Location: Novi Rock 3.0 / Ljubljana, Križanke / Slovenia
Concert date: September 8, 2011
Attendance: 2000
Ticket price: €14.00
Novi Rock, the eminent music event that turned Križanke into the center of urban music culture on the first weekend of September from the early eighties to the mid-nineties, celebrated its thirtieth anniversary this year. Where else but at the scene of the original sin, and with a trendy software tag, 3.0…
Of course, an anniversary like this begs the question: what gets priority, nostalgia or the original idea of bringing young acts who did something truly fresh that year together on the big stage with established guests from local and international stomping grounds?
The organizers had announced two “old” bands, Demolition Group and Res Nullius, who would have nailed the guest role, since both groups released excellent new albums this year. Sadly, we didn’t get to see them on the Križanke stage. The fresh, promising new bands, meanwhile, will have to run the Klubski Maraton gauntlet.
Attendance was predictably high, and so was the average age. Hanging out at the bars mostly mattered more than listening to the performers, which, given the nature of the event, is perfectly understandable.
A good number of independent labels also showed off their offerings in the foyer, and several accompanying events took place at Kino Šiška as well.
The evening was opened by Carinthia’s Zircus, who decked themselves out in colorful body paint, brought a dancer-animator onto the stage and generally tried to be as eye-catching as humanly possible. Sadly, the appeal was purely visual, and their electronic-tinged pseudo-psychedelic hard rock didn’t sound particularly convincing.
The stylistic swerve came courtesy of Ljubljana hardcore crew Aktivna Propaganda. A pretty energetic bunch with an anarchist, ultra-leftist ring to them, they came across as rather unrehearsed, though admittedly they weren’t the only victims of this big stage. All in all, someone like Golliwog or Kreshesh Nepitash would have been a far better pick to represent Slovenian HC punk.
The organizers’ dilemma mentioned earlier ended up producing no fewer than three Ljubljana comebackers, bands from the days when the Slovenian alternative scene was taking shape. First up were Buldogi, who played a solid, tight but substantively lukewarm show, heavy on new songs from their recently released record.
It was right during their set that I found myself wondering: with a garden full of fresh goodies right there, does reheating a stale dinner make any sense at all?
Another swerve, this time toward alternative ethno music, came from Styria’s Kvinton, who really did win people over, both with their accordion-driven song structures and with the way they delivered their poetic lyrics. Sadly, in the limited set time they couldn’t fully conjure up their typical vibe for the crowd (which looks roughly like Tom Waits going on a bender in Haloze).
Damir Avdić was supposed to be Novi Rock’s link to the former Yugoslav scene… which is funny, since he’s recently become a Šiška local, which also explains how often he plays in the capital. Anyway, the “Bosnian psycho” predictably tore it up and lit the place on fire on the big stage too, and his bitter poetry over guitar distortion remains one of a kind and as relevant as ever.
Otroci socializma were the second of the comebackers, playing with original singer Brane Bitenc, with Iztok Turk at the helm and bass and guitar doubled up. We heard a selection of superb original material, and the new lineup caught the morbid guitar atmosphere and the dark rhythm-section sound of the original lineup remarkably well. Bitenc, as always, recited more than he sang, and the minimal communication with the crowd was entirely fitting. The children have grown up but still know how to play; it’s socialism that’s doing a bit worse…
Although superbly well-versed in his craft, N’toko stylistically stood out the most from what we expect to hear at Novi Rock. Personally, I’d rather have seen his main band Moveknowledgement on this stage, who just released an excellent new album.
Melodrom were a great continuation of the tradition of Slovenian electronic acts like Videosex and Gloria. Charismatic singer Mina Špiler confidently led us through a selection of mostly newer, English-language material. I missed an early track or two, though we did get the hit September (in the right month, no less). Melodrom are a top-notch band who absolutely deserve a spot on the international music scene too.
The last helping of reheated dinner was served up by Niet, firmly established in recent years and backed by a loyal crowd that sang along in tune to the old and new hits. All good, the party was wild, but the problem is that the new Niet are a perfectly average hard rock band, with a decent singer, sure, but the whole thing lacks exactly that uncompromising punk attitude that graced the original lineup. The new Niet sound like a cover band that just got lucky and inherited the name and reputation of the original.
Novi Rock’s thirtieth anniversary was wrapped up by Dani Kavaš, a singer-songwriter from Prekmurje. Picking a performer confined to a wheelchair was a great move; the alternative scene has always been a refuge for everything different.
According to the organizers, Novi Rock’s thirtieth anniversary is a test of how this concept will work in the future (if it will at all). If there’s the will to keep this event alive, the concept is worth rethinking. This year’s edition, apart from pleasant hanging out, offered no musical highlights, just as reheating a stale dinner brings no culinary delights. It only fills the stomach.
photos: Martin Prezelj
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