Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Ljubljana / Channel Zero (Metelkova) / Slovenia
Concert date: 19.04.2012
Attendance: 160
Low Peak Charlie are yet another bunch of wild fusionists who get the point of smashing genre boundaries between elements of metal, funk, reggae and hip hop. Not exactly a revolutionary brainwave, then, but it’s an approach that caught fire on MTV in the early nineties, when Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Faith No More and Living Colour burst onto the scene. The coastal quartet has a sharpened sermon and, unlike their »groove« countrymen Elvis Jackson, knows nothing of indifference or peddling »sugary fluff«. They bring a note of clear political engagement, and in the choice of arrangements, as well as the role of vocalist Andrej Kresevič, you could say Low Peak Charlie are a fittingly offbeat version of Slovenia’s answer to Rage Against The Machine.
After just three years together, the lineup managed to put together their studio debut »Kdo bo komu« – Rockline’s album review is HERE. That relatively short stretch of time speaks for itself: the quartet is remarkably tight in energy, in how they understand music and in how they deliver a musical idea, breathing together, in sync and as one, on the same wavelength. Camaraderie is the core of a long and successful partnership, which this quartet clearly shows, and it gives us reason to hope for plenty more good music in the future.
Low Peak Charlie marked the first milestone of their career so far with a release party at the Channel Zero club in Ljubljana. Before the album came out, the video for their song Dol vas dam got heavy airtime on shows that reach the masses. So it was no surprise that Channel Zero was packed this time with an immodest crowd of over 150 people, which made being there feel like jostling, or rather rummaging, among matches crammed in a tiny box.
What surprised most was the onslaught of unruly women who, over the hour and 25 minutes the presentation of the debut »Kdo bo komu« lasted, set off a proper wave of hysterical shrieking with their spontaneous screaming. That’s not something Slovenian bands run into often. And yet! It’s a great starting point for the band. When women get fired up about you, it’s the basic indicator that there’s a real chance of breaking through and bigger commercial success! Not only do the guys have hell of a stage dynamite, adorned with excellent stage presence and a cohesive interpretation of the songs, but the infectious »groove« rhythms, as well as the sheer physical appeal of the four men on stage, are the hidden trump card that throws the doors wide open for Low Peak Charlie to gain an ever more visible profile on the rock map, so the likable lads could soon go well beyond the borders of Slovenia.
After a colorful projection of the band’s entertaining journey so far, a short intro film seasoned with provocative, unabashed satire and packed with slaps in the face for Slovenian politicians, the guys stormed the stage shortly before half past ten in the evening and opened their show with the song »Zidak zidaku«, pardon, »Zidar Zidarju«, which instantly revealed the basic essence of this band’s musical and lyrical sermon. Low Peak Charlie flipped the album’s tracklist and rearranged it for the live set so they could build their performance up minute by minute into a closing »crescendo«, which they spiced up with the album’s lead track, »Kdo bo komu«, known as Dol vas dam, then poured oil on the fire with a cover of Rage The Machine’s Testify, and wrapped up their juicy set with one more original »groove« expansion from the debut, called Ostale samo kosti. In just over an hour, the band showed they embody with feather-light ease all the much-needed attributes of a healthy rock look, combining remarkable coherence on stage, confident command of the performance and an authentic delivery of their musical message to the masses. The crowd’s heads and feet were spinning, and they showed it with thunderous ovations demanding an encore, a good few more minutes of the band coming back on stage for one more. The crowd didn’t get it, though, because the band first has to put out an album or two or three more…
The band is in great form, both on stage and creatively. »Kdo bo komu« is a collection of 12 songs with a clearly defined character. It never wastes a minute, delighting all the way through with songwriting insight and groove dynamics, with a gentle touch of that welcome feeling that you can’t predict where the album will go next. With a card like that in hand, Low Peak Charlie can rightfully look forward to full prosperity in the future. May fortune smile on them, and I urge you to catch one of their shows, soaked in energetic voltage and wit, at the first chance, and to reach into your pocket without hesitation and grab a copy of the album »Kdo bo komu« as soon as you can. It will undoubtedly lead you straight into a new, and again slightly different, musical world. One more thing. Hats off to the sound engineer who dialed in the excellent sound of the night at Channel Zero, so this concert truly got the most out of its basic mission!
Setlist
1. Zidar Zidarju
2. Za en sam glas
3. S-lepota
4. Disko Jebig
5. JZA
6. Estrada
7. Where To Go
8. Ajejmona
9. “Hrosch” Kebr
—encore—
10. Dol vas dam
11. Testify
12. Ostale samo kosti
Photo Gallery
