Lucid Dreams at Orto bar (2013)

Arhiv Arhiv Last updated 11 June 2026

Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik

Location: Ljubljana / Orto bar / Slovenia
Concert date: March 8, 2013
Attendance: 170
Ticket price: €0.00 (free entry)

Almost exactly a year after the release of their studio debut »Lucidream« – RockLine review HERE – and a little over 4 years and three months since their last live show, Domžale post punk / synth pop alternative outfit World::Within finally returned to the stage. A rare chance to catch the band live, check their form and see how the chemistry holds up had landed right in our lap. Anyone who knows the debut »Lucidream« knows World::Within deliver something way above the norm for the Slovenian music scene, and anyone who hadn’t seen them live yet and was curious enough didn’t hesitate that night to find out whether the band can re-create live what the record itself offers.

For the »warm-up« slot, World::Within lined up Imset – young melodic pomp alternative guys, also from the Domžale area, with whom they’re friends one way or another. The quintet of five potent youngsters definitely sounded convincing in the performance department, which for such a short career is surely proof of hunger and a will to prove themselves. These kids like to keep their house tidy and under control. They served up a choice, massive »groove« built on voluminous, doubled-up riffs from both guitars, the symphonic element comes courtesy of synth cosmetics, and the vocals sit in a mid-range melodic zone. Though still a bit »boyish« and in need of another year or so of ripening, the singer chases a manliness that, combined with the instrumental parts, gravitates toward the sound Siddharta sold Slovenes a long time ago. Nothing new, then. In every single original song the band cut that night, you could feel an obsession with following the musical templates staked out by Siddharta with the albums »Rh minus« and »Nord«. Melodic, singable and surely ignitable for anyone not bothered by that. How far the band gets depends, at this stage, on connections. Their edge is good looks and a contagious vibe backed by lots of stage ease, drive and confidence. The band is determined and focused, even though it »serves up clichés« that mean less to »enlightened listeners« than last year’s snow. Still. The guys clearly grew up on the hits of homegrown bands Siddharta and (apparently) Big Foot Mama, and it’d be nice if they started turning the radio dial a bit more to the left or right and listened to something other than Slovenian mainstream rock bands. Or, for starters, at least hinted at something else. Good luck.

Unlike the opener, when it comes to homegrown musical adventurism World::Within brought a completely different experience to the stage. In a good three quarters of an hour they played the whole album »Lucidream« and delivered an excellent show. A great balance between laying down chunky, lower-tuned guitar riffs and the rhetoric of eighties-style synth figures puts a band on the scene that’s an absolute oddity in Slovenia. Add the manly, confident, commanding vocals of Jan Jenko, backed on stage by a polished, deeply felt performance, and the experience of a World::Within gig leaves you with the full tangibility of musical substance.

The lineup that took the stage, playing together again for the first time in a good four years, is known as a bunch of musical and sonic perfectionists. If you’re playing with programmed patterns and extra rhythm samples layered over the basic drum engine, you need exceptional precision and tightness from everyone on stage. So in-ear metronomes and in-ear monitors come as no surprise. The plethora of effects pedals on the stage floor confirms that the band simply loves experimenting with sound, while also sweating over filing down the sonic details.

The performance, backed by extra stage lighting that the band itself probably supplied, was convincing across the board. Given that World::Within’s music carries a dreamy, cerebral premise that can blast a receptive listener into a parallel world of »space psychedelia«, and given that the band managed to re-create that feeling on stage, their set passed in the blink of an eye.

The packed Orto bar did its part too, gathering under one roof surely just under 200 hot heads. Never mind the fact that entry was free. That night Orto bar quickly got too small, as the band’s supporters, mostly from the Domžale area, turned out and freely gave themselves over to the musical pleasures of their friends on stage. Let’s hope World::Within don’t stop here, that they keep promoting the debut – which should have kicked off in earnest a year ago – and get to work on its successor as soon as possible. This is a band that draws inspiration from eighties post punk bands and contagiously props up its sound with »electro synth esoterica«, while developing a completely original musical story. Mission at Orto bar accomplished, then, in full dose.