Lačni Franz Serve Up a Feast with Ladja norcev at Kino Šiška (2016)

Arhiv Arhiv Last updated 2 October 2026

Author: Aleš Podbrežnik

Location: Ljubljana / CUK Kino Šiška
Concert date: 22.10.2016
Attendance: 500
Ticket price: 14 € / 16 €

Few bands have written their names into the archive of Slovenian music in capital letters without any needless pomp. Lačni Franz are definitely one of them. Formed back in 1979 in the Styrian capital at the initiative of Zoran Predin and Oto Rimele, the band filled the Slovenian rock cultural space with 14 records and then, in 1997, opted for a lengthier break. After seventeen years, in 2014, Zoran Predin dug it back out of the ashes, and his solo career during the Lačni Franz hiatus certainly didn’t do him any harm. Around himself Zoran gathered a completely rejuvenated lineup (Anej Kočevar – bass guitar, Boštjan Artiček – keyboards, Luka Čadež – drums and Tine Čas – guitar), leaving him as the only founding member. At the beginning of this year the revamped Lačni Franz lineup also released a 15th album, and we got the chance to witness its launch on October 22 at CUK Kino Šiška.

The warm-up duty went to the alt-rock outfit Kalaia from Kamnik (Grega Kotnik – vocals, Tilen Vake- lead guitar and vocals, Luka Šarc – guitar and vocals, Marko Klobčar – bass, Janez Spruk – drums). In front of a fairly small crowd, but one with a progressive little fan club of young women nonetheless, the guys presented themselves with songs from their debut, titled Psiholom. They’ve been honing their rock careers since 2009, and drummer Janez Spruk is someone we’ve already seen behind the kit with Billy´s. A pretty interesting set, and with all that energy on stage the guys clearly want to come across with a genuine rock´n´roll look, which is not a bad thing at all. That’s how Big Foot Mama made it work too. Musically they sound very solid, and we reckon they deserve a bigger slice of the music pie on the Slovenian scene.

Around 9 PM, after more than half an hour and a few minutes of break, Kalaia handed the stage over to the main act of the night. The hall filled to about three quarters with fans hungry for quality Slovenian music. Lačni Franz kicked off the overture with the title track of their current record, Ladja norcev. After Boštjan Artiček’s keyboard intro, the rest of the rejuvenated lineup came out on stage too. The alpha and omega of the band – Zoran Predin – stepped out like the true star of the evening, right before the vocal part of the opening track. The band got the crowd up to the right tempo with the very next song. The legendary »Naj ti poljub nariše ustnice« loosened the throats of the nostalgics, and the night was off to a good start. They carried on with the current record and the track Aleluja. Then they switched the lights on with »Žarnica za boljši jutri« and went back to the legends with »Na svoji strani«. Between songs we listeners were treated to humorous interludes, which Zoran, as is his habit, served up in his slow drawl, even making a mischievous intro to the song »Muca na klobaso!«. For »Naš novi bog« and »Filma je konec« they were joined on stage by Melee, the well-established singer of Psycho path and Warefox. An interesting stylistic contrast, both vocally and in style, gave these two songs an intriguing touch, but we couldn’t shake the feeling that the crowd was more excited about the other announced guest. Amid Zoran’s jokey announcements, Lačni Franz continued the presentation of the new record with three songs in a row: »Jebiveter junior«, »Cmokfehtar« and the socially critical, meaningful »Naj zadnji ugasne luč«. These three tracks proved that Lačni Franz haven’t budged in their style. They’ve stayed true to their essentials, which on the Slovenian music scene is more the exception than the rule. There’s no stylistic deviation, and we warmly welcome that. The lyrics were never in doubt anyway, and the only question we had before the record was: »Will the guys pull it off with the roots of their 80s and 90s albums?«. Clearly they had no doubts about it. These three songs went down great with the crowd. Next came the all-too-familiar »Čakaj me« with the right emotional charge, which you could feel in the loud singing of the nostalgia-minded crowd. The band cut through the tempo again with »Hudič«, and then Zoran was joined on vocals by »Bolj star, bolj nor« himself – Robert Pešut – Magnifico, which, as expected, gave the crowd an extra push. Two singular and stylistically totally different legends of Slovenian music on one stage took the night to its peak and, with their expected playful approach, spiced up the atmosphere even more. »Okupatorka« was, for most people at least, the high point of the night in this duo, as it was executed to perfection. If we can nitpick a little, we’d still have given Magnifico a slightly bigger role in these two songs, since he’s the guest. He maybe sounded more like a decent backing vocalist. Still, both songs were well delivered. A cliché trio of songs followed, without which a Lačni Franz night clearly wouldn’t be complete, and that’s exactly as it should be. »Ne mi dihat za ovratnik«, »Zadnja večera« and, by far the best-known one among all Slovenes, »Zarjavele trobente« closed the official part of the concert. For the encore the band, after playing »Ladja norcev« once more, finished the night with »Praslovan« and the traditional »Zdravljica«, in which Melee, Magnifico and the opening act Kalaia joined the band on stage.

With Ladja norcev, the crowd at Kino Šiška got exactly what it came for. A night of nostalgia for quality old Slovenian rock with a sprinkling of new material from the current record, which still sticks to the guidelines of the Lačni Franz we know. The thoroughly rejuvenated lineup didn’t hurt the band in the slightest. It only added a fitting charge of energy to Zoran Predin’s recognizable voice. We already know all the guys, and their quality is beyond doubt. In the interview we did with the band members before the start of the concert, they announced that after the new year they have more shows coming up in Slovenia and abroad (mainly in the former Yugoslavia). You can read the interview on our website. The guys also have an acoustic guest spot with Jure Longyka coming up, which we’re honestly really looking forward to. At the same time we hope Ladja norcev isn’t just a flash in the pan from the Lačni Franz resurrected from the ashes, because bands like this give Slovenian rock culture real value. Here’s to many more years of Lačni Franz!

text & photos: Klemen Udovč