Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Venue: Orto, Ljubljana
Concert date: March 25, 2009
Attendance: 100
Ticket price: 5 EUR
On Thursday night at Orto, Ljubljana’s Grimmski were back in front of us to mark the first anniversary of their album Random saviour. The band cultivates a pretty interesting genre that, apart from the likes of Melodrom and Gušti in Polona (who, thanks to the female vocals, still come across as a bit lighter), is definitely underrepresented and little known on the home turf. It’s a pick of 80s electro-pop motifs mixed with the darker currents of new wave, most obvious in Peter Žargi’s dark vocals, which sound like a blend of Nick Cave and Ian Curtis (Joy division). So: music that never belonged in the mainstream, but on the other hand was always interesting and accessible enough that you couldn’t write it off as just a subculture thing.
As the guys explained at the start of the show, an injury to Bor Gregorčič meant a guest drummer stepped in, and with the occasional instruction and hint from the bassist, he did more than a decent job. Irenej Mesiček’s Telecaster, plugged into a Mesa combo perched on an empty beer crate, sounded confident despite the minimalist tone, and with a few solo excursions it complemented the low registers of Žargi’s striking vocals nicely. On the other side, two backing vocalists joined in, and they really shone on Where the wild roses grow, the song with which Nick Cave, with a little help from Kylie Minogue, scored one of his biggest commercial hits a good decade ago. We heard a few other covers too, among them the opening Crystal ship from the Doors’ debut album, Cohen’s Hallelujah (best known from the film Shrek), and Bowie’s China girl. Among the originals, the biggest cheers went to Catatonia, The light year song and above all the excellent Obsession, a track that, thanks to the effective counterpoint of female and male vocals and a lovely arrangement (for which album producer Peter Penko probably deserves some credit), comes closest to a classic hit.
Despite the solid turnout, given the mellow mood Orto wasn’t shaking or bursting at the seams that night, and the young band’s reserve played a part in that too. A bit more banter with the crowd wouldn’t have hurt, but owning a stage and a room takes some mileage. Still, the guys and girls delivered a really pleasant evening and gently rocked the crowd with their chosen rhythms, a crowd that filled the upstairs of the beloved Ljubljana club almost to the last corner. Going by what we heard and saw, we can safely say this is a very promising band with an original, distinctive style and interesting musical ideas, which is why we’ll definitely be waiting impatiently for the follow-up to Random saviour.
Photos: Hedvika Beras
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