Venue: Križanke, Ljubljana
Concert date: 26.05.2008
Attendance: 3000
Ticket price: 22 € in presale, 26 € on the day of the show
Thunder rolled through Ljubljana’s Križanke once again on Tuesday, May 27. With a long-awaited and above all triumphant show called “Bil je maj”, Slovenian punk legends Niet returned to the scene of the crime after a good twenty-four years. The rebels, led by Primož Habič, put on a magnificent show in 1984 and 1985 (in place of the band UBR) as part of Novi rock, and the incredible crowd response proved it. So what did this band, with its turbulent and fairly short life, carve into the Slovenian music scene with? A charismatic frontman who was to Niet what Sid Vicious was to Sex Pistols? Legendary tunes that never stop being relevant? Or maybe the fact that Niet end up on the playlist of every rebellious teenager digging through the treasures of Slovenian punk? Even though labels weren’t exactly “fighting” over them in the nineties, even the less demanding radio stations spun their hits. Cassettes with their recordings circulated among teenagers back then, played so many times that the tapes got stretched out and Niet sounded a bit slower. When the weight of fame took its toll in 1991, right before the start of the war for Slovenia, and Primož gave himself a fatal dose of heroin, Niet slowly faded into oblivion. They finally fell apart in 1994, when Igor Dernovšek, after endless disputes in the band, shut it down. But we never forgot them. Through all those years, sixteen of them, a legend was being forged, and when they opened Orto fest on March 31 this year, it was the nicest surprise of 2008. Then on May 19 the record “Bil je maj” came out, with sixteen remastered tracks and three newly recorded ones – “Vsak dan se kaj lepega začne”, “Strah in krik” and “Bil je maj”. They celebrated their return to the land of the living, with support from Zablujena generacija and Jani Kovačič, with Tuesday’s show at Križanke.
First to storm the Križanke stage were Zablujena generacija, the embodiment of melodic punk and the younger generation. Shortly after nine the opening riffs rang out, and the Zablujenci kicked things off with “Kdo hoče plesati z menoj?”. It’s a song whose whole point is a parody of all the crap we send to the preselection for the Eurovision song contest. “Pobegli vlak” followed, and quite a few people had already started singing and dancing. Križanke were already nicely filled by then, but there were roughly as many people still outside the entrance. “Totaln debil” pulled in even more of them. The youngsters had started shoving their way into the front rows. Then “Pozitiv vabrejšan” poured a light dose of punk, pop and reggae into everyone’s ears. The word monster “Extrasupermegafakinnujno” does cause a few pronunciation headaches, but when your tongue is oiled with this and that substance, it’s no problem. The crowd of around fifteen hundred then powered through its own “Egotrip” with the help of the Zablujenci. When Šank rock released the record “Bosa dama” in 1996, which includes the song “Metulj”, it was nowhere near as celebrated as it is today. Zablujena generacija gave that song a fresh coat of paint for the 35th anniversary of Val 202 radio. For “Predsednik ZDA”, the guys on stage were joined by the father of the song, singer-songwriter Jani Kovačič, the evening’s second guest. But he had to wait a little longer for his own set, since the Zablujenci still had a few songs up their sleeves. Among them “Razdalja” and “Sonce nabija”. There was also a song for all the “Patricija”s, and the crowd gathered that night had never had “Mokre sanje” quite like this before. After about an hour the guys wrapped up their set with “Moja Liza” and “Tu mač”. The Zablujenci delivered the best possible opening to an unforgettable night. It couldn’t have gone better, since most of the crowd went wild from their first song to their last.
The well-warmed-up and, above all, already pretty sweaty crowd was then taken over by Jani Kovačič, who stands as a bridge between the younger, melodic generation the Zablujenci represent and the older, harder Niet. Sitting on a chair, he calmed down the atmosphere, packed with buzzsaw guitars, just a little, as he joked himself. His mere presence got people laughing and singing along, at least the ones who weren’t rushing to the bar to wet their throats and refuel with a fresh dose of energy. In a good half hour we got to hear Kovačič’s evergreens like “Škoflca”, “Žare Lepotec” and of course “Delam kot zamorc”, without which his set would have felt incomplete.
Tension was in the air. The chants of “We want Niet” from a crowd of about three thousand were cut off by Jonas Žnidaršič, who got the chance to introduce the legends again for the first time since 1984, this time with new singer Borut Marolt up front (ex Prisluhnimo tišini). Niet’s comeback had already been announced for December 1 last year, when they were supposed to play as the support act at a Pankrti show, but that gig was cancelled. A pity. Still, it was a call from Pero Lovšin, or as Jonas Žnidaršič called him – Perči Gnus, that’s responsible for bringing Niet back to the scene. Maybe it turned out even better this way. Niet deserve a lot more than playing as a support act.
Križanke were already bursting at the seams, and when the first riffs and the triumphant “la, la, la, la, la, la” rang out, the crowd was still pouring into the auditorium. “Molk” to open. The legends were with us again. “Vijolice” right after. The crowd, already nicely warmed up by Zablujena generacija, went wild from the first riff. Of course, there was a moshpit too. That was mostly thanks to the youngsters right below the stage. Then we sang “Tvoje oči” together with Niet. Not only is Borut’s voice a dead ringer for Primož’s, he also took on all the burden created by the cult frontman. Commendable! Then came “perspectives of drunken nights, perspectives of ruined mornings”, and Tanja Ukmar hopped onto the stage in a bright red little dress, making no secret of her excitement. Songs from Niet’s early period followed. “Melanholija”, “Ni izhoda” and “Petek zvečer”. Tanja then left the stage, and Borut Činč (Buldožer) joined Niet on keyboards. The crowd greeted the opening riffs of “Depresija” with a roar and started singing right away. Proof that these are the songs that shape the Slovenian punk tradition. Then “Sam”, and after that we got to hear the old-new song “Strah in krik” from 1988, which combines punk rebellion with melody. Činč joined the guys again, and we witnessed the loveliest moment of the night. The crowd of three thousand sang the legendary “Lep dan za smrt” together with Niet. The feeling that washes over you in that moment is indescribable. Your skin crawls with goosebumps and you follow the band without even realizing it. Only the cult Niet can put you in that state. Unforgettable! And above all, twice as loud and resounding as the rest of the songs.
A slightly calmer “Ruski vohun” followed. You’re left speechless. Niet couldn’t have come together at Križanke in a more original lineup. “Vsak dan se kaj lepega začne” is another old-new song, also written in 1987 but only recorded this year. It sounds great and you can’t help but sing along. Then it was time again for a “bouquet” of the oldest, harder songs. “Umiranje”, “Srečna mladina”, “Zastave” and “Sranje”. Tanja and Činč joined Niet on stage again and together they played “Ritem človeštva”, a song with a message that never goes out of date. “Izobčeni”, “Heroj” and “Morilci” were the next songs played.
A short encore followed. Drummer Tomaž Bergant asked for complete silence – a minute for Primož, and the song “Bil je maj” for him. Cellist Marjetka joined Borut and guitarist Robert Likar. Lighters came out and the crowd gently sang along with Borut. Beautiful! It was also the most emotional moment of the night, which was slowly drifting toward its end. Then “Februar” and one more encore. The guys came back on stage and, to finish, set “Lep dan za smrt” and “Vijolice” ablaze once more. The crowd sang loudly with them again. But the repeat didn’t come anywhere near the first “Lep dan za smrt”. One more bow and see you next time.
After the show, journalists “ambushed” Niet and bagged the first statements, and then the band signed dozens of CDs, posters, arms… And chests. If anyone thought only the older generation would show up, they were wrong. Everyone who ever meant something to Niet, and who had them as part of their lives at least once, was there. Short and sweet to wrap up – it was unforgettable! Thank you, Niet!
Words: Lea Lesar
Photos: Barbara Milharčič
Setlist
Zablujena generacija:
1. Kdo hoče plesati z menoj?
2. Pobegli vlak
3. Totaln debil
4. Pozitiv vabrejšan
5. Extrasupermegafakinnujno
6. Egotrip
7. Metulj
8. Predsednik ZDA
9. Razdalja
10. Sonce nabija
11. Patricija
12. Mokre sanje
13. Moja Liza
14. Tu mač
Niet:
1. Molk
2. Vijolice
3. Tvoje oči
4. Perspektive
5. Melanholija
6. Ni izhoda
7. Petek zvečer
8. Depresija
9. Sam
10. Strah in krik
11. Lep dan za smrt
12. Ruski vohun
13. Vsak dan se kaj lepega začne
14. Umiranje
15. Srečna mladina
16. Zastave
17. Sranje
18. Paranoja
19. Ritem človeštva
20. Izobčeni
21. Heroj
22. Morilci
—– encore —–
23. Bil je maj
24. Februar
—– encore —–
25. Lep dan za smrt
26. Vijolice
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