April 30 has long carried a particular weight across Europe. In folklore, it is tied to Walpurgis Night, witches, bonfires, and the turn from winter to spring. In western anarchist, autonomous, and feminist circles, it also became a date for demonstrations, concerts, and other actions, where older witch imagery met political resistance.
In Poland, that date took on a more specific local meaning. On April 30, 1996, the first Noc Walpurgii took place at Stodoła in Warsaw. Co-organized by Emancypunx and Refuse Records, it brought that wider tradition into the Polish DIY context, placing women and non-heteronormative people at the center of the event rather than treating them as an exception or an annual gesture.
Emancypunx was formed in 1995, growing out of KDP (Kobiety przeciwko Dyskryminacji i Przemocy — Women Against Discrimination and Violence), and quickly expanded into one of the more active anarcho-feminist projects in Poland at the time. Its work moved across demonstrations, direct actions, performances, distribution, record releases, fanzines, poster and flyer campaigns, T-shirts, and concert organizing — building its own channels for feminist and queer ideas inside a scene that usually left little room for either.
Part of Emancypunx was Emancypunx Records, a label releasing women-fronted, feminist, and queer bands from around the world, including Beyond Pink, Harum-Scarum, Mass Kotki, Pettybone, Anti-Corpos, and Nothing Works.
Refuse Records, meanwhile, had been operating since 1993 — a fanzine turned distro turned label that would go on to release over 200 records and become one of the most consistent forces in European hardcore punk. Dischord and Revelation were reference points; the tape-trading underground was the actual school.
Together, they built something that outlasted most of the scene around it. Noc Walpurgii (old website here) ran in Warsaw until 2010, relocated to Berlin — where both Emancypunx and Refuse maintained a strong presence — and continued there through 2018, including a standout edition at Köpi/AGH. Then a pandemic-forced pause.
In 2004, Emancypunx Records and Refuse Records also released the CD compilation “Noc Walpurgii 1996–2002“, gathering songs recorded at the pro-feminist, anti-sexist, and anti-homophobic festival’s early editions between 1996 and 2002.
Now, sixteen years after it last happened in its city of origin, the festival returns to Warsaw for the 30th anniversary. April 30, 2026, VooDoo Club. Two stages. See Facebook event here. Tickets go live April 27th via Refuse and [email protected].
The lineup covers a range that doesn’t usually share one bill: Warsaw’s own Black Cat Matches (punk, garage, rock’n’roll) open at 18:00, followed by Loora (new wave, punk, shoegaze), Runaway Devils from Łódź (garage punk, dungeon synth, black metal), Splin from Bielsko-Biała (hardcore punk), Dead Tahiti (post-punk, coldwave), London-based Eva Leblanc (ambient/noise/experiment), Berlin’s Nothing Works (melodic hardcore), Gniezno’s Siksa (noise punk, riot grrrl, performance poetry), Athens’ Hekate (dark synthwave punk), and closing out the night at 1:15 AM — Berlin’s Cosey Mueller (synthpunk, synthwave). DJ sets from Mme Czarnecka / 20000DirtyDJs run between sets.
All ten bands answered our questions for the multi-interview below.
Beyond the music, the evening includes a performance by Gosia Tęgowska titled S.C.U.M. — a piece engaging with Valerie Solanas and the text she published before anyone outside radical feminist circles took her seriously. An exhibition documents thirty years of Emancypunx activity: photos, flyers, zines, posters, artefacts from the collective’s history, with a section dedicated to the festival itself. The exhibition debuted last year at Emancypunx’s own 30th anniversary. Food Not Bombs Warsaw handles the food.
The Awareness Team is being run by Tamte Typiary Crew from Kraków — one of the more active DIY concert collectives in Poland, with a track record in organizing around feminist and queer music spaces. Awareness teams of this kind are still far from standard at Polish punk shows; the organizers are explicit that they hope this changes, and several bands in the interview below speak to why it matters in terms that go beyond good intentions.
A few things came out of our multi-artist conversations that felt too good to leave buried in the full piece. Once we started talking to everyone involved, it got clear pretty fast that this year’s Noc Walpurgii is held together by way more than just a lineup poster. There are old connections, first-times, returns, near-misses, DIY overlaps, and a bunch of stories that make the whole thing feel even heavier in the best way.
Kaśka from Dead Tahiti was there at the very first edition back in 1996, playing bass in Piekło Kobiet at just 19. Hekate are coming from Athens to play Poland for the first time and only then realized they were stepping into a festival with a thirty-year history. Eva Leblanc had already been hearing about Noc Walpurgii years ago while living in Gdańsk, and now she’s finally part of it. Add in things like Nothing Works landing between Refuse and Emancypunx, Paula from Splin co-running Vagina Dentata Fest, Siksa pulling a long-lost record back from a hard drive disaster, or Eva’s photocopied zine about trans immigrant life in Europe, and suddenly this stops reading like a standard event preview.
Dive into all the stories below: our full multi-interview with all ten performing acts.
Tickets and details via VooDoo Club. No discrimination, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or racism will be tolerated; the awareness team is there for a reason.
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So first things first — what’s been keeping you busy lately, what’s the current state of your project, and is there anything new cooking that you’re particularly excited about right now?
HEKATE: We released our second album, Black Hole, in June 2025 via Mascara Rocks Records, so for the moment we are mainly focusing on playing some shows.
Aside for Noc Walpurgiii, we are also playing Malas Artes 2026 in Barcelona—we are very excited because we haven’t played in Spain before!
Other than that, we have a couple new songs we are slooowly working on.
EVA LEBLANC: Hi! First of all, thank you so much for including me in this interview. I’m currently in two bands connected to the DIY political punk community in London, one of which is called Traidora. Last September, we released our first LP, “Una mujer trans sIn país” (A Trans Woman Without a Country), through the label La Vida es un Mus.
We have several events confirmed for this year, including a four-week European tour, where we’ll also be playing at the K-Town Festival in Denmark. This is one of Traidora’s main goals for this year: to tour and play as much as possible.
Aside from Traidora, I have my noise-ambient-experimental project where I play solo with my electric guitar.
A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to play live and release an album with Eve Libertine and Penny Rimbaud (CRASS), with whom I’ve continued to collaborate recently.
COSEY MUELLER: I have a new album called ‘Embodiment of denial’ coming out on 22.
May 2026 accompanied by two singles and music videos. Besides that, more touring in the summer and fall.
SIKSA: A lot of different things going on lately as we always saw SIKSA as something more than music, let’s say as an interdisciplinary project.
Right now we are performing set called “Grande Donna Freiheit & Her Spiders From The Squat”, which is punk love song for DIY scene and all small bands struggling with world.
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And this one we gonna perform during upcoming “Noc Walpurgii”.
Beside that we working on new release called “Cudowne i pożyteczne”, long awaited album which was lost because of hard drive error, but finally we recover data and we are planning cool, DIY release.
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Alex is also working with Aleksandra Słyż on “GHSTING” project, something between drone music and horror storytelling/performance and with August de Boursetty on “Heavy Baby”, queer contemporary dance project.
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NOTHING WORKS: Lately it’s been a mix of survival mode and momentum at the same time. We are both super busy with work and studies, while witnessing the band grow in baby steps.
We released our debut EP “Bold Talk for a Burner Account” via Refuse Records and Emancypunx Records, and have been pushing it as hard as we can, by playing shows, planning tours, and trying to navigate the realities of being a band made up of people who don’t follow society’s norms regarding the dominant gender representation on live music stages or our family roots. So alongside rehearsals and planning tours until the end of October this year, we have also been dealing with visas and all the bureaucracy that comes with crossing borders, which affects a diverse band like ours.
At the same time, we are writing new material. The new songs feel emotionally heavier, more direct, maybe even more uncomfortable than the lyrics we wrote previously, which is something we don’t mind. We are excited to test some of that live during Noc Walpurgii Fest.
DEAD TAHITI, Kaśka (synth, voc, lyrics): Yes, we are pretty much in motion, taking action. We’ve released an album two years ago and a four-track split last year.
Right now, we’re cooking up some new tunes. We’re throwing in some fresh vibes, but it’s always the rhythm and danceability that lead the way. Last year was quite busy, but things are a bit chiller at the moment.
What are we hyped for? Walpurgis Night, for sure. We also love playing gigs put on by Batcave Productions: this august you can catch us in Rogoźnica and october at the Return to the BatCave Festival in Wrocław.
SPLIN: We’re currently in the process of releasing our debut album “Type of Love.”
We already have several concerts planned for this year, and there will definitely be more to come. Since we don’t like staying stagnant, we’re already working on our next album, which will be an extension of our first record.
RUNAWAY DEVILS: We’ve got a lot of work lately. After the WitchingBuzz project, in which we participated in the Ozzy tribute album, we’ve been busy recording the album. We’ve already finished most of it, and we hope to have it out by mid-April.
In the meantime, Grime Stone Records has released our merch, cassette tapes of our EP, and patches in the States.
LOORA: Lately we’ve been focusing on promoting our debut EP “The Lethal Charm” and recording another single.
We also got very busy because of many gigs in late feb/early march and we’re currently working on band practice with our new amazing guitarist, Sonia. We had a very intense time now, however we are not gonna rest and are already working on fresh material.
New songs are gonna be diverse and we hope you will hear at least one of them at Noc Walpurgii Fest!
BLACK CAT MATCHES: We’re working on our first mini-album right now. We had some lineup changes along the way, which slowed things down a bit, but we’re moving forward again.
Everyone in the band is also involved in other projects, and Kimba is doing her own thing in visual art. This year, we want to play as much as possible and get out there.
Noc Walpurgii has been around for 30 years now, which is wild when you think about it — a festival built around amplifying marginalized voices in the underground, started back in ’96 when that kind of thing was way less common in Poland. What does it mean for you personally to be part of this particular event, and were you aware of its history before you got the invite?
HEKATE: Well, we were aware of Emanxypunx and Refuse Records and the important work both Jenny and Robert have been doing for so many years, but we had not realized that the festival had been running for so long—it’s amazing and congratulations!
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So we are extra excited and honoured to have been invited. It means a lot to us to be part of this special and important event!
EVA LEBLANC: Over ten years ago, I decided to pack my things and leave South America to live in another part of the world. I spent two years in Gdansk, and several friends told me about this festival. I’m so excited to be part of this new edition!
COSEY MUELLER: Actually I didn’t know this! It makes the participation in the festival even more exciting!
SIKSA: Noc Walpurgii is of course not an anonymous project for us, we knew this cool compilation from years 1996-2002.
But also we got opportunity to play at 2018 edition in Berlin’s Kopi/AGH, which was huge and fantastic event. We admire consequence of Emancypunx/Refuse Records on field to give voice this part of scene which is not dominated by cis men.
NOTHING WORKS: Yes, we were aware of the festival’s history, especially its connection to Emancypunx and Refuse Records, who released our EP, not to mention that some editions took place in Berlin, Germany. For us, Noc Walpurgii represents consistency, solidarity and allyship.
Thirty years of insisting that marginalised and underrepresented voices belong in the underground (and anywhere we wish to be, for that matter) not as a token addition or an afterthought, but as a core principle.
As an all FLINTA* band, being invited to play something with that legacy feels meaningful and aligned. We are very happy to be part of the festival’s legacy and history.
DEAD TAHITI, Kaśka: Noc Walpurgii means the world to me. I have been part of it since the very first edition!
Back in ’96, I was 19, playing bass for Piekło Kobiet, and it was one of my first major gigs. An important, formative moment. Sharing the stage with other killer bands was just an amazing experience.
It just happened that I kept coming back: in ’98 and 2000 with Silikon Fest, in 2004 with MassKotki, and in 2006 with Pogotowie Seksualne.
So, this is going to be my sixth Noc Walpurgii Fest! And another one for Tomek, our drummer since we played together in Pogotowie back then. Anyway I’m stoked to be part of the Night again.
Last month, we shared the stage with Vicious Irene in Frost Punx Picnic in Mulheim, and they remembered we played together at Noc Walpurgii in Warsaw in 2004. It was great to see them still so full of energy—we hugged and talked like nothing had changed in 22 years!”
SPLIN: Of course we knew its history. It was really important for us to play at this particular event and the whole idea behind the festival means a lot to us. I (Paula) also co-organize another feminist festival, Vagina Dentata Fest, which has been running continuously for 15 years, so performing at Noc Valpurgi Fest felt like something that simply had to happen.
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I think it’s truly remarkable and quite unique that as early as 1996, Emancypunx and Refuse Records created a feminist initiative that gave so many bands a space for artistic expression. We hope it continues for another 30 years!
RUNAWAY DEVILS: We weren’t aware of the festival’s existence before we were invited. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to participate and take part in extending its legacy. Initiatives that raise social awareness and connect different subcultures are very important to us. We want our music to be perceived beyond any stereotypes.
LOORA: We are proud to be a part of this event. All of us are about 10 years younger than the fest, so we did not get to experience it live in past years.
We knew about the existence of Noc Walpurgii, but after we got an invite we made a deeper dive into its history and realised its significance. LooRa is very happy to be present here and we feel heard as a fully femme and queer young band.
BLACK CAT MATCHES: Yeah, we know the history well—we’ve all been around the Polish DIY/underground scene for years. We also know Refuse Records and Emancypunx. This will be our first time playing Noc Walpurgii, so it means a lot—especially since it’s the 30th anniversary.
When it started in the ’90s, the Polish underground didn’t talk about women or nonheteronormative people in the scene at all. So we want to be part of something that’s been promoting that from the beginning and still stands for it.
The whole idea behind Noc Walpurgii was always broader than just music — it was about reclaiming space, about visibility, about making the underground actually live up to its own ideals of inclusion. In your experience, has the DIY and punk scene genuinely gotten better at this over the years, or is it still something that needs to be actively pushed and confronted?
HEKATE: The DIY and punk scene has definitely become more aware of its own internal problems, both in Athens where we are from and abroad. We can always do better and there is always more work to be done.
However, issues like representation, visibility, accessibility, inclusivity, intersectionality, respect and remembering what really makes and connects a community are some things most scenes, festivals, show spaces and other community-driven efforts are thinking about more today than they were 5 or 10 years ago.
We are seeing more diverse bands and this can only have a positive ripple effect. We live in turbulent times and strong communities are more important than ever.
EVA LEBLANC: I believe that the punk and DIY scene has greatly improved its relationship and integration of the queer and trans communities, perhaps because there is now much more information available online about these struggles.
COSEY MUELLER: In general I have experienced a lot of awareness about inclusion in the scene. It’s good to feel that everybody is welcome, that there’s love, respect and understanding, people taking care of each other. And of course it should be talked about and improved.
SIKSA: It’s always something to actively pushed and confronted. Current DIY scene worldwide is in great shape thanks to younger generation, which is much more open minded, crazy, a lot of fresh projects appears – not only musically but in terms of political or social activism.
If we – as a scene – reached this point, we have to be aware and never let go our positions again.
NOTHING WORKS: It’s still something that needs to be actively pushed. Always.
There is progress, especially thanks to new bands who are less patient with bullshit and more vocal about boundaries and scenes not living up to their own standards or politics.
But DIY scenes don’t magically become inclusive just because they say they are. Racism, misogyny, transphobia and fatphobia, among other forms of prejudice, still exist in punk and alternative spaces. We write about those topics for a reason.
DEAD TAHITI, Kaśka: Ideals of inclusion definitely become more popular. But the scene doesn’t really have a permanent infrastructure, so it tends to die out and then reinvent itself in many cities.
That’s why it’s hard for me to say if things are actually ‘better.’ Though, generally speaking, there’s a ton going on in Warsaw every weekend, and there are plenty of cool spots we love hitting up.
One huge plus is the growth of queer culture in Poland—that just didn’t exist in the 90s. There were a few great initiatives back then, like Lucciola Lady Camp (not sure if they’re still around), which supported girls and women in picking up instruments. Still, when it comes down to strictly punk, crust, or hardcore shows, I feel like patriarchy is alive and kicking.
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Playing music is still largely seen as a ‘cool guy thing.’ Luckily, there have always been people who show support, eg. in lending gear, and all that. That kind of support is how I started and why I stuck with music, and years later, a nudge from Tomek brought me back for good.
Of course, that’s not the only way, but when most people in bands, booking shows, or running labels are men, their attitude makes a difference. It’s so important to be in the music together. I also feel like shows in Poland don’t really prioritize inclusivity for girls and non-binary folks, or even try to balance the lineups.
And the less visible we are, the fewer girls will feel comfortable enough to start playing. When we hit festivals in Germany or Czech, there are suddenly so many women on stage! It just feels like building diverse lineups comes more naturally to them.
SPLIN: Both yes and no. I feel like the DIY scene is, in many ways, moving in a positive direction when it comes to this. There’s growing visibility of women and queer people getting involved in bands and other initiatives, and more young people participating in the DIY scene on their own terms.
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At the same time, there’s a less optimistic side. Sexist and exclusionary behaviors are still present. There are still parts of the scene where the number of women involved can be counted on one hand, for example in strictly hardcore, straight edge, or Oi. While I see quite a lot of progress within the broader hardcore punk scene, many things still need to change.
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These are often deeply ingrained behaviors rooted in our culture, patterns that are learned at home and then repeated, and they can be difficult to unlearn, even within the DIY scene. Still, I believe things are moving in the right direction.
RUNAWAY DEVILS: We feel that the underground scene is developing rapidly. This is evident in our city, Łódź. We used to see significantly fewer young people at concerts, nevertheless at that time there were also fewer events. Now everything has come alive with more and more people attending gigs.
The same trend is visible in the general interest in alternative subculture and pro-social activities. People simply want to live better lives and in subcultures, we all encourage each other with ideas and concepts that we believe are valid. We also use DIY, making our own T-shirts by screen printing them on second-hand clothing.
LOORA: We cannot compare our personal experience much to years before 2021 when it comes to the DIY and punk scene. Although we think there is always space for improvement. We need more visibility and space to voice our opinions and concerns.
The Noc Walpurgii Fest has taken clear action to make this event more accessible and welcoming for the marginalized communities. It does not happen everywhere in the underground sadly. We are sometimes faced with misogyny, xenophobia or other forms of oppression which should not take place in our community. LooRa will always stay strongly against the discriminators. Any forms of discrimination will not be tolerated in our community and we must keep pushing to keep it safe from hate.
BLACK CAT MATCHES: Noc Walpurgii has never been just about music—it’s part of a bigger DIY network and community. Stuff like this keeps the scene alive and reminds people what it’s supposed to stand for.
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That said, it’s not something that fixes itself. If DIY punk is going to survive in any real way, people have to keep putting in the work. Scenes don’t stay open and inclusive on their own.
This edition also features an Awareness Team run by Tamte Typiary Crew, which is still pretty rare at punk and hardcore shows in Poland. Do you think that kind of infrastructure changes the energy of a gig, and is it something you’d like to see become a standard rather than an exception?
HEKATE: Absolutely, infrastructure like this is so important for a scene and definitely helps to make sure everyone is having a good time!
There was a similar team at Norðanpaunk in Iceland where we played in 2025, dealing with harm reduction and also providing information, advice and support. It’s important to think about how to deal with abusive behaviours in a festival or community context, whether that is sexism, homophobia, racism, gender violence or other behaviours that should not be tolerated.
Some of us were part of a team that set up a Limp Wrist show in Athens a few years ago where over 1000 people came. Some of us team members wore a phosphorescent bracelet to indicate that we could assist people with any such problematic issues.
And we worked with our guest drag performers to do a safety announcement on stage, flight-attendant style, to indicate where the gender neutral toilets, emergency exits and team booths were.
We also didn’t use strobe lights and made the space as accessible as possible. Afterwards, we had a few people come up to us saying how much they appreciated this, as it helped them feel more comfortable, safe and included. It helped create a sense of community and solidarity.
EVA LEBLANC: I would love Awareness Team to be a requirement at concerts, not just those linked to punk and queer culture. There are many instances where our trans community feels displaced or simply unsafe. Personally, I’ve had a couple of quite annoying and problematic situations when attending and/or playing at concerts more closely linked to the “hardcore” scene in England, where there’s still a lot of sexism on and off stage. Supposedly, punk and hardcore should be united, right?
COSEY MUELLER: I don’t know if it changes the energy of a gig but it is super important to know that there is help in case it is needed.
SIKSA: It’s something new at polish punk gigs, but often its a standard abroad, mostly in western Europe but not only. But let’s remember that awareness teams you can also find in Poland on other scenes like during rave parties, which is very cool and helpful in many ways.
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Maybe polish punx ignored the issue for long time because they trusted in themselves too much, in this mythical solidarity which was often weakened by stupidity, drugs and alcohol.
We know that Tamte Typiary Crew will do their work with highest standards as this cool collective is well experienced at every field of DIY and self-organiation.
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NOTHING WORKS: It absolutely changes the energy, in a good way. When people know there is an awareness structure in place, it creates safety, and safety creates better shows. Especially for marginalised and vulnerable people, it indicates an awareness and responsibility that spaces need to actively be made and kept safe.
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Punk loves to talk about solidarity, but solidarity without structure is just a slogan. Awareness teams should, unfortunately (as long as prejudiced violence remains), absolutely become standard. DIY doesn’t mean disorganised. We always request an awareness team from all the promoters that book us, and we are happy that this is very common in Germany’s DIY scenes, and it’s expanding abroad.
DEAD TAHITI, Kaśka: We’re stoked to meet up with Typiary again because we already cooperated last year on a show in Krakow—great crew, big thanks to them!
And yeah, it’s a good question: after all these years of fighting sexism and homophobia in the scene. I’m afraid there’s still the need for it. I was recently to ‘Nie ma boga jest załoga’ the memorial festival, dedicated to our friend Kraszan. While a friend and I were dancing near the stage, this guy showed up and tried to dance with us.
We ignored him, but he kept getting more pushy. Bartek, bassist of DT and the organizer of the fest, step in. Only then the guy backed off. And surprisingly, he mentioned he’d been kicked out of Walpurgis Night before for the same thing… I think it was that famous one in Podkowa Leśna.
SPLIN: Definitely. I think this kind of initiative is a great idea. I have also experienced very unpleasant situations where my boundaries were crossed, including at events where I expected to feel safe. Even when there is a defensive reaction afterwards, whether from me or from people close to me, it can be difficult to return to simply enjoying the moment.
You end up feeling violated, and moments that are supposed to bring joy and happiness turn into something really upsetting. Of course, initiatives like this cannot guarantee complete safety, as it is not always possible to prevent every situation. Still, I hope they can act as a kind of deterrent for those with bad intentions. The very existence of such initiatives is already a form of support.
RUNAWAY DEVILS: This kind of initiative is extraordinary for us. Many times at concerts, we’ve encountered situations where elderly, heavily intoxicated men have approached us or our friends. We had no one to turn to for help. The awareness team initiative certainly helps in such situations and provides safety. Furthermore, the mere fact that people are there to help those enjoying the event creates a strong sense of security and is something truly needed at large events. We’d like to see this more often.
LOORA: Oh yes, absolutely! It affects the event positively so much! We were very content when we heard that The Noc Walpurgii Fest will be supported by Tamte Typiary Crew. Their care means a lot to us and our friends. We actually feel the difference and feel much more safe as a young female band.
BLACK CAT MATCHES: For sure. Tamte Typiary Crew is doing important work—it builds trust, makes space safer, and shows that people actually care about how these shows function, not just what’s happening on stage.
The lineup here spans everything from hardcore and post-punk to synthwave and black metal, all sharing one bill under one roof. That kind of cross-pollination doesn’t happen every day — are there any other bands on this lineup you’re personally curious to see, or maybe someone you’ve already crossed paths with before?
HEKATE: The fact that it is a diverse bill is so great! So nice to find new connections between bands. To break boarders with new friendships and create communities.
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We admit that we had not heard of the bands before being invited, but we have checked them out and are very excited to be playing with them! We feel so grateful for this opportunity to finally visit Poland and really look forward to the show!
COSEY MUELLER: I like the idea of mixing different kinds of music in a festival so that crowds who would never meet each other are in the same room all of a sudden. I am looking forward to all the concerts and meeting the bands!
SIKSA: Riot grrls/feminist band is not a genre. It’s identity that allow you to do what you want in way that you feel, that your statement can take any possible artistic form. It’s nothing more boring like lineup with same sounding bands. And we see Noc Walpurgii, which has idea before music, as great option to see how wide contemporary scene is.
With pleasure we will see all of bands, but our greek friends wrote to us several messages that “WE GONNA SEE HEKATE THAT NIGHT” so we will. With pleasure we will see again super young black metal queens from Runaway Devils, we got opportunity to share a stage last year in Kielce so it will be exciting the see those devils again.
NOTHING WORKS: We love mixed line-ups. Hardcore next to black metal next to synth-driven stuff, that is how scenes stay alive. That’s why we are happy to see all the bands on the line-up, to be honest.
DEAD TAHITI, Kaśka: I’m all for it. I love events that mix musical styles way more than niche-only parties. Of course, that leads to some interesting moments, like when the black metal crowd suddenly hears our nostalgic vibes…
We used to share the stage few times with Loora, love seeing them grow and keep that momentum going. We are hyped and can’t wait to see all the bands, especially Nothing Works and Hekate.
SPLIN: We’re thrilled by such a diverse lineup. It means there’s something for everyone, and variety is always a huge plus. I’ve caught DEAD TAHITI live before and I’ve shared the stage with SIKSA through my other band, Moira. They also performed at Vagina Dentata Fest last year. I’ll be seeing the rest for the first time, and it’s going to be great to play in such company.
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RUNAWAY DEVILS: We’re very curious about all bands, especially those from abroad. When we talk with them, we always learn new information about their scene and the realities of playing abroad. We love exchanging experiences with other bands—confronting the differences in scenes and getting to know them.
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We played with Siksa in Kielce. The way she can engage the audience during a performance is extraordinary; we’d love to see her show again. It’ll also be nice to share the stage with the girls from Loora. We were supposed to play with them some time ago, and they’re already well-known on the Warsaw stage.
LOORA: We specialise in mixing genres in our gig lineups. We played and still plan to play a lot with our friends who perform blackened death metal and we even share fans with them! We loooove when diversity comes into music events. It helps the scene to grow. LooRa songs are also quite different when it comes to genres so it’s not like we stick to one topic. We are glad to play with other bands at this event and can’t wait to hear them live!
BLACK CAT MATCHES: The mix is what makes festivals like this interesting—different sounds, different scenes, all in one place. That kind of overlap doesn’t happen every day, and it’s something the underground should lean into more.
Looking at the rest of 2026 — are there any other festivals, tours, or events coming up for you that people should have on their radar? And while we’re at it, any bands or projects you’ve discovered recently, say in the last year or two, that you think deserve way more attention than they’re getting?
HEKATE: We only have one show booked so far, for the festival in Barcelona we mentioned. It is the last edition for this festival so it should be a good one! As for projects, we can talk about our personal future plans.
Our synth player, Iris, is releasing a solo LP album in Spring called “Irida”, via a sublabel of Fabrika Records. Our singer, Lydia, is releasing a solo Musique Concrète project called ΨΗΧΟΣ (Psíhos) via the label Eisodos Kindynou (Είσοδος Κινδύνου) that Iris and her partner Stavros run. And our drummer Vicky and bassist Chara have recently started a new band (name TBA) with friends and members of other Athenian bands (Witches on Beaches, Pigs of Peru).
COSEY MUELLER: There’s a lot of shows planned for this year. The big moment will be on 29. May in Berlin SO36 because it’s my release concert and I’m sharing the stage with the amazing bands LIIEK and Das Beat. This will be the first time I play my new record live and we will do some extra performances on stage which doesn’t happen normally in my concerts.
Bands / Artists I am fond of: Güner Künier, ÖPNV, Schwund, Die letzten Ecken…. And many more.
SIKSA: We working on several things right now, shows here and there, from small DIY shows to more artistic bigger events. We finalizing new record and side projects like Alex’s “Heavy Baby” performance. We thinking about SIKSA activity very wide, almost conceptual and sometimes it’s hard for ourselves to put it together.
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You can check from time to time our social media to see what’s going on, but of course fuck those platorms they are useless anyway.
Anyway, we will meet somewhere. And if we wont meet at SIKSA show, you should go to other bands, specially younger crew which we admire a lot. Check young polish/belarusan scene and bands like Flor-O, Deathknell, Koń, User, Zupa, Pisuar, Syfon and many many others.
NOTHING WORKS: 2026 is tour-heavy for us. We are heading to the UK, Scandinavia, and doing more EU shows, while composing and recording our future EP. Nothing officially announced yet, but it’s coming.
We will be playing Berlin Breakout Festival, Dunderfest in Linköping (SE), Zdynia Fest in Zdynia (PL) and Random Fest in Ieper (BE).
Bands people should check out? Support your local scenes first, especially FLINTA*-led, BIPoC-led and migrant-led projects. There’s so much happening in small basements across Europe that deserves attention more than whatever the algorithm is feeding you.
We will definitely shout out bands that our members also play in: Swiss Pleasure, splitmilk, Bull Nakano and Suave.
From Berlin, we would like to shout out: La Haine, Double Life, Oyèmi and the Sad Girls, Shimmer and Spixe.
Other parts of the planet: Stupid World (UK), Mestiza (BCN), Shooting Daggers (UK), Tomar Control (PE), No Plan (US), xDistantex (AR) and Pacifist (IN).
DEAD TAHITI, Kaśka: Speaking of gender-balanced lineups, I recommend Zdynia DIY Fest—they’ve had some FLINTA bands.
I’m hoping we’ll make it there this year as Emancypunx with exhibition showcasing our anarcho-feminist projects that we started back in the mid-90s. My latest musical discovery is Dragsvik, a post-punk band with anarcho-feminist lyrics; we did a mini-tour across Poland with them last fall. I really hope they come back soon! I’d also love to see Vicious Irene here again—they’re just incredible.”
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SPLIN: Right now, we have a few confirmed shows on the calendar: Noc Walpurgii Fest in Warsaw on April 30, Outside Fest in Wojcieszów on September 4, Piąty Dom in Katowice on September 12, and the Refuse Records Showcase in Warsaw on September 26. Many other dates are still being finalized.
As for projects that really deserve attention, the band Bezdech, fronted by a charismatic vocalist, is making a strong impression.
Their music is clearly about more than just sound; it carries a message.
I admire how openly they address inequalities in the scene, as well as issues of abuse and sexism. Another band making waves is Quiet Quiet Quiet from Nowy Targ, who expertly fuse post-hardcore and math rock. They are passionate, talented young people who shine on stage. This is a band that truly deserves to be discovered by a wider audience.
RUNAWAY DEVILS: We can recommend the Festiwal Urwanych Filmów, a two-day punk festival.
There are tons of underground bands worth checking out. We’ll be playing there with our friends, Retain Mind. We’re also playing in Krakow with Minor God soon. They play good hardcore punk, and we love their music.
Another event worth checking out is Rat Attack IV in Wroclaw on July 25-26. There will be a strong lineup, lots of black metal, and strong bands like Wielki Mrok, Nightbound, and OHG.
LOORA: We have some concerts in Warsaw planned and one at the Punk w Dolinie near Suwałki. We are thinking about a little tour during the holidays as more and more people ask us to play in different cities. We play a lot with smaller bands like ours and many of them deserve more attention.
BLACK CAT MATCHES: We’ll see. We’re still a new band in this lineup and just starting to find our place. No big plans we can announce yet—but we want to play more shows and keep building something real.
Last one, and it’s a simple one — if someone’s never been to Noc Walpurgii before and they’re walking into VooDoo on April 30th not knowing what to expect, what would you tell them?
HEKATE: Not sure because we have also never been to this space! From the pictures, it looks impressive and massive! So we are excited to see it and play there! Thank you for the invitation and for the interview :)
COSEY MUELLER: I would say ‘Welcome, you are in the right place at the right time.’
SIKSA: Expect essence of variety mixed with engagement in love to DIY scene. Be open minded, be kind, be helpful. Because there’s no opposition between artists and audience (not only in SIKSA show but at this scene in general) – let’s be together.
NOTHING WORKS: Keep your heart open and prepare for diversity, community, mutual respect, and appreciation, as well as learning more about the intersectional feminist struggle. Prepare physically as well for a lot of dancing and, who knows, maybe some stage diving.
DEAD TAHITI, Kaśka: It’s a one-of-a-kind event, you can’t miss it. I’m definitely going there to recharge!
SPLIN: If you’ve never experienced Noc Walpurgii Fest, it’s an event you won’t want to miss. The lineup is packed with incredible bands across a variety of musical styles, each one worth seeing. The whole festival is built around an atmosphere of mutual understanding, support, and equality. If you want to feel like you’re hanging out with a close-knit group of friends who truly respect each other, Noc Walpurgii Fest is the place to be.
RUNAWAY DEVILS: Have fun, you’re sure to find something you like. With all the shades of alternative music, something will surely resonate with you.
LOORA: Be prepared to have lots of fun with a supportive community. Remember to always be respectful and kind to others here. We expect a great evening, see you there and thank you for the interview!
BLACK CAT MATCHES: Expect a lot of noise, people, and energy. And be ready to leave with more contacts than you came! Thanks!
Noc Walpurgii returns to Warsaw on April 30, 2026
VooDoo Club (Aleja Prymasa Tysiąclecia 48A). Doors at 17:30, music from 18:00. The event is organized by Emancypunx and Refuse Records.
Performing: Black Cat Matches, Loora, Runaway Devils, Splin, Dead Tahiti, Eva Leblanc, Nothing Works, Siksa, Hekate, and Cosey Mueller. DJ sets by Mme Czarnecka / 20000DirtyDJs.
Performance by Gosia Tęgowska (S.C.U.M.), exhibition documenting thirty years of Emancypunx activity, and vegan food by Food Not Bombs Warsaw. Awareness Team on site, run by Tamte Typiary Crew.
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