Zmaj Hatches a Big Brood of Rockers in Postojna (2013)

Arhiv Arhiv Last updated 11 June 2026

Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik

Location: Postojna (Pastwjna) / Titov trg / Slovenia
Concert date: August 24, 2013
Attendance: 500
Ticket price: €0.00 (free entry)

This August’s Zmaj ma mlade festival in Postojna also served up a gorgeous evening that rocked properly. You could say that, from act to act, the roar got ever more melodious and refined. Hard rockers Pelhan, incorrigible Pivka-region rock ‘n’ roll jesters Ana Pupedan, and the evergreen legends of Slovenian rock Avtomobili. A killer combo. Three great bands, three self-contained, vivid musical stories. Three musical essences.

The schedule was jam-packed, so the show kicked off at exactly the appointed hour. Pelhan, a new lineup of seasoned rock tomcats, put out their standalone studio debut »V neznano« this March (RockLine review HERE). The band is hot! And the crew is tight on stage! Aleš Pelhan has finally managed to pull off what was always his quiet wish. A full-blooded realization of his own musical ideas! None of this would have been possible without the right comrades in the crew. Miha Nedoh (ex-Requiem, Forgotten Eden), his longtime partner in crime from earlier collaborations (way before Pelhan Down Patrol and Forgotten Eden), then the excellent keyboardist Peter Smrdel (Divine Illusion, Shadowicon), the battle-hardened bassist Matjaž Švagelj of Kalamar, and newcomer Gregor Volk on guitar. Most of the stage is of course ruled by vocalist Aleš, who occasionally picks up a guitar, while his former guitar duties have largely been taken over by Gregor. You can already feel on the live material that the lineup has upgraded some of the studio originals, where Aleš alone played all the guitar. The band gave Gregor the freedom to add »embellishments«, work his own ideas into the solos, and so color the songs further with his own touches. Above all, it’s great that he and Peter can create occasional crisscrossing dialogues between guitar and keys even more intensely (e.g. Blizu je zadnji izdih), while a »relieved« Aleš can fully devote himself to his vocal interpretation. It stays full, dominant, melodic and clean, and explosive when needed, or soft and subtle. The crew played the debut album in bulk and slipped two classics into the set that helped warm up the crowd: Live And Let Die by McCartney’s The Wings and Superstitous by Europe. The sound was excellent, and the band, as said, nicely tight too. There’s a lot to look forward to from Pelhan. With Chateau, Šank Rock and Mary Rose kind of on »standby« and us waiting for Requiem to spread their wings again, live and compositionally, Pelhan are a great filler for the currently somewhat emptied-out space in Slovenian hard rock. Bravo, guys!

Ana Pupedan. You don’t even know where to start. A top-notch quartet of one-of-a-kind stage provocateurs made up of Simon Avsec (vocals), Boštjan Požar (guitar), Peter (Pero) Žnidaršič (bass guitar) and Marko Doles (drums). Except for Simon in his short pants, the other three looked like MPs banished from their paradise – the Slovenian parliament. Pressed suits, tight ties, neat haircuts (Marko went for a »Vid Kavtičnik-style« look). Ana Pupedan are armed to the teeth with truthfulness, which they know how to deliver to the crowd with finesse. And it’s all so cunningly packaged, so teasingly funny and sparklingly brilliant that the band keeps you in strict concentration for the whole stretch of their set! They don’t let you breathe. From metaphorically pouring »straight wine« about the screwed-up state of the country, to all the »post-independence« hangmen of the Slovenian people – on the principle of »Slovenes love to screw over fellow Slovenes« – to allegories about Ljubljana folks and their provincialism! Honest!!! And even though I’m from Ljubljana myself, it’s really sad that the people of Ljubljana can’t scrape together two brain cells to tell them that sometimes you’ve got to get behind the wheel and drive a mere dozen kilometers out of Ljubljana for good music (in this case, Postojna)! Ana Pupedan can play everything. Nothing is hidden, nothing hushed up, nothing unknown. »This one’s American,« Simon announces and they rip into an outstanding country-flavored romp, in the next moment they’re playing by the book of ska, reggae silliness, horned-up blues, and to finish, with the song Ana Pupedan they deliver an almost Motörhead-style earthquake. Ana Pupedan are truly a musically-preaching, perfected quartet, multi-layered in expression and wildly vivid in their authentic, homegrown tradition. In that respect they belong at the very top. Above all, there’s a core that’s the driving force of creativity and pulls the focus away from generic templates in musical solutions. Sparklingly witty, sarcasm-soaked humor in poetry that never runs out of confessional dynamite. They hit with Cigodrom (probably a witty nod to the old amusement parks), then on to Rdeča kočija, followed by the »enigmatic« Isdislou,… From song to song, a full bowl of laughs and fun. Ana Pupedan played in the best slot on the schedule. The crowd was curious enough, the real evening hours had kicked in, everyone was carelessly ordering beer round after round and pouring it down, all up for a party and switching off. The area in front of the stage got seriously packed, and plenty of younger folks took the front rows. Toward the end Simon and Marko swapped roles, Marko stepped up to the front of the stage and unleashed a few indispensable Ana Pupedan classics, led by Vsaka rwža jma trn, Četrtek, Harmonikaš. Brilliant mockers who delivered a top-notch finale right at the end with those classics and even coaxed some real participation out of the crowd! It’s also incredible that the band sticks to an almost 100% organic sound, where slip-ups can’t be missed, yet they play brilliantly. Ana Pupedan is a band that the label Celinka absolutely must take under its wing!

Avtomobili took the stage a little past midnight. With the evergreen Gospodar. A handy song for every occasion. It grabs the crowd’s attention because people know it, and at the same time you can still tweak the sound settings in the meantime. And this time Avtomobili did have quite a few early troubles calibrating the sound. Considering how late it was, there was still a nice number of people on the square and the place was nicely full. Only in the front rows were there a few more mature »citizens« – listeners. Quite a few of them were happily swaying from an excess of consumed alcoholic derivatives. That night Avtomobili didn’t deliver the best they’re capable of, but the catalog behind their body of work is so strong that it carries them from the very start of their evergreen classics, which they’re famed for as one of the strongest songwriting collectives that the free Slovenian sun has ever given to the history of rock and roll! You could feel the band wasn’t as warmed up as usual, but still. The guys seemed a touch frayed. Maybe from waiting for their late slot, maybe from a combination of circumstances whose background I don’t know, but you have to realize this is the end of summer, when we all have mildly overcooked batteries.

Marko’s vocals once again instantly took over the central spot in the stage presence of the legendary band. His extremely distinctive, instantly recognizable voice, which was handed one of the loveliest timbres in its cradle, worked just as we’re used to. Perhaps the singer showed a hint of absent-mindedness only in Bar pozabe, where he got tangled up in the verses for a couple of moments (especially the second stanza), but there’s no need to »philosophize« about the rest. Hats off! That night the two HeaveniX men pulled the cart forward, even though the whole quintet radiated a touch more reserve than we’re used to. Such a day simply comes along. But when the repertoire runs through such strong moments as Gorica, Skozi leta, Argentina, Ljubezen ne stanuje tu, then Mraz, back in the set after a long time, the punchier Proti Luni, the mellifluous Sama, April, Enkrat v življenju and Enakonočje, these remarks become real trifles. The creation of a unique character, sound, energy! Exceptional artistic sophistication backed by a wealth of experience! This is that element of the band’s one-of-a-kind musical ID called the drive for perfection, in arrangement and sound alike. That’s Avtomobili. You enjoy watching every member of this crew, taking in his dedication (Bushy was especially triumphant this time). You enjoy the development of sonic figures, their nuances, colors, contrasts. In symbiosis with each other. The warmth of sound generated by Mirko’s keyboards, underpinned by the wittily funked-up foundation of the rhythm line in the Morgan/Šuligoj tandem of the new song »Kaj si hotel« or Morgan’s drum crescendo in the outro of the fantastic new song »Netopir«, plus some devilishly salty solo acrobatics from Bushy’s Fender Telecaster, where every note has its precisely measured place and expressive ring, in the manner of the greatest masters of this craft in six-string theory. Priceless. Despite a few slip-ups this time, the experience with Avtomobili was priceless, unique and certainly a fresh lesson in how to reach artistic perfection of expression, the kind that only the stance of your own homegrown originality can generate. The album »Pozna pomlad«, released last October, is the first proof that Avtomobili keep developing artistically and keep growing. Fans of their music got their money’s worth in Postojna once again!

A package of three strictly genre-defined bands with clearly delineated characters delivered one of the most enjoyable musical evenings on Slovenian soil this year, at least when it comes to combining acts from Slovenia. This hand-picked musical »triplet« really turned out remarkably well! Definitely one of the highlights of this year’s Postojna festival »Zmaj ma mlade«.