Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Ljubljana / Cvetličarna / Slovenia
Concert date: 19.06.2013
Attendance: 100
Ticket price: 0.00€ (free entry)
HeaveniX are a quartet of seasoned musical tomcats who have the bad luck of doing too little self-promotion. Boštjan Andrejc »Booshee« (guitar, vocals), Rok Golob (keyboards, guitar), David Morgan (drums) and Patrik Vlačič (bass) are names that rank high once you put them next to the rest of the Slovenian musicians in that colorful genre family, from the many varieties of pop and rock all the way to metal. HeaveniX are simply so good that they can play absolutely anything their hearts desire. With a full dose of credibility, of course!
The band is no overnight thing. They just don’t play the Ljubljana area all that often. You’ll usually run into them somewhere on the coast, since apart from Rok Golob the other three are all Primorci. To date the band has pulled together some original music, marked by a distinctive sensuality of art-rock brilliance. It combines catchiness on first listen with the traits of energetic rock playing, which demands not only a feel for the perfect melody but also drill and know-how. The originals are: Luna na licu, 1 Problem, H20, Adreanlin, DNK, Nov nor čas, and the band presented them again at the Cvetličarna show.
The guys stepped onto the front of Cvetličarna’s summer stage a little after ten in the evening. In front of them stood a measly 100 people or so, who for the most part leaned cautiously on the bar and guarded their own mugs of beer. HeaveniX kicked off their show much like they did in the middle of this April at Orto bar: with Bill Withers’ Use Me, released as a single way back in 1972. Funk runs through their shared blood, and the guys poured a good part of that element into the arrangements of some of the originals they played at the show (flip back to the previous paragraph of this report).
The band was simply fascinating. No less, no more. These guys have way too many miles and too much experience to deliver anything else, and God forbid, to disappoint by accident. They split the show into two sets, to keep the audience in Cvetličarna as long as possible. A free show and an almost empty floor. Total sin! In the first set they played a string of demanding evergreen tunes by acts like The Police, Van Halen (Ice Cream Man – Eddie should have seen this!!!), Jamiroquai (Booshee has the ideal voice for funk – in the high register it gets that distinctive »nasal« edge, while keeping outstanding charisma throughout). The band surprised with, for example, a cover of Zucchero (Baila Morena), which is no easy task. Of course the rockers were looked after too. There were standards by The Doors, Led Zeppelin (a great Black Dog, without a single flub), AC/DC, Nirvana, ZZ Top,… and they took care of the younger crowd too, tackling hits by Kings Of Leon and One Republic.
Everybody got their money’s worth. Those who demand the most for their ears, as well as the less demanding folks looking to »switch off their minds«. The quartet plays like a well-oiled machine. They’re big perfectionists when it comes to sound and performance, which the top-notch stage gear that this kind of artistry demands also confirmed!
The guys kept things lively with charismatic banter with the crowd, mostly making fun of themselves. On stage they showed up in new HeaveniX T-shirts marking the band’s 15 years together! It’s a pleasure to watch HeaveniX on stage. They get through everything, even the tougher numbers in the repertoire, with feather-light ease.
The show confirmed the Orto bar experience. The stage brilliance of this quartet. They’re only a hair away from a debut album. All six originals promise a lot. They’re the epitome of the best that a demanding listener looks for in art rock. Originality and the ideal balance between listenability and performance »complicating«. The middle ground! Listenable enough to be loved by radio, and still seasoned enough to hold on to everyone who wants intelligent variety in their arrangements. So let’s hope the guys take the time to polish another four or so originals, then lock themselves in the studio and finally put together and release their own studio debut. They owe themselves that favor. Their original music is simply too good! And the same goes, of course, for the outstanding musical talent of the quartet’s members, who are bound together in full measure by an infectious, hard-working chemistry!
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