A Psychopathic St. Nicholas Night at Orto

 Wednesdays usually go down hard for me. This one slid down a little easier, though, because Thursday was promising a gig at Orto bar. The evening, alternative but still nicely spiced with rock, was served up by Rock Vibe, who clearly have a good nose for how to put on a proper gig of local music. They also took PNC’s biggest trump card under their wing. Prekmurje Noise Conspiracy, the main pillar of eastern Slovenian alternative culture, an incubator of young talent and a support society for ambitious musicians who’d otherwise struggle to get any further than their home garage, had announced another invasion of the capital. Promising! I’d get to hear Kweefpossum, a garage outfit totally unknown to me, and if the opener let me down, I could fix the taste in my mouth with the tried-and-tested P-P formula. Psycho-Path are back! With a changed lineup, a new guitarist (Sašo Benko is the new addition filling the gap left by Denis Oletič’s departure back in the by-now distant year 2000) and a new drummer, Dominik Bagola, who’s been part of the energetic Prekmurje crew for a year or a year and a half. The last time I heard them was as the opening act at the phenomenal Queens Of The Stone Age gig in Križanke. It wasn’t bad, but we all showed up at Križanke with totally different expectations. I admit it! I was waiting for the main attraction back then, so this time I wanted to make up for it at least a little by listening to the whole set, fully focused – just for them.

After the opening vibe check at Orto bar, where the atmosphere was warmed up with fairly easy-listening stuff – Jimi Hendrix, Thin Lizzy and similar masters boomed from the speakers – my body temperature was raised by a stickler-for-the-rules security guy, who steered us to the cloakroom, where we had to leave our bags. He also tried to convince me that my leather jacket deserved the cloakroom lady’s extra protection, and for all of it you pay 250 SIT, and if you lose the metal tag, you have to shell out a grand. Unbelievable! Cloakroom attending is quite the lucrative business these days! And when you try to put out that slowly rising anger with a beer, the world just goes dark – a beer is 600 SIT, so you can’t exactly get hammered on the cheap… Eh… I head up the stairs to the floor of concert delights, find a good spot at a decent distance from the stage and wait for the promised dessert to begin. And at ten, it kicked off! Two longhairs climb onto the stage, who could easily be the support act…

Right from the first chords, Kweefpossum proved that even though they’re just a duo, they’re far from settling for rotten compromises. Punchy rock’n’roll that reminds you of White Strapes, or the lesser-known American oddballs Black Keys, but only at first glance, hides an energetic, explosive mixture of all sorts of things. Even Jimi Hendrix wasn’t spared, and under the layer of chordal distorted guitar and bombastic drum fills I also sensed a hint of Kyuss. Maybe because of the vocals. Dirty, hard-hitting rhythmic racket serves up rawness and a good dose of rock sentiment and adrenaline. They kicked off their all-original run with the song ‘Rites Of Passage’. No two ways about it. Janis Salnajs (ex-Manul) and Ivor Knafelj really showed that Slovenian rock’n’roll is still alive, and that the recipe for keeping it breathing can only be a performance without posing, and above all natural organic feel and chemistry, which Kweefpossum undoubtedly have. ‘Cheap Ünd Nasty’ flows into ‘Just What I Need’. Just a quick “Thanks!” and they’re already rushing on. I glance at the sheet with their song list. After ‘Black Dirt’ they cut deeper – ‘Jump Cut Lesbian Scene’ and ‘Amber’. After some squealing soloing, a healthy dose of melodic feedback and a qualitative boost from the energetic drumming, which I can only rate in superlatives (every musician who swears by playing ‘off the cuff’ would want a drummer like that), the two brought the set to its finale. ‘Tarmalade’. For lack of time, no encores. Phenomenal! These guys deserve more attention and, without a doubt, a record release. Crypt Records would no doubt be happy to have them. In Slovenia they can also try their luck at FV Records, which backs proper rock’n’roll. Kweefpossum shake their lo-fi garage repertoire out of their sleeves like it’s nothing. The only thing I missed was somewhat stronger amplification of the vocals, which sounded fragile at times. There are simply no other complaints.
Short break. The chat with local Prekmurje connoisseurs and alternative experts in the front rows is soon interrupted by the action on stage again. I recognize some members of the P-P crew, but the guitarist with the almost-afro hairdo introduces the band as Rio De Janeiro. A short, endearing massacre of salsa and samba makes it clear this was just a gag, a joke, a way of grabbing the crowd’s attention. Successfully. Shouts from the front rows. The charismatic magnet of Psycho-Path steps onto the stage – the lanky singer Meleé takes her place behind the mic. Eyes on the floor and the first salvo of a guitar wall of sound. ‘Gut Level’ opens the gig convincingly and tightly. One look at the two guitarists tells you they’re well rehearsed and totally at home. The Psychos sound better than the last time I checked them out in Križanke, no question. Indie rock with touches of balanced alternative-experimental sentiment gets the usually static Ljubljana crowd moving. Applause and sincere cheers of excitement herald an energetic set. ‘Kemper’ sensibly fused with ‘Sonny’. Meleé’s otherwise fragile, slight vocals blend nicely with the massive sound of the rest of the Murska Sobota five-piece. Pain and sincerity. You don’t even think about the fact that they’ve been through some pretty stormy times lately. They were left without a label, but with unshakable will and faith in do-it-yourself principles they keep carrying the story of Slovenian quality in alternative circles forward. Short break and a shy address to the crowd. Meleé knocks back a little tequila. For courage and energy. The vocals sound quiet, which could be blamed on the weak PA. It’s just a club gig, right? Damn! When ‘No-Fi’ fades out, it’s time to pour in some new blood. ‘New Blood’ shifts things into a higher gear and the songs, despite their length and the complexity of the two-chord melos, weave into a thick stucco of wonderful sounds and rhythmic enchantment. I look around the hall. True, there are a lot more nearly-grown teenage girls, but no complaints there, since the music does its own thing. Swaying along to the Psycho-Path repertoire from four albums, with new songs thoughtfully woven in, tells you they’re still experts at sonic manipulation. I lose track of time, but the guitarist’s address snaps me out of it. “Are you here more for the new songs or for Jiu-Jitsu?” For all of the latter he has only one recipe – therapy… ‘Mental’ juicily fills the cracks in the sonically padded Orto, after which I reach my peak in the wonderful ambient piece ‘Incommunicado’. The whole band sounds tight and fresh, even though they’ve been playing for a good hour and a bit by now. ‘Cookie’ and ‘Hell’ and the set, or rather the official part of the set, is over. The Psychos leave the stage, but the crowd calls them back with cries for more. Meleé offers a new song or an old one, but the dilemma is solved in a heartbeat: they’ll play both. “Lobo, you’re crazy!” rings out solid. As if they’d only just started the set. The only thing hinting that they’re at least a little tired is the sweat pouring in streams off the guitarist’s face. The drummer went for a different tactic – he’s been sitting behind the kit shirtless for half the set. ‘Recognition’ is a good cue for the last song. ‘Air Rager’ and the plane called Psycho-Path has taken off. Left at the terminal were all the happy, satisfied passengers of this gig, which did not disappoint. Doubters could shake off their doubts, believers topped up on a fresh hectoliter of faith that on the sunny side of the Alps maybe not everything is rotten after all, and the Psychos remain firmly enthroned at the very top of the alternative music throne. The medal for this battle can be awarded with a clear conscience, but the war has to be fought on…