Author: Primož Novak
Location: Orto Bar / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: April 14, 2017
Ticket price: 12€
Orto Fest is in full swing, and this year’s lineup is a varied one again. Friday night, April 14, was reserved for the Slovenian punk rock party-starters Elvis Jackson. Two years ago, Elvis Jackson released the long-awaited follow-up to Against the Gravity, titled Radio Unfriendly. The band has played a ton of shows to promote the album, and they’re not done yet.
At first it looked like only a handful of the band’s fans would show up, but a few minutes before doors opened the picture changed big time. When Ajdovščina band Neonate hit the stage, the room was pretty empty. You could tell they’re still in the early years of their career. Their original material was solid, but nothing all that standout. They tried to flesh out the repertoire with a cover or two, like Smooth Criminal (Michael Jackson, Alien Ant Farm). You could sense the potential, but there’s still a lot of work and perseverance ahead.
By the time Elvis Jackson came on, the hall was packed to the last corner. With the first few songs the band showed off their wilder side, which comes through mostly on their latest album Radio Unfriendly, a record full of speed and punch. A handful of fast punk tracks went by, backed up with hardcore and metal touches. With those fast songs, Elvis Jackson showed they’re still in great shape. Vocalist Buda kept the crowd fired up nonstop with his antics. His banter was full of humor, and at one point he even asked whether anyone had planted the weed yet. The mellower songs, meanwhile, managed to calm down those going wild in the front rows. Fans of the band’s ska/reggae side got their share too, though that wasn’t emphasized all that much. What really stuck were the songs with soaring choruses, which the crowd sang along to diligently. This Time, Wake Me Up, I Believe In …, and Not Here Pray echoed loudly through the hall. The band’s tightness is certainly nothing to complain about. You could catch the odd slip-up, but it didn’t spoil the overall impression. Besides Buda, drummer Soki dominated, playing his set with real confidence, while guitarist Berto and bassist Slavc also did more than a solid job on their parts. The band wrapped up the show with the fun track Smoke the Herb, their tribute to the mighty little plant.
All in all, Elvis Jackson won everyone over again with their upbeat, high-energy show. Sure, a favorite or an older track went missing here and there, but there will definitely be plenty of chances for those.
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