Venue: Katedrala / Kino Šiška / Ljubljana
Concert date: November 25, 2012
Attendance: 700
Ticket price: 22 EUR, 25 EUR on the day of the show
On Sunday (Nov. 25) the last true rock’n’roll preacher took the stage at Katedrala. A man of countless collaborations (Queens Of The Stone Age, Belle & Sebastian, The Walkabouts…), genuine musical expression, and one of the most prominent figures of ”grunge”, or rather of the era before it. With his band Screaming Trees, the legendary Mark Lanegan opened the world’s eyes to the musical awakening in the American Northwest back in the late eighties. Screaming Trees paved the way for a whole slew of American musical champions of the nineties: Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, and many others. This time he played Kino Šiška as part of the promo run for his latest album Blues Funeral, which came out last February and was made with the help of many famous names from the music world: Josh Homme, Alain Johannes, Greg Dulli, Jack Irons…
The Blues Funeral tour is running on a relaxed, tight-knit, friendly vibe. Lanegan has no fewer than three fellow acts traveling with him, warming up the crowd as ‘opening acts’. So the whole Sunday night felt very homey and unforced. We in the audience felt like we were watching a gig from our own living room. That was especially noticeable during the first two singer-songwriters of the night, when most of the crowd was sitting down in the hall. An intimate backdrop took shape, tailor-made for the music Lyeen and Duke Garwood were serving up.
Lyenn was first on, a little after eight, and in a good twenty minutes, armed with nothing but an electric guitar, he treated us to some excellent original material. I was especially blown away by the ecstatic screams on the last song, plus the repeating and building guitar motifs that set up a distinctive dramatic triangle within the very structure of the songs. Lyenn was followed by the dark Duke Garwood, who we’ll remember for his singular guitar technique and his storytelling in true folk-blues fashion. Everything felt very natural, yet uncompromising. The two singer-songwriters needed no artificial extras to keep the crowd hooked – words and a hypnotic musical bed were plenty. After both sets came a slightly longer break while the crew got the stage ready for the first band of the night. Creaure With The Atom Brain shook up the intimate, dark, melancholic mood in the hall and got people on their feet. The band played a very dynamic, rhythmic set and added a little dance dimension to the evening. The positive energy was unmistakable, and the music came across as a mix of ”post-punk” tunes and ”grunge”. The band’s rhythm section later also played as part of Lanegan’s backing crew. After a half-hour set, it was slowly time for the headliners – Mark Lanegan Band.
I said headliners on purpose. Lanegan had a fantastic lineup of excellent musicians at his side. Guitarist Steven Janssens especially stood out with his fascinating, feel-driven ”feeling” playing and rockabilly look, and in the middle of the show he smacked a fan who wanted to jump off the stage into the crowd on the backside, bluntly telling him what he thought of that. Still, with his presence and unbelievably gravelly voice (Tom Waits, watch out, Mark is coming for you), it was Lanegan who stood out. A mountain of a man. And he carried himself that way. Once he walked on stage, he cemented himself to the spot in front of the microphone and didn’t move away from it once during the show (about an hour and a half). On that square patch of stage he built his own world. His monstrous face and his voice, which cuts like a razor, are especially distinctive. His calm body language is in complete contrast to the expressive grimaces his scowling face sends our way. Life is written all over Lanegan’s face. That face sketches out all the hardships and pain of his life, along with the little bit of contentment he’s had along the way. Though he may look like a beast, the energy of his performance, his storytelling, and his message are dominated by tenderness. A warm energy, even if it comes in the form of a rough, masculine musical breath. But it’s not all that macho. Standing out in particular are ”Gray Goes Black” and the sweet ”Harborview Hospital”, which, along with the opener (!!) ”The Gravedigger’s Blues”, could be named the high point of the night. The distinctive authorial poetics that Lanegan developed from folk’s narrative, the blues’ melancholy, punk energy, and the dynamics of rock’n’roll reminded us that it’s still possible to be unique in music today. To be an author, to be somebody, and not just a patchwork of borrowed identities. Across all 90 minutes the songs flowed smoothly, with no needless stops and no big speeches. That simply isn’t Lanegan’s style. He spoke to the crowd maybe three times, and even then very reservedly and sparingly. He told us everything through the performance. They played seventeen songs in the regular set and two more in the encore: the explosive ”Hanging Tree”, which was written during his time working with Queens of the Stone Age (we know it mostly from acoustic renditions), and the rowdy, very catchy ”Methamphetamine Blues”, which was perfect for the finale.
And so another night of great music wrapped up at Šiška; this time fans of quality alternative rock got their fill. Instead of the usual one or at most two acts, we got four. What will stay with us most is Lanegan’s commanding presence and his merciless, uncompromising, honest musical expression.
Setlist
MARK LANEGAN BAND:
1.) The Gravedigger’s Song
2.) Sleep With Me
3.) Hit In The City
4.) Wedding Dress
5.) One Way Street
6.) Resurrection song
7.) Gray Goes Black
8.) Devil In My Mind
9.) Harborview Hospital
10.) Quiver Syndrome
11.) One Hundred Days
12.) Creaping Coastline Of Lights
13.) Black Rose Way
14.) Riot In My House
15.) Ode To Sad Disco
16.) St. Louis Elegy
17.) Tiny Grain Of Truth
encore:
18.) Hanging Tree
19.) Methamphetamine Blues
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