Author: Urban Bolta
Venue: Cvetličarna (Ljubljana)
Concert date: 26.11.2008
Attendance: 750
Ticket price: 20€ (22€ on the day of the show)
Prljavo Kazalište’s roots go back to the late seventies, the era of the so-called new wave. New bands were popping up like mushrooms after rain back then, but when the new wave started to fade, plenty of young bands went down with it, while others adapted to the new direction of eighties music. One of those others was the Croatian band Prljavo Kazalište. The early punk sound gave way to post-punk with the odd ska riff, and before long a purely rock sound took over, one the band has stuck to ever since the mid-eighties.
A little after half past nine in the evening, a cute blonde announced “the Prljavci” from the stage of the sold-out Cvetličarna, and the band launched into their set the very second they walked out. After last December’s visit to Ljubljana, this was already their second show on the same stage in less than a year. After an opener from their recent period and the song Pisma Ljubavna came the first address to the crowd. “Dober večer! Dober večer, Ljubljana! Upam da danes bo atmosfera dobra!” Frontman Mladen Bodalec made first contact – surprisingly – in Slovenian, and was of course rewarded with loud applause from the crowd. I say surprisingly, first because that’s not exactly common practice for ex-Yugoslav bands playing in Slovenia, and second because the band is known for its fierce patriotism. A good chunk of their nineties output was written under the heavy influence of the Croatian War of Independence and the general atmosphere in Croatia at the time. The title of their latest studio album says plenty on that front: Moj dom je Hrvatska.
The first peak of the night came soon after the start, when they served up one of the band’s most recognizable songs, Kiše jesenje. During it, the spotlights briefly lit up only bassist Nino Hrastek, who got a few seconds of attention with a short solo spot. In general, the pecking order in the band was very noticeable during the show. Rhythm guitarist and founder Houra and vocalist Mladen Bodalec were front and center the whole time, and they were also the only two talking to the crowd. The aforementioned bassist Nino Hrastek, who has been a member since the band’s founding, got a few seconds here and there for some “self-promotion”, while keyboardist Jurica Leikauff, drummer Tihomir Files and lead guitarist Zlatko Bebek were left with crumbs. You only really noticed them during the band introductions right before the end of the set.
Over a set of a good two hours, as befits a show on the band’s 30th anniversary tour, they played most of their biggest hits. Let me just mention the ones where the singalong from below the stage was loudest and where the most Croatian flags went up in the air, held by fans who came to cheer on the Prljavci from the other side of the Kolpa: they gave us Heroj ulice, Mojoj majci, Ne zovi mama doktora, Lupi petama, Sve je lako kad si mlad and Mi plešemo. During the last of those, an ode to good times, a visibly “merry” Mladen Bodalec swapped the word “plešemo” for “mi pijemo” instead, and everyone else below the stage happily started singing it too, grinning from ear to ear.
From the cult debut Prljavo Kazalište (1979) they played, as expected, only Sretno Dijete, which they dress up in a mellower, more rocking look at shows, away from its new wave or, if you like, punk sound. After an encore that featured Uzalud vam trud sviraci, Prljavo Kazalište left the stage and, despite the crowd’s loud calls, never came back.
In a nutshell, Prljavo Kazalište’s show was good. Constant touring means a great deal of tightness, and even with a drink or two before and during the show, there were no major blunders in the playing. The aforementioned guitarist Houra and vocalist Bodalec kept the good vibes going the whole time. With their stage presence – the facial expressions, the jumping around, even crashing into each other (and they’re no spring chickens anymore) and, not least, the banter – they don’t let you stay indifferent. The sound guys also did a good job with the sound itself. We didn’t get absolutely every hit the band has, which is understandable, since there are simply too many for a single show. Still, over a set of more than two hours they gave us a cross-section of songs, from their early days as well as their newest creations, written by seasoned musicians who present one of the champions of the Croatian rock scene in the best possible light.
Photos: Mojca Perdih
Photo Gallery
