Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Venue: Lokal Patriot / Novo Mesto / Slovenia
Concert date: 14.12.2006
Attendance: 80
Ticket price: 600,00 SIT / 1.000,00 SIT
Our motley crew, mixed in age but sharing plenty of musical (and other) common ground, decided there was no way we could miss the show by the young avant-garde rockers from Novo Mesto with the seriously weird but pretty original name Od Franclna Možgani. Especially on the day they were presenting their debut album “Pofrancljevanje” and packed the otherwise tiny Lokal Patriot in Novo Mesto to the rafters. The place holds a hundred people at most. Even so, some folks who haven’t followed the band since the beginning showed up too, curious what these guys are bringing to the rather bland and obscure Slovenian avant-garde rock scene. As I noticed after the gig, there was even a Frenchman in the crowd who didn’t understand a single word of English, yet was incredibly stoked, which says a lot about a band with serious potential that would be very interesting to foreign markets too. The view of the stage won us over right away: a screen showing a picture of a pink brain, which gave anyone who didn’t know a single one of their songs a clear hint that something special was in store tonight.
After some chatting in a cozy, homey atmosphere, and a close encounter with a few of the band members, the show could begin. Even before the start we noticed that flutist and saxophonist Tine – Tinčk was absent this time (for reasons unknown to me). Od Franclna Možgani are a band known not only for their top-notch ability to blend elements of jazz, funk, ethno and avant-garde into a unique and complex mix of mostly wildly varied tunes, but also for short skits between some of the songs, where they entertain the crowd with humorous quips, usually at the expense of one of the band members. After a short introductory speech by guitarist Djuko, which included a few mathematical terms, they surprised us right away with a few pieces that haven’t (yet) appeared on the album and that they’re probably preparing for future studio releases. I can say that what we heard from these new creations sounds extremely promising. They’re mostly longer jazz-funk instrumentals (which is where I think they’re strongest anyway). The band is obviously being pulled even more toward jazz fusion.
To warm up, they kicked off with two longer jazzy, funk-flavored compositions that haven’t (yet) made it onto the album, “Solid Fill” and “Little Mouse Cum”. It was fun to watch the stage setup and the interaction between the band members: guitarist Djuko stood up front at the mic, gliding over the strings in true jazz style, while drummer Brgs and percussionist Pimps sat in the back, each behind their own set of drums (in Pimps’ case a set of African tam-tams, regular drums and a few other unusual musical gadgets). It was a bit odd that bassist Slejk, whose style leans mostly funk, was parked off to the side for almost the whole night, practically outside the stage area. For the most part they came across as pretty “cool”, though I wouldn’t have minded a few more energetic outbursts, especially from the guitarist and the bassist. Then came a short skit that got some laughs from the crowd and flowed into one of the songs from the album, the witty “Extra Bird”, which most of the audience recognized instantly, including a good few of their die-hard fans. Percussionist Pimps treated us to some thrilling and funny kazoo playing during its intro. After “Extra Bird”, Djuko gave us a short solo performance. Next they played “Šum”, another piece I didn’t know until now. The crowd really came alive for the Zappa-flavored “Are You a Horse?”, one of their most popular songs. I was even more blown away by what I think is one of their best compositions, the insanely complex instrumental “Supersonic Speed”. Then they thanked the audience and took a short break for a drink. When they came back on stage they played “Juhanovski”, another brand-new piece. Next they wanted to call up two people who supposedly deserve major credit for the release of their debut, but despite being called several times, they didn’t show up. As if in response to the dull silence left by the two missing guests, drummer Brgs treated himself to a short solo. What followed was probably their most popular song and at the same time their least typical one. The already notorious “Kolaček” set off a wave of excitement among all the band’s fiery fans. Backing vocalist Tina joined the band on stage for it, making sure the performance sounded as close as possible to the studio version, and her dance moves brought some extra energy too. Still, her vocals were mixed a bit too loud compared to Djuko’s, so the whole thing came out more like a vocal duet. Plenty of people who didn’t know this track were surely surprised by the only “pop” song in the entire set. Then Djuko and Pimps started a short improvisation that served as the intro to the fun “Butterfly”. Next came another one of the best songs on the debut, the Caribbean-rhythm-driven “Beach Party”, where Pimps’ percussion, the funky line of Slejk’s bass guitar and Djuko’s jazzy guitar bits impressed most. After the so-far-unknown but pretty witty “Neon Farting”, Djuko and Sleyk pulled off an entertaining skit in which they crossed swords like they were about to fight a knightly duel. I hope they’ll put on more of this kind of “theatrical” show in the future. You don’t see a jazz guitarist and a funk bassist swinging swords in the style of some epic metal band every day. In the rest of the set they played some of their funniest songs, such as the country-flavored grotesque “Kavboj Kavbojc”, “How To Be Happy On The Floor” and probably the peak of their satires, “Lesbian Show Named Herald”. The latter came off much better live than the studio version, and this time I had a pretty good laugh myself at Djuko’s crude rambling about three lesbians. “Whale In High Heels” was another highlight of the night, while fans of the beloved wookiee Chewbacca got their fix with “Wormhole No. 9”, where Pimps simulated his growling and grumbling. After “GVARS” came the insanely complex yet wittily grotesque “Šarodoraš”, yet another highlight of the gig that woke up the front rows. At that point, at the band’s invitation, the author of the excellent cover art for their debut came on stage, and they poured themselves some ruby-red wine and raised a toast together. That was the official toast to the album’s release. They closed the main set with “Kaj Ste Tak Čudni vsi”, another witty grotesque, during which they also fired off a few drinking jokes together. True Dolenjci. The crowd was visibly thrilled, and after long ovations and a short pause the band came back for an encore, “Sleyk’s On the Run”, another longer instrumental full of improvisation, which was a top-notch showcase of all their potential. During it I got carried off to who knows where a few times (which, mind you, happened to me more than once during the gig).
After the show we thanked some of the band members in person. Above all, we’d like to thank percussionist Primož-Pimps once more, on behalf of Rockline, for his cooperation and kindness. Od Franclna Možgani wowed us with their instrumental acrobatics and witty stage approach. The show was at an enviable level for local standards, especially musically, and I hope we’ll get the chance to see them again soon. On the other hand, you could tell the guys were under enormous pressure (which they admitted themselves, since this was a hugely important gig), that they’re only at the start of their stage careers, and that the eye contact with the audience still needs some polishing (especially from both guitarists). Other than that, I have no complaints. The concert was excellent for local conditions and for a band that’s only just getting started, and I really enjoyed it. As I’ve stressed many times before: for our modest logistical conditions, these guys play fantastic music, already have a recognizable sound and stage approach, and the necessary stage chemistry between the band members. So I wish them lots of luck in the future as they build their sound and stage identity further, and I hope it blossoms in all its glory.
Setlist
Set list:
1. Solid Fill
2. Little Mouse Cum
3. Handsonic Flash Of Extra
4. Extra Bird
5. Kitara
6. Šum
7. Are You a Horse?
8. Supersonic Speed
9. Juhanovski
10. Brgs Time
11. Kolaček
12. Đuxo + Pimps intro for Butterfly
13. Butterfly
14. Beach Party
15. Neon Farting
16. Sleyk & Đuxo medival contest
17. Kavboj Kavbojc
18. How To Be Happy On the Floor
19. Lesbian Show Named Herald
20. Whale In High Heels
21. Worm Hole No. 9
22. GVARS
23. Šarodoraš
24. Kaj Ste Tak Čudni Vsi?
—encore—
25. Sleyk’s On The Rum
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