Tribute bands of all stripes have become a proper hit on our concert stages in recent years. You could probably write a sociological study on why, but the fact is that gigs by this kind of band are always very well attended here. So we get Brit Floyd and Guns 2 Roses on our stages all the time, and we’ve already seen and heard a fair few tributes of one kind or another to the greatest heavy metal band of all time, Iron Maiden. Those have almost as many tribute bands as fans (okay, not even close, but Iron Maiden tributes are definitely a small sea) and so it happened that two Iron Maiden tributes played here within a single month. First came Higher On Maiden as part of Orto fest, and then last Sunday the all-female tribute band The Iron Maidens, who are known as a superb approximation of the original.
But before they could prove that to a Kino Šiška that was very nicely packed for a Sunday night, the warm-up was handled by local heavy metal hopefuls (who have in fact already lived up to those hopes and then some) SkyEye. This was probably their biggest gig so far, and they weren’t the least bit scared of the challenge. Instead, they conquered the Šiška stage like the Slavic hordes from their hard-hitting banger Run For Your Life. The guys got a fitting amount of time, so they could calmly present a good chunk of their superb debut Digital God and even shot a video for its title track. SkyEye once again delivered a great show that got the blood pumping on a rainy Sunday night, despite a few minor slip-ups on the guitar front. The guys won over a crowd a hundred-odd strong, and after their set there were enthusiastic comments from people who hadn’t known the band beforehand, a la “wow, vocals like Dickinson!” and the like. With this triumphant gig, SkyEye once again proved that they’re a very much needed shot in the arm for Slovenian heavy metal!
After a pretty long wait for the setup, at exactly quarter past ten (announced, of course, by Doctor Doctor) The Iron Maidens walked onto the stage and greeted Ljubljana with the immortal Aces High. The band currently consists of Linda McDonald (Nikki McBurrain) on drums, bassist Wanda Ortiz (Steph Harris), guitarists Courtney Cox (Adriana Smith) and Nikki Stringfield (Davina Murray), and vocalist Kirsten Rosenberg (Bruce Chikinson). Before she ran off to Alice Cooper, Nita Strauss (Mega Murray) also honed her chops in the band. Now, Kirsten was still finding her feet quite a bit during Aces High, and for the first few songs, with her somewhat deeper-pitched voice, she sounded more like Blaze Bayley than Bruce Dickinson. But she quickly settled in and delivered a very decent vocal performance, which she built up nicely all the way to the end of the almost two-hour show. After the introductory getting-to-know-you phase, the girls properly flattened us with the exceptional and very well executed instrumental Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra). The only thing that bugged me was that Linda McDonald uses a double bass pedal, which you just don’t do with Iron Maiden, and it made (us) purists wince every time we heard the “double kick”. Otherwise there’s nothing to complain about on the instrumental side, apart from a few minor slip-ups that you could easily ignore for the sake of the good vibe, because the girls studied the material diligently and conscientiously (Ortiz especially won us over, delivering that unmistakable bass rumble). This showed even more on the obscure gems that we’ll probably never hear from the original band. The girls absolutely floored us with the sweet treats and candy-like tunes Flash of the Blade, Purgatory and Still Life, and most of all with the brilliant epic Alexander the Great, which Iron Maiden have never played live, not even once.
Special mention goes to the energetic Kirsten, who kept the crowd in check the whole time and clearly picked up plenty from Bruce Dickinson’s school of frontmanship (a few times even straight from the cult Live After Death), especially when she stirred the crowd’s soul by waving a Slovenian flag during The Trooper. Kirsten stressed several times that this is a truly faithful tribute to Iron Maiden, making it clear that it’s not a bare-faced “cash grab” but real fandom, the kind that ties Maiden fans together all over the world. And who (or what) can no Iron Maiden show do without? Eddie, of course. The Iron Maidens have one too, except that a roadie stepped into the legendary mascot’s shoes three times, and the whole thing took on the charm of a cheap eighties B-movie, especially an Eddie with LED lights from a Chinese discount store and something resembling Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf during The Number of the Beast. Priceless. As the show headed toward the end, the girls surprised us with excellent versions of Phantom of the Opera and The Evil thath Med Do, and for the farewell they gave Ljubljana a triple whammy of Fear of the Dark, Hallowed Be Thy Name and Run to the Hills. The Iron Maidens conjured up a very, very charming Sunday evening, whatever you personally think of tribute bands. Up the Maidens!
Words: Rok Klemše
Photos: Sebastijan Videc
SkyEye
Iron Maidens
