Author: Sebastijan Videc
Photos: Jerneja Jerak
Video: Sebastijan Videc
Location: Orto bar, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Concert date: 13.04.2016
This year’s Orto fest is already in full swing, and Wednesday night was mostly for fans of slightly heavier sounds. Avven are old friends of Slovenian stages, this one at Orto bar included, and Puppetz have also been racking up gig mileage for quite a while now. Since this was my first time catching both bands live, my expectations, mostly based on what I’d heard and read, were set pretty high.
Puppetz kicked off their set, in front of a small crowd at first, with the obligatory “academic quarter” of fifteen minutes’ delay. This Dolenjska/Posavje crew has been together for a solid 14 years, and last year they put out their second studio album, ‘Top of the World’. The guys introduced themselves to the crowd with their vision of modern melodic rock. They’re not afraid to use samples, but they don’t overdo it either, so the samples come off as seasoning on a classic rock lineup of two guitars, bass and drums. Musically they sometimes recall U2, at times even a touch of Siddharta, which maybe isn’t surprising given their past collaboration with Tomi Meglič, but they’re definitely following their own musical vision. Plenty of songs are built on contrasts between calmer parts (bass, vocals, drums) and punchy ones, when both guitars crash in too. The rhythm section does an excellent job, especially Jaka Darovec, whose hard-hitting drumming really came through live. The guitar duo of Škafar and Močnik also did great, coaxing melodic riffs out of their Telecaster and Les Paul. You can tell the band has years of playing together behind it, because the guys were very playful despite the modest turnout. Only singer Pahljina maybe stood out in that regard, a shade more static than the rest of the band, but he still did his job solidly and cleanly.
Puppetz’s late start consequently pushed back the start of the night’s stars, Avven. But more on that stardom in a bit. Just like Puppetz before them, Avven have racked up plenty of mileage, both on home stages and across Europe. They’ve dubbed their style “rock of the East”, supposedly rejecting Western values. But that’s not quite the case. Musically, at least their older work, I’d put somewhere between Siddharta’s album Nord and maybe Eluveitie. The band’s name also comes from the West, as do the stage names of some members. Speaking of stardom, I’ve never before seen so many sweaters reading Avven Crew in the audience, including quite a few of their photographers, videographers, roadies and who knows who else. At a bigger gig that might not even be noticeable, but in the small club space of Orto bar it really stuck out. But never mind; the enterprising lads from Kresnice have more than obviously set out to build a complete image, which is a must for any ambitious band that wants to break out beyond Slovenia’s borders. The performance itself was top-notch, as is typical for them, excellent! The great sound system in the downstairs club hall played into their hands too; sadly, the only gripe is that Anej’s bagpipes couldn’t be heard, while the flute and whistles came through nicely. Over a good decade together they’ve gathered a loyal fanbase, who once again put the cherry on top of the energetic show, whether with clapping, singing or even a mosh pit in the front rows. Primož’s and Uroš’s vocals complemented each other perfectly, and Peter, hidden behind the keyboards, spiced up the scene several times with a low growl you’d hardly credit to someone of his build. The gig was of course also a great chance to present the new studio release Projekt Eos. Its songs are considerably heavier than their earlier work, more “metal”, and it can happen that, despite the similar vocals, Avven lose that Siddharta-like dogma. Whether or not you like the music, Avven have once again proven they’re an exceptional live band who do their job professionally and consequently reap success, at home and abroad.
Setlist
Puppetz:
1. Gledališče sanj
2. Easily offended
3. Sanje in jaz
4. Naj vidijo
5. Dance dance
6. Top of the World
7. I believe
8. Storm
9. Anticipator
Avven
1. Vvile
2. Avven
3. 5
4. Ibo
5. Tarak
6. Spain
7. Sijaj
8. Join the dance
9. Reborn
10. Red sun
11. 969
12. Empires
13. Oceans
14. Hej ti
15. Zmaji
16. Away
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