Bakshish

Formed in 1982 in Kluczbork, Poland, BAKSHISH are the founding fathers and mainstay of the reggae movement in Poland. Their three albums to date have been major hits at home, even though they have never worked with a major record label. In the 1980’s, with the massive infiltration of Jamaican and British reggae, Poland was celebrating more of a home grown scene, regarded as the golden era of Polish reggae, BAKSHISH were at the forefront of that movement. In 1993 BAKSHISH released their first album One Love, already hugely successful as a live band, this was to transform their career. It became the biggest and most important album of its kind in Poland, mixing Roots Reggae, Spirituality and a ‘Sly and Robbie-esque’ Dub style. This furthered the band to perform to ever growing crowds, as well as opening the doorway into other markets in central Europe. 2002 saw a dramatic change in the band’s fortunes. The bands leader Jarex became seriously ill, needing surgery but not being able to meet the costs. It was at this point that Poland showed its love for Bakshish. Fans, other bands and charity organsations got together and raised the capital for this surgery. This act enabled the continuing existence of BAKSHISH. The band is now a much bigger entity, containing many more musicians than the original band, many of whom play with Poland’s best known reggae and raggamuffin bands. They have just undertaken a new departure in their existence, feeling that with the dispersal of Polish youth across Europe that now is the time to expand and play in other countries. The floating reggae rhythms of Bakshish make this a viable option, as the message is contained not only in lyrics but in the music also. The vibrancy of the performance leave an indelible impression with every reggae fan who come to see the band. Don’t dare miss this show.