Venue: Cankarjev Dom / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: 05.10.2012
Attendance: 600
Ticket price: €28.00
»Let someone say it’s a dream, let someone say I’m still asleep…« A snippet of lyrics that Avtomobili sing in the song ‘Palme gorijo’ from their latest studio album ‘Pozna pomlad’, and one that probably echoes like a mantra in the heads of the brilliant songwriting duo of Marko and Mirko Vuksanovič. Back in 1982, when they founded Avtomobili, they probably never dreamed, not even in their sleep, that thirty years and nine studio albums later they’d be standing on the stage of the Linhartova dvorana in Slovenia’s temple of culture, celebrating 30 years together with the current lineup.
It’s thanks to the creative wealth and perseverance of the two brothers that Avtomobili can boast that in their thirty-year run they have, in fact, never stopped. They’ve kept up a continuity that is a pretty rare achievement, even abroad. Sure, the lineup has been thoroughly shaken up over the years, but none of the changes ever pulled the band’s musical expression away from its set course of development. The identity stayed intact; only the quality kept climbing.
Avtomobili are first and foremost musicians and artists. Their music is written with soul and played with feeling, and the lyrics make you think. Maybe that’s where we should look for the reasons why this Slovenian gem has been so incomprehensibly overlooked, especially by the commercial media. Even though they can quite rightly be proud of two Zlati petelin awards (1994 and 1996) for best Slovenian rock band, they deserve far more respect and support than they actually get. ‘Good thing we have them, Avtomobili!’ was a line uttered right after the show by music guru Jernej Vene. It’s a fact we as a nation should be much more aware of than we really are.
Cankarjev Dom, as the temple of Slovenian culture, is of course the only right choice for marking such a venerable anniversary. Avtomobili belong there, too, because with their almost literary quality they contribute plenty to Slovenia’s cultural wealth. The two-hour-and-twenty-minute concert was filmed by a TV Slovenija crew and also broadcast live on Radio Koper.
Avtomobili kicked off the anniversary ride in their own style. Simple, no pomp, no big ceremonial words, no needless speeches. They spoke the way they do best: through music. They opened with the first single from their latest studio effort, ‘Poslušaj’, and immediately thrilled a packed Linhartova dvorana. Already the first guitar solo from Boštjan Andrejc simply enchanted the crowd. For the next song, ‘Drugačno nebo’, Rok Škarabot joined the band on percussion, enriching the instrumental choreography of the vast majority of the songs played with exceptional feel. The song ‘Obsedela sva sama’ from the album Mesta železniških postaj was handed over to the evening’s guest, the superb alto vocalist Severa Gjurin, who, in Marko Vuksanovič’s words, has the voice of an angel. Her vocal interpretation of that song more than won us over, since she managed to deliver the lyrics in a very dramatic yet incredibly subtle way. ‘Skozi leta’, which she sang as a duet with Marko, also sounded gorgeous.
For the block of four songs, Ljubezen ne stanuje tu, Navaden dan, Argentina and Hvala za pisma, the excellent violinist Rok Golob joined the band on stage, taking the place of the accordion in the instrumental backdrop. Avtomobili have turned to the accordion quite a few times and shown very effectively that it can be a fully equal instrument in this kind of music. This time, swapping the accordion for a violin was a bullseye. Especially in the hands of a player like Rok Golob. We witnessed an outstanding rendition of one of the most beautiful Slovenian ballads, ‘Hvala za pisma’. The masterful dialogue between Rok’s violin and Boštjan’s guitar in the two solos literally gave all of us goosebumps. It was played tightly, sensitively, and with an incredible, refined, breathtaking feel for the interplay between the two.
The song ‘Midva’ was handed over to the next guests of the evening, a duo from the band Pliš. Vocalist Aleksandra Ilievski and Marko Gregorič on acoustic guitar proved with their take on the song that we’re richer by a great new hope of Slovenian music, one you can definitely count on in the future.
We were most curious how rapper Zlatko, who has lately grown into one of Slovenia’s most respected rappers, would fit into the musical concept Avtomobili cultivate. It turned out that ‘Cene rastejo’, which Avtomobili don’t play all that often at their shows, was tailor-made for this kind of combination. The song came out on the album Krenimo (1988) and was recorded as ‘Cjene rastu’ in Serbo-Croatian. Zlatko pulled the topical issues of today out of his sleeve in his easily recognizable style. With fitting criticism of the state of society, and not only the material side of it. The special thing and great strength of Zlatko’s lyrics is that, while criticizing the devalued society we live in, he never forgets the values that should matter most in the life of every earthling: who you are and what kind of person you are to yourself and to others.
Avtomobili wrapped up the official part with ‘Pozna pomlad’, where you can sense a lot of message. The band’s current lineup is truly spring-like. In every note played you can feel the harmony between the individual members. A gentle bed of keyboards serves as a soft carpet on which the velvety vocals stroll and where the masterpieces of a great guitar talent reign. The bass of the creative and remarkably confident David Šuligoj adds variety and dynamics, followed by drummer David Morgan with polished, sensitive rhythms. In ‘Netopir’, David showed off with a wonderful drum solo, which not only displayed his command of the drum kit but also made it very clear what an energetic drumming temperament he has. Setting aside the band’s technical and artistic skill, in this lineup you can feel something more. A strong bond, friendship, and musical kinship. This lineup is an exceptional creative potential that, with the projects that are sure to follow, can carry the springtime of this moment into a remarkably fruitful summer. A group of musicians this talented and creatively inspired can neither afford nor be allowed to stop at this point. The freshness, enthusiasm, joy, and ecstasy you can feel between them is simply unbelievable. And contagious. The exceptional Vuksanovič songwriting tandem, together with guitar virtuoso Boštjan and the remarkably creative, powerful and confident rhythm section of the two Davids, has gained an incredible asset. For the future.
For the encore, Avtomobili treated us to Gospodar and Mrzle dvorane. The crowd’s perseverance, with a thunderous round of applause at the end, was rewarded with one more song, Nekaj let.
What to write in closing?
All the best, Avtomobili, and thank you for the wonderful evening you gave us. Thank you for the extraordinary palette of creations you’ve been spoiling us with for thirty years. May your journey through the beauty and magic that only music holds go on for a long time yet.
Setlist
1. Poslušaj
2. Drugačno nebo
3. Kaj si hotel
4. Gorica
5. Palme gorijo
6. Obsedela sva sama (Severa Gjurin)
7. Skozi leta (duet with Severa Gjurin)
8. Ona nosi uniformu
9. Prljavi jezik
10. Ljubezen ne stanuje tu (violin Rok Golob)
11. Navaden dan (violin Rok Golob)
12. Argentina (violin Rok Golob)
13. Hvala za pisma (violin Rok Golob)
14. Netopir
15. Midva (Pliš)
16. Sama
17. Proti luni
18. Cene rastejo (feat. Zlatko)
19. April
20. Enkrat v življenju
21. Enakonočje
22. Pozna pomlad
———-encore———–
23. Gospodar
24. V mrzlih dvoranah
———-encore 2———
25. Nekaj let
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