Kae Tempest: a voice of truth connecting the personal with the collective, coming to Pohoda 2026
At the 30th edition of Pohoda Festival, taking place on 8 & 9–11 July 2026 at Trenčín Airport, we are proud to welcome Kae Tempest — an artist whose work persistently searches for truth in personal experience and transforms it into a powerful collective encounter. A musician, poet, and performer operating at the intersection of spoken word, hip hop, and poetry, Kae Tempest will bring to Pohoda a concert that is not merely a performance, but a meeting.
28. January 2026
At Pohoda, audiences will hear songs from Kae Tempest’s fifth studio album, Self Titled, a record that wasn’t meant to be the album you’re listening to right now. Kae had originally written an entirely different project, but something about it didn’t align with the moment. The turning point came after a visit to the studio of producer Fraser T Smith (Adele, Stormzy, Dave), when a spontaneous run of studio sessions opened up an entirely new direction. Smith encouraged Kae to write in the first person: “Who else can tell the story that you can tell?” From an intense creative process — sometimes producing three songs a day — emerged an album that is concise, complete, and deeply honest: Self Titled.
At its core, the album is a love letter to a younger self and a dialogue between Kae’s past, present, and future selves. It moves through themes of resistance, doubt, and hope, touching on love, acceptance, identity, vulnerability, and liberation. While deeply personal, it remains rooted in Kae Tempest’s belief in the collective power of truth: “I hope that by digging into my truth, I can meet people in theirs. I hope people can find something of themselves reflected back at them.”
The album opens with the powerful I Stand On The Line, epic in scale and emotional urgency, followed by the galvanising Statue In The Square, which reconnects with the energy of Kae’s early open mic performances and the joy of rhythm. Self Titled carries a wide musical spectrum — echoes of Massive Attack, Dr. Dre, and Arctic Monkeys can be felt — yet always filtered through Kae Tempest’s unmistakable voice. The album also features guest appearances from Young Fathers and Tawiah, and closes with tracks that reflect on neurodiversity, mental health, and the delicate intensity of experiencing the world.
Raised in Lewisham, London, Kae Tempest began his creative journey as a teenager, performing at open mic nights, raves, squat parties, and small festivals. Since then, his career has unfolded across music, literature, and theatre. His debut album Everybody Down was nominated for the Mercury Prize, as was Let Them Eat Chaos, which also received a BRIT Award nomination. He has worked with producer Rick Rubin, and to date remains the only artist to have opened a play at London’s National Theatre one summer and played Glastonbury Festival the next.
Reflecting on his latest work, more than a decade after his first album, Kae Tempest says: “This album has its own life force, it knows where it wants to go. I’ve just got to follow it for a bit and see what happens.”
We are very much looking forward to welcoming this voice — in all its strength, fragility, and truth — to Pohoda 2026.
The 30th edition of Pohoda will feature performances by Gorillaz, The Prodigy, Lykke Li, IDLES, Danzel Curry, Oliver Tree, Baxter Dury, Apashe & Brass Orchestra, SOFT PLAY, Emilíana Torrini, Aldous Harding, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Boko Yout, Penguin Cafe, Fanfare Ciocărlia, Annie & The Caldwells, Emma-Jean Thackray, Native James, Para, Gleb, Turtle Island, Fat Dog, KOIKOI, and many more.
For the first time this year, Pohoda will also include an Extra Day on Wednesday, 8th July 2026, with legendary The Cure, Scottish band The Twilight Sad, Ireland’s Just Mustard, and Denis Bango performing. Bango will perform songs from his project Fvck_Kvlt and the band Wilderness on the piano, just before The Cure’s performance. The Extra Day will also feature a late-night afterparty at Trenčín Airport. You can purchase a 4-day ticket (festival + The Cure), a 3-day ticket (Thursday to Saturday), or extend your 3-day ticket with the Extra Day. Find all the details and tickets here.