Venue: Menza pri koritu (Metelkova) / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: 08.05.2008
Attendance: 30
Ticket price: 4,00€
After the Index gig earlier the same day, the photographer and I staggered over to Menza pri Koritu, where Austrian act Good Enough for You were supposed to kick off at 10 p.m. Since the Index show wrapped up shortly before eleven, I figured we’d already missed this one, but I’d forgotten the golden rule of Metelkova – gigs almost always start two hours after the announced time.
And so it went on this fateful day. Instead of ten, the show only got going at half past midnight. The photographer and I had just walked into the club and, lo and behold, right at that moment the two Austrians took the stage. Pure luck.
So who exactly are Good Enough for You? They’re an Austrian duo who’ve been touring heavily lately across Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the USA, and now they’ve dropped by Slovenia too. The guy and the girl took their band name from a song title by Captain Beefheart, the famous American avant-garde artist, who’s also known for his friendship with the even bigger Frank Zappa. That alone got me interested in them. This had to be some kind of experimental switch-off worth seeing.
The hype turned out to be true, though I wasn’t expecting exactly this kind of music. But that can sometimes be even better. I’d expected more classic avant-garde, but the duo has a style all its own, led by the alternative-leaning guitar of Raumschiff Engelmayr (I’m sure he took the name from the translation of the sci-fi classic Star Trek, or rather the starship Enterprise). I’d compare the guitar style to experimental bands like Sonic Youth. I definitely didn’t expect anything like that. The more typically avant-garde elements came in the moments when Karin Brull played clarinet and used various vocal effects. Both members handled vocals, which leaned more alternative/punk again. A few times Karin also grabbed a pot, evidently meant as some kind of percussion gadget, and wandered into the small crowd to try to crank up the temperature. Between songs, Good Enough for You also used humor, and it came across really well. The presentation of the song Lemmy, Lemme Know was especially good, with the singer saying they were looking for a bassist and thought Lemmy Kilmister would be ideal. After just three quarters of an hour the Austrians had to wrap up, because they had nothing left to play. They’d used up their stock of songs; at most they could have thrown in another cover.
Like I said, Good Enough for You swim in more alternative waters, but there are still quite a few things that make them unique. First there are the various avant-garde elements I already pointed out, and then there are the brilliantly programmed electronic effects. Mainly these are drum and bass effects that make up for the lack of a drummer. They’re done extremely well and are a real breath of fresh air. But there are also a few programmed keyboard parts, which likewise add to a better overall picture.
The set included the band’s entire latest album (all twenty-four minutes of it), titled Wer hat von meiner installation gegessen?, plus one more Captain Beefheart cover. After the show they dragged a few boxes out from backstage and sold T-shirts and CDs. There weren’t many people around, but some were still happy to part with a bit of cash, which went straight into the band’s pocket.
After the spectacle at the Index gig, a short switch-off like this was a real breath of fresh air for me. The band is young, good, can play solidly, and makes music with ideas of its own and plenty of experimental moments. Lovely!
Text: Rok Podgrajšek
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Setlist
1. Sugar in Shoe
2. Onze, Douze, Cle
3. Mop Mip Mow
4. Ant’s Garden
5. Big Bog Bug Bauch
6. Sugardance
7. Blackseat of My Car
8. Beam Me onto You
9. In The Musktent
10. Lemmy Lemme Know
11. Sitting on The Dog of My Babe
Photo gallery
