Author: Rok Klemše
Location: Ljubljana, Orto bar
Concert date: 18.03.2010
Attendance: 200
Ticket price: 0€
When spring rolls around, you’ve got to give your limbs a proper stretch and get those bones moving after a winter of more or less lazing about. That’s exactly what Ljubljana’s Lene kosti did. Shortly after their comeback they recorded their debut Do Or Die, and they officially launched it live at Orto bar, together with Astrid Lindgren and Brezno.
First up on the top floor of Orto bar were alternative/stoner rockers Astrid Lindgren from Stična. The trio obviously took their name from the Swedish storyteller Astrid Lindgren, but these guys sound anything but fairytale-like when they clobber you over the head and across the back of the neck with ton-heavy riffs and a rolling, rattling rhythm section. At its core, Astrid Lindgren’s music is dead simple, stripped down to the bone, but at the same time, and maybe precisely because of that, it’s punchy and played with balls. The guys thundered through their half hour like a steam train with a freshly stoked furnace, and the great sound that properly shook the foundations of Orto is a definite plus. Just like the drummer’s cool Diareja shirt, hehe.
With Brezno, who’ve been diligently racking up live mileage on Slovenian stages lately, we waded into completely different waters, those of folk metal. Brezno brought some freshness to the Slovenian scene and the local metal crowd, since I can’t remember a pure-blooded folk metal band here before. The gals and guys draw ideas for their music from the traditions of ancient cultures. Because of the authentic lyrics in Slovenian, I like to imagine it’s mainly Slavic ones, though according to the band that’s not a rule. Live, Brezno successfully conjure up the spirit of Old Slavic times, above all with their commendable lyrics in Slovenian, which are excellent proof that Slovenian can be carried over into metal more than well. The guys keep the warrior spirit alive with a colorful, dynamic rhythm section and guitar work that does its job with confidence, while in the calmer, gentler moments we’re led along by the angelic vocals of singer Inez, nicely helped out by Katarina’s backing vocals when needed, and a male backing vocal adds the atmosphere of evenings by the fire and battle songs in all the right places. The flute enriches and beautifies the whole thing, and the keyboards take care of the symphonic line that’s so important in folk metal, flawlessly standing in for an orchestra. With their energy, Brezno know how to quickly pull the crowd into joining in, proving that Slavic blood runs through our veins, especially with tracks like the fantastic V nebo, and they gave the packed Orto a good final kick with the Fintroll smasher Trollhammaren.
Then, to the sounds of an epic intro, the main stars of the night finally stepped onto the stage: Lene kosti! It’s hard to believe, but after thirty years the guys finally got the release party for their debut Do Or Die. What they didn’t manage in their first incarnation, they more than made up for in their version 2.0: they put out what every band wants, a proper studio debut, and on top of that packed Orto bar for their release party. From start to finish, a primal energy flowed through the hall, a mix of a fired-up crowd and the band on stage, under the baton of the mad Milan Krušič. The guys played Do Or Die in full and buried us under one banger after another. You can’t get past Krušič’s excellent stage acting, since in a single evening he gives us three alter egos of a sick, schizophrenic mind. The first one, Dr. Evil, looks like something that could have crawled out of the sick mind of John Carpenter or Wes Craven, and quickly brings to mind the friendly family doctor Herbert West from the cult classic Re-Animator. Krušič’s great vocal performance, all rasping and screaming, is always complemented by the impeccable maestro Marc Kavaš, who thrilled us with gorgeous soloing, especially in the superb instrumental The Sting. This very track came alive in a completely new light, since on the album the spectacular solo is played by Domen “Dyz” Justin, and Marc successfully breathed his own stamp into it. With The Uninvited Guest it was time for Dr. Evil to be joined by the other half of the crazy mind: death with a scythe, Aunt Matilda a.k.a. Uncle Krušič. Together with Nightmare, it’s real proof of what kind of punch the new songs have live, and the crowd has taken to them just as well as to the classics. The obligatory covers weren’t skipped this time either. The most mischievously erotic moment came with the ZZ Top classic Tube Snake Boogie, which fits nicely with the rest of Lene kosti’s repertoire, where sex is also an important theme. Lene kosti also delivered an epic take on the Judas Priest (or rather Joan Baez) classic Diamonds and Rust, in which Krušič particularly shines, belting out the song with stunning vocals. The chilling ballad Blind in Love came alive in a similar light, with Inez and Katarina from Brezno joining Milan on stage. Together they pulled off a fantastic, remarkably well-played duet between two lovers nearing the end of their road, probably for the first and last time, at least in this form. A slightly different kind of love moment came courtesy of the Lene kosti trademark Russian Girl, with the obligatory address from Miha Nedoh asking if anyone’s had a Russian girl yet. Nedoh once again proved at this gig that he belongs at the very top of Slovenian metal drummers, and Grega Brenko keeps him excellent company in the rhythm section, though he’s far too static on stage. Lene kosti raced to the end of their set too quickly, and so the bone-stretching was over again in no time. At the crowd’s request they played Tube Snake Boogie and Russian Girl again, which is commendable of the band, looking after their fans so nicely, but the effect would have been much better without repeating songs, even if they’d had to learn a cover or two more and finished us off with, say, Rock Power or Russian Girl. Still, Lene kosti threw the kind of release party every band probably dreams of!
Photos: Mojca Perdih and Martin Prezelj
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