Location: Ljubljana / Kavarna Slamič / Slovenia
Date: Friday, 03.04.2015
This time, Slovenian art rock veterans Avtomobili steered their eternal rock’n’roll ride into the intimate little cabaret room in the middle of Kavarna Slamič. At Kersnikova 1 in Ljubljana! The charming venue, lit only by soft little table lamps, was slow to fill up this time. Even a few moments before showtime, just past eight in the evening, the place looked noticeably empty. That was probably down to the start of the Easter holidays, plus the “attrition” of students who bolted for the weekend to their home nests, far away from euphoric Ljubljana. But as the evening went on, the tables did fill up, and the art rock heavyweights got a proper welcome once again.
As expected, the band played the classic twenty-three songs, including tracks from the current album “Nova pomlad” (2012), which usually sit at the start of the show and in the obligatory encore, with Netopir in between, where David Morgan once again shone with a drum solo in the extended outro. The band, as always, radiated serenity and good vibes. Bushy swapped between his Telecaster and Stratocaster several times that night, which is rare, and thanks to his constant sonic experimenting and trying out ever new improvisational bits, a few songs got a whole new dimension. The show was split into two parts this time, with a twenty-minute break in between, and in the first part the revamped version of the legendary Prljavi jezik really “set the place on fire”, even picking up a veil of jazz and funk. Ljubezen ne stanuje tu was played in a radio edit, i.e. the shortened version.
The band is incredibly seasoned, and the show went the same way. Brilliantly tight, the band members know every detail, every nuance, there’s no hide-and-seek between them – they read each other perfectly and communicate effortlessly. The chemistry just works. Avtomobili function as an impenetrable, unified musical body of five excellent musicians. And they keep on maturing, like good old wine. Rust won’t be sticking to them any time soon, and they’re still as evergreen as ever. Calm, relaxed, yet, as always thanks to the great musical eclecticism of the band’s repertoire, deeply hypnotic and commanding. Avtomobili once again built their one-of-a-kind world, and we slipped out of reality into it for a good two hours.
Everything clicked, except for Bushy’s guitar, which was occasionally a little less audible. Still, Avtomobili served up a great sound overall. Marko wasn’t exactly having his best vocal day because of a cold, but with all his mileage and experience the man handled every situation like a master. Besides, it’s not even that important, because he’s still bailed out, at every single step, by his instantly recognizable vocal approach and that velvety voice of his, which he knows how to use to caress listeners’ ears so effectively. It remains the basic trademark of Avtomobili’s music!
In the closing stretch, Avtomobili really fired up the crowd, who with loud ovations simply refused to let them leave the stage. In the encore they played two songs from the current studio album “Pozna pomlad” (2012), namely the dark but powerfully distinctive Bar pozabe, one of the most singular tracks in their rich discography, followed by the radio hit Poslušaj once more, the very song they opened the evening with! It was another unforgettable adventure with the one-of-a-kind Avtomobili, one of the finest and most fascinating art rock bands on Slovenian soil. The performance proved the timelessness of this striking Gorica band and their work, and every one of their shows remains a chapter of its own. They’re still masters of the perfect sound.
author: Aleš Podbrežnik
photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Setlist:
1. Poslušaj
2. Kaj si hotel
3. Drugačno nebo
4. Gorica
5. Mraz
8. Nekaj let
7. Ljubezen ne stanuje tu
8. Proti luni
9. Pot domov
10. Sama
11. Prljavi jezik
12. Skozi leta
—intermission approx. 20 min.—
13. Argentina
14. Navaden dan
15. April
16. Netopir
17. Hvala za pisma
18. Gospodar
19. Enkrat v življenju
20. V mrzlih dvoranah
21. Enakonočje
22. Ona nosi uniformu
—encore—
23. Bar pozabe
24. Poslušaj
