Author: Urban Bolta
Venue: Orto Bar / Ljubljana
Concert date: 04.11.2009
Attendance: 180
Ticket price: 10€
Hardly a calendar year goes by without the Littoral crew Zmelkoow dropping by Orto Bar. The last time was in January of last year, when they toured Slovenia presenting “Kolekcija jesen 93 – poletje 07”, an album of the band’s biggest hits. A good year and a half has passed since then, just enough time for another reunion at Orto. The reason this time? The release of their new record “Čista jajca?”, the seventh studio album in Zmelkoow’s discography and the follow-up to “Plošča”, which came out five years ago. Zmelkoow have been very active live lately. They played plenty of acoustic gigs all over Slovenia this past year, but this time, after a long break, they plugged electric cables back into their guitars, and those cables brought all the charm of electric distortion back into Zmelkoow’s music.
From the very start, Zmelkoow have been built around the songwriter, bandleader, guitarist and vocalist all in one, the one and only Goga, and bassist Žare, the band’s icon thanks to his presence. The solid core is rounded out by drummer Aleš Koščak, who joined at the turn of the millennium. Not long after the band formed, Zmelkoow gradually started adding other instruments to the basic rock package (guitar, bass and drums), which opened up the breadth of their sound. For quite a while they had keyboardist Teo (no longer in the band today), and for the past two years the ever-smiling, good-natured trumpeter Deki has been playing with them. And let’s not forget the lovelier half of the band: backing vocalists Aleksandra and Eva, and flutist Anuša, the youngest (live) member of the band.
After a hefty delay of about half an hour, the mighty Deki-led contingent was first onto the stage, and with a vocal bit before the real start they made the agonizing wait for the rest of the band a little shorter. Then, at last, the others marched out and spread across the not-too-generously-sized stage. The girls, Deki and Goga stood up front shoulder to shoulder, while Žare and Aleš “lonesomely” ruled the back of the stage. The opening sound belonged to the bass rhythms, and it was clear the night was truly kicking off with Primavera, a great choice to start the get-together! Some more familiar, some less familiar songs followed, and about a third of the way through it was finally time for the newest material. They played the first three tracks from “Čista jajca?” back to back: Bigass, In rod gre dalje and More woman more man. The last one is an interesting case, because lead vocal duties went to Aleksandra, who hadn’t had such a big role until now. The fresh, previously unheard songs got a mixed reaction. The new tracks depart from that traditional Zmelkoow sound of the nineties and are another step in paving a new path, one that was partly started by the album Superheroji v akciji (2001) and deepened by Plošča (2004). In the second half of the show the crowd got actively involved in building the program, and Sergio and Srnica were the result of demands from the loudest fans below the stage. Meanwhile the clock was dangerously close to midnight, and there was still no sign of the band’s biggest hits. Žare whispering in Goga’s ear was a clear sign that now it was getting serious. Yo! was the first of the big ones, where the entire upper floor of Orto bar channeled the energy of all that hoppy refreshment into their vocal cords and sang along together to the rebellious chorus that has become a national anthem of sorts: “I’ll never get a haircut again…”. The regular set of a repertoire that fit like a glove ended with the ballad Sentiš, as the faint glow of lit lighters took over the air. I was already convinced the night was over, since the clock had struck midnight (let me remind you that Orto bar only has a permit for live music until 00:00, which Zmelkoow already felt firsthand in November 2006, when they were simply cut off mid-song), but the Littoral boys came back out and treated us to Klub ljudi z resnimi težavami and Bit, the big radio chart hit of ’99. The latter was played in a very lively, fast version with an added ska rhythm, which transformed the song for real.
Every Zmelkoow gig is different from the last. They put the set list together on the fly, even with the fans’ help, which is a truly noble move and also the reason why a second, third or fifth visit to their show is never wasted time. The logical consequence of constantly changing the program is, of course, that some of the best-known songs don’t get played. This night, for example, Dekle je po vodo šlo and Gravitacija were missing, but no worries, they’ll play them at the next gig or the one after!
Saying Zmelkoow are excellent musicians would be laughable. They’re average players, but they play with heart and a strong dash of humor, and the lyrics make up a huge, if not key, part of their music. Goga Sedmaxi, the man behind all the lyrics, is also the real engine on stage, with all the levers of the show in his hands. The crowd is hungry for his words and snaps up every single one, and his banter between songs, always ending on a comic punchline, draws roaring applause and bursts of laughter on an assembly line. He’s a true leader, and Zmelkoow fans eat out of his hand. For a change, Žare was very calm. In the past he’s been known to promote himself with the odd humorous outburst, but this time he sat quietly in the background, strumming his bass guitar. Zmelkoow also work great as a “team”. The relaxed teasing between them on stage is just part of the show the people want.
The new instruments blend perfectly into the band’s sound. The trumpet, the occasional violin bit, assorted hand rattles of one kind or another and the support of the backing vocalists (especially on the choruses) round out the sound nicely and relieve the monotony of a single guitar. Zmelkoow have turned into a real little orchestra!
In a jam-packed Orto Bar, the Littoral boys proved once again that they still know how to deliver a good time. How could they not, when the name Zmelkoow is a synonym for a guaranteed great night! I’m sure everyone there headed home in great spirits, the most loyal fans of course with the new CD in their pocket!
Photos: Tina Gačnik
Setlist
1. Primavera 2. Živinopolicaj 3. Tudi največji frajerji včasih… 4. Vrži se 5. Jaz se vrtim 6. Big ass 7. In rod gre dalje 8. More woman more man 9. Sergio 10. Srnica 11. Čau sonček 12. Densi Mayalona 13. Lotusov cvet 14. Mrtev konj 15. Yo! 16. Po srcu poštenjak 17. Poredni gosti 18. Sentiš navadni ——- 19. Klub ljudi z resnimi težavami 20. Bit
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