edition, the first in the history of the festival to take place between two cities. From 2 to 6 October the event will start in Warsaw, and then move to Krakow from 8 to 11 October, with a dedicated train – the Unsound Train – which on 7 October will connect the two stages, also transforming the journey into part of the experience. No concert will be replicated: the festival was conceived as a single chronological journey divided into two chapters.
For this reason, at least for now, Unsound has chosen not to reveal which artists will perform in the two cities. «We wanted to present the program as a single whole before dividing it geographically», explains artistic director Mat Schulz.
The first announcement once again confirms the festival's vocation to bring together historical figures of experimental music, new commissions and some of the most interesting proposals of the contemporary electronic and underground scene. Among the names, the very rare appearance of Diamanda Galás stands out, while Tim Hecker will present a new live show with visuals commissioned from Vincent de Belleval. Actress will also debut with a new audiovisual show based on the upcoming album Radical Frame.
Special projects include WARSZAWAa new commission by Piotr Kurek and Wilhelm Sasnal that reinterprets David Bowie's Warsaw story, born after the English musician discovered a recording of the traditional Polish song Helokanie. The project will also involve the Śląsk Song & Dance Ensemble.
The program alternates returns and debuts. The Liars will celebrate twenty years of Drum's Not Dead with a special show commissioned by the festival, while L'Rain will play for the first time in Poland after the release of the new album Fata Morgana. There will also be Mandy, Indiana, Tianzhuo Chen (aka ASIANDOPEBOYS) and Siko Setyanto who will present Moyang 先祖& Seaman 漁師Pink Siifu, DJ Plead (also in the trio with Dj Python and the Italian Piezo), Debit, gyrofield, Ana Roxanne together with the Hashtag Ensemble, the Providenza collective – formed by Mabe Fratti, Clarissa Connelly and Mark William Lewis – accompanied by Sinfonietta Cracovia and many others.
As per tradition, Unsound will combine the concerts with a structured program of meetings and conferences. The theme of the 2026 edition is 'Soft Power', a reflection on the contemporary meaning of cultural power in the age of artificial intelligence, algorithmic control and geopolitical tensions, which will cross both musical and theoretical programming.
Other artists will be announced in the coming weeks, along with the final split of the billboard between Warsaw and Krakow.
