Venue: Orto bar / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: 21.01.2011
Attendance: 100
Ticket price: €10.00
While the recently and tragically departed Šank rock got a ton of media fanfare, it looks like their legacy could be carried on in style by Chateau, who got back together in their original lineup a good two years ago. Sure, the band is best known for just two covers (Boat on the river – Styx; Lola – The Kinks), but their story is definitely an important chapter in the book of Slovenian rock. With a new album in the works, the guys decided to road-test some fresh material live too; alongside their biggest, best-loved hits, of course.
For a band whose name is anything but unknown, Orto wasn’t packed to the last corner, but the crowd did include a few familiar faces from national TV and the Slovenian pop scene, who came out to support the reunited original lineup. Among the famous guests, we only missed Tomaž Domicelj, who wrote the lyrics for the cover Mlinar na Muri. Still, Chateau didn’t disappoint. The reactivated Matjaž Ograjenšek, who’s got every quality of a great frontman, was a perfect counterweight on stage to the somewhat more reserved Hranjec, whose Les Paul kept us entertained all night with a colorful palette of rock riffs and solos. The band works flawlessly on stage, with no slip-ups, as you’d expect from the mileage they’ve got behind them. So in a great mood we were treated to a rush of songs: 300 na uro, Tanja, the obligatory Lola and Mlinar na Muri, Adijo rock n’roll, Najina noč, and Objemi me, the song that won the guys the pop workshop back in 1991. The only thing we missed was an encore, but thanks to Orto’s strict rules about the schedule, that sadly wasn’t possible. We also heard the single Vse kar ljubim, for which they recently shot a video at the Šoštanj power plant, and the brand-new track Le s teboj. The new material proved to be a very promising preview of the band’s sixth album, due out this spring.
Chateau aren’t exactly a band breaking new musical ground, but they still belong in the category of acts that have passed the test of time. And with the disappearance of the Šank rockers freeing up the throne of Slovenian pop rock, the guys are among the first in line as rightful successors. The road there won’t be easy, since the band is far too tied up in the domestic PR and concert machinery, but the reaction at Orto made it clear that all doors are open to them if they ever want to go that way.
photos: Martin Prezelj
Setlist
1. Gremo v nebo 2. Pojdi zdaj 3. Zapleši z mano 4. Avantura 5. 300 na uro 6. Tanja 7. Lola 8. Mlinar na Muri 10. Vse kar ljubim 12. Objemi me 13. Adijo Rock ‘N’ Roll 14. Tatoo 15. Tina 16. Najina noč 17. Odpelji me v raj 18. Le tebe sanjam 19. Nocoj najlepša si 20. Ti si vse kar si želim 21. Le s teboj 22. Pobegniva 23. Tvoja noč 24. Lola
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