Venue: MC Krško / Krško / Slovenia
Concert date: 02.03.2012
Attendance: 100
Ticket price: €6 / €8
The first rays of spring sunshine coaxed one of the greatest legends of Slovenian rock out into the open – Avtomobili from Nova Gorica, who this time pulled over in Krško. The youth center is a gorgeous renovated building on the edge of the little town, with a cozy, acoustically well-sorted small concert hall and a seriously charming little bar, where you can happily put away a beer or two and swap a few meaningful words while waiting for the main event of the night.
A little after ten in the evening, the first notes announced the band’s invitation to take us on yet another of their many journeys. This time with the song April. Yes! Just like the lyrics say ‘… days go by, years go by…’… Nostalgia with a pinch of melancholy, one of the sexiest male voices around, and backed by musicians who damn well know their instruments. There’s nothing left to do but sink into a super comfy ‘automobile’, let yourself be taken for a ride and start enjoying it. With an open heart!
Marko Vuksanovič has a voice that’s a true gift from above and still keeps that warmth and velvetiness. Maybe the highest notes don’t come as easily as they used to, but the power is still there. He smoothly nailed even Navaden dan, the song he himself says gives him the most trouble. Here and there the keyboards cut in a bit too sharply on him. Maybe they were set just a touch too loud.
The band’s hallmark is certainly the fullness of its sound and the easy interplay of keyboards and guitar in the hands of the real talent that is Boštjan Andrejc – Bushy. Some of the guitar solos were played absolutely masterfully, especially in the song Sama. He gets very close to his obvious idol, the sadly late Gary Moore, and you can feel it’s not just something learned or put on, but pure joy in his own heartfelt, creative interpretation. Beautiful!
The band’s new member, drummer David Morgan, whose first public gig with the group this was, deserves all the praise too. He clicked perfectly with bassist David Šuligoj, and together they made a tight rhythm duo that not only set the tempo but also added extra richness to the whole sonic backdrop. As a whole, the band radiates an unrepeatable charm and melancholy that, despite its apparent simplicity, creates a one-of-a-kind musical séance, the kind that makes your heart tremble and your eyes mist over.
A ride with Avtomobili is always something special. Like a trip in a comfy car with a glass of Dom Perignon in your hand, with no braking, no overtaking, no bullying, no rash moves. It’s pure driving pleasure by the book, a book written by the richness of their sound and the depth of the lyrics in their songs. It has just one flaw – it always ends too soon. This time with one of the most beautiful Slovenian ballads – Hvala za pisma.
And the crowd? For the most part, music connoisseurs who damn well knew what they’d come for and what they’d get. And they left damn happy, too. Krško and its surroundings are one of the few musically unspoiled oases in Slovenia, a breeding ground for true music lovers and connoisseurs, whom today’s instant commercial music hasn’t managed to convince, let alone corrupt.
Setlist
1. April
2. Gorica
3. Prihaja moj dan
4. Drugačno nebo
5. Skozi leta
6. Pot domov
7. Nekaj let
8. Enkrat v življenju
9. Proti luni
10. Navaden dan
11. Odpri oči
12. Legla je noč
13. Sama
14. Gospodar
15. Ljubezen ne stanuje tu
16. Argentina
17. Enakonočje
18. V mrzlih dvoranah
Encore:
19. Ona nosi uniformu
20. Hvala za pisma
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