Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Ljubljana / Roll bar / Slovenia
Concert date: December 27, 2014
Attendance: 100
Ticket price: €0.00 (free entry!)
The year flew by in a blink, and on the last weekend before it runs out, it’s only right that all the Jarše folks gather at their traditional spot, Ljubljana’s »racing« club Rollbar, for the »sweet sounds« of two pure-blooded Jarše outfits: boogie metal veterans Lene kosti and up-and-coming alternative rock sonic terrorists Dandelion Children.
The hallmark of every final weekend of the year is the frenzy in which a pile of events lands on the same date. In Velenje, Šank Rock were playing that day, and in Škofja Loka it was Pankrti and Marko Brecelj. On top of that, the heavy snowfall hit its peak right on this day and into the evening hours, trimming attendance even further, though the view of snowflakes drifting down in the middle of BTC was downright magical.
Dandelion Children, who were in no hurry at all to hit the stage thanks to the generous hospitality of Rollbar’s top brass, finally decided to grace it around nine o’clock, well stocked with fortifying liquors. Anže, Jure and Katja each grabbed their instrument and started entertaining the crowd. This band has been a total oddity from the very start. It’s a group that, from the moment of its birth to this day, in just a few short years, has been developing at exponential speed and in a perfectly healthy way. Strictly their own thing, one of a kind. Carefree and secure, miles away from being force-fed trends. That’s why their musical evolution has reached remarkable originality and a unique form of musical unusualness, in other words, provocativeness.
The band, which has hammered out a heap of studio albums in just a few years and is already promising a new one, naturally presented the current release »Dandelion Chidlren« among other things, while the opener went to the album »Dandelion Chidlren so pičke« and the song Barely Curious.
Anže and Jure swapped guitar and bass a few times during the show, and the band once again stunned with extraordinary confidence, self-assurance and looseness. Dandelion Children had to split their set in two, because the break was filled by a stripper with her provocative flexibility, who stretched her act into the band’s second set as well, which didn’t throw the trio off in the least.
At what was actually their third show of 2014, Lene kosti finally announced two brand-new songs They sounded very encouraging, both crowned with the cocky destructiveness of a lead riff. Only one has a name so far, and in line with the tradition of past naming, a meaningful one: Screaming Bones. The band clearly and loudly announced a new studio album, due to hit the world at the end of 2015 or the start of 2016. No need to waste words on the performance. Experience earned through longevity and defiance is worth its weight in gold! The Kavaš brothers’ tandem works like it always does. Marc once again showed he’s an unfairly overlooked master of guitar in Slovenia, with a totally specific improvisational style and an instantly recognizable »grip«, in which it’s not hard to feel a performance backed by big, swollen cojones. And of course Giovanni’s ever-reliable rhythm guitar keeps watch right beside him, full-blooded. Dago proved again that he’s back where he belongs, and let’s hope he stays with Lene kosti for good. He digs great into the bass, and he also produces a thick, voluminous sound that dynamically pokes and pecks its way through the band’s live sound picture. Drummer Vlado Janež sweated himself and his drums through in full commitment. Jan Tehovnik, the young vocal ace, once again amazed with some exceptional screams that went beyond the range of human hearing. He’s definitely a superb trump card, essential to Lene kosti’s musical vision. Despite Jan’s extraordinary effort, though, it would be a good idea to shift some songs out of top gear and sing at least the verses with a little more sophistication, since some songs simply call for a firm melodic form. Still, it’s always nice to listen to the Slovenian approximation of Rob Halford. In the crowd you could also spot two music masters who count for something on the Slovenian scene: Boštjan Vajs (Victory, C4) and Marko Čulajevič »Čule« (Sausages, Moj Boogie Band,…), who followed Lene kosti’s roaring with enthusiasm.
With all the energy that selflessly »rocked« Rollbar that evening, the mood once again drew in the obliging stripper, who »treated« the crowd and the band to one more round of free striptease. Her show stretched into the second part of the concert, which motivated the guys even more, Jan especially, around whom the girl relentlessly writhed and, in her persistence, climbed rather dangerously while trying to throw him off. But the man of steel wouldn’t be provoked.
So there’s no end in sight to the party of these legendary boogie metal veterans. You can catch the band live on stage on January 30, 2015, at the charity concert at CUK Kino Šiška, where the guys play in a marathon lineup of confirmed bands.
Through all of this, props have to go to the concert’s organizer, the management of Rollbar, who really thought of every detail that kept the crowd happy that night. Hats off. The after-show partying, over a few rounds of Jack Daniels, pelinkovac and beers, and of course accompanied by rock ‘n’ roll classics from the club’s sound system, echoed long into the night toward the early morning. Rock ‘n’ roll, screeching tires, the smell of burning motor oil drifting over from the nearby go-kart track, and of course the teasing shimmer of naughty bunnies! All carefully packed and served in one piece.
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