Niet, support Ember
Saturday, 20 December 2025
Orto Bar, Ljubljana, Slovenia
“I saw red!”
After catching Niet in acoustic guise in Ajdovščina (9 August 2025 — RockLine concert review), going through their discography afterwards and getting genuinely hyped, the pre-holiday stretch seemed like the perfect time to go see the full-on electric version.
In a completely new crew, half of whom barely knew each other, we headed from Ajdovščina to Orto Bar. In-car catering, courtesy of Teja and Petra, was top-notch, with the reliable Borut at the wheel.
When we parked near Orto Bar at a pub of dubious reputation, we ran into a bunch of cheerful girls from Upper Carniola and spent the time before the show cracking up together. As a result, we completely missed Ember’s opening set — which, judging by the crowd’s reaction to the final chords, had made a seriously strong impression.
Niet kicked off their high-octane set with an older one, Molk. Borut’s la-la-la-la! And we’re off! The ride on the old-school punk death train had begun. While the rest of the band stayed relatively static, it’s vocalist Borut who sets the direction and speed of this train. As you can imagine, it went fast and the ride was wild. The crowd was ecstatic from the very first second, eating out of Borut’s hand, and the energy never let up until the last note. Niet structured the setlist (which you can check out in one of the photos) in rough blocks — a few old ones, a few newer ones, a few from the middle era — something for everyone. The band has more than enough classics in the repertoire to keep both the musicians and the crowd at full throttle.
Down in the pit it was hellish — sweat flying, beer sloshing, and full-on bloody mosh pits breaking out more than once. A proper punk madhouse; no time to breathe. Even during the ballads Bil je maj and Beli prah you could feel that urgency and restlessness in the air that makes a show something special. Now that I mention Beli prah and look at the setlist in the photo (see gallery below), I can see it’s not complete. Whatever.
The club was packed to the rafters, the sound was filthy and raw, loud enough to cut right through you — but not quite earplugs-mandatory territory.
The raw energy pouring off the stage papered over the occasional bum note in a guitar solo, a missed beat, a flubbed vocal line. But at a punk bash like this, those little hiccups only add to the atmosphere of a live show. And what a live show it was! Founding member and chief songwriter, guitarist Igor Dernovšek, gave the impression that the stage was the last place on earth he wanted to be. And yet, from his corner, he had an eye on everything — grinning under his moustache as he watched the carnage unfold across the club.
The show was over too soon, but the masters know you have to end on a high! That night, the peak just kept going and going, and there was a bittersweet feeling when it finally ended. I was probably not the only one who came out soaked head to toe in a mix of sweat and beer. The band delivered exactly what we came for, and I sincerely doubt anyone left unsatisfied. A punk-shot show like this is a welcome thing to cut through (like a schnapps between an endless round of cold lagers) the relentless procession of proper metal events.
The post-coital (oops, post-concert) moments were spent hanging out and snapping photos with guitarist Robert and singer Borut, plus some easy-going conversation. Cheers, lads!
text and photos: Igorac
