Moonleejada 2009! (2009)

Arhiv Arhiv Last updated 11 June 2026

Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik

Venue: Menza pri koritu (Metelkova) / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: April 18, 2009
Attendance: 150
Ticket price: €8.00

This time around, Moonlee Records label put the spotlight on the five hottest acts under its wing for 2009. They’re all devoted to “independence” in their musical voice, just like the Moonlee Records label itself, which keeps on pleasantly surprising us in 2009 with its output and activity, with insane dedication and a gift for that “sharp nose” that sniffs out even the most carefully guarded secrets, which then grow into proven-quality indie rock artistry. This year, the Moonleejada colors were flown by In-Sane, Bernays Propaganda, Analena, Damir Avdić (a.k.a. Bosanski psiho) and Hesus Attor.

IN-SANE:

In-Sane were first up on stage. The band has almost 12 years behind it, started out as a five-piece with their debut “Keeping Ourselves to our Hearts” in their pocket, and today plays as a trio. Definitely the best possible lineup. Fewer members, fewer chances of conflict over clashing interests. The band proved to be a well-oiled machine, pulling punk straight out of its sleeve, with zero compromise and razor-sharp bite. Incontinent, Choices Made, Lost in Time, From Inside Out, Found My Place — they all wore that interesting bit of cosmetic polish that modern punk rock bands tend to build into their sound as a rule. Plenty of melody delivered through some gnarly, raspy vocals, but still a far cry from the “wasted” attitude and arrogance of the bands from the second half of the seventies, who fascinated the music world for good with their pioneering spirit — which is nothing In-Sane are aiming for anyway. Generations change, that’s all. In-Sane are excellent musicians who breathe as one, tight and highly rehearsed. The guitar pumps out a great dose of fiery noise while adding a touch of melodic softness, giving the band a feeling of wide appeal to young ears. Promising, though without anything screaming to the heavens for uniqueness or a clearly defined difference, but with the potential for a successful commercial breakthrough. A new album is announced for the fall, and the band’s calendar is already packed with concerts across the European continent this year.

BERNAYS PROPAGANDA:

The band I rushed to this year’s Moonlee Records festival for, first and foremost, was Macedonia’s Bernays Propaganda. Pop post-punk — if we can “sparingly” label an indie rock band of such charmingly unique recognizability — is blooming in their hands, a full 20 years late but a fully realized artistic statement. Bernays Propaganda, or rather the very spirit of the band, leans with all its weight on the work and persona of Edward L. Bernays. So, a strongly socially engaged band, no holding back. Given the seriously experienced musicians in the lineup and the unbelievable charisma of young singer Katerina, along with a huge belief in their own sermon, the band could pull the stars out of the sky for fun, with their own conviction, high uniqueness and swagger, delivered with a fistful of dynamite and all the unleashed intensity of rock. Ubij me!, Uživaš li vo svoja pridružba, Bezbedno levo, Dan pred da izćeznam, Homo ili sapiens — all in the phenomenal footwear of the quartet’s musical approach. Young Katerina’s self-assured, authoritative command of the stage took absolute priority, and every eye was on the furious, fully immersed singer, who twisted wildly and jumped around to the band’s rhythmically solid gallop. Rhythmically, Bernays Propaganda are seriously well-versed. Live, they play the songs even faster than on the album, and they don’t slip up once! As the “newcomers,” they left by far the biggest impression at the festival. They’re special, expressive, convincing in both the performance and the sermon of their own musical vision. Katerina is a pretty, charming yet furious singer of exceptional talent, and at the same time the main engine driving the machine of this fascinating Macedonian band! The 40 minutes in the company of Bernays Propaganda flew by extremely fast, so I’ll have to see them again, and the sooner the better.

ANALENA:

Analena, a band with as many road miles as their Moonlee labelmates In-Sane, recently released the studio album “Carbon Based” and eagerly presented it at the show. This is a lineup that’s really interesting on the musical side. The foundation is punk, but very noisy and leaning on solid riff support, which leads the band’s sound. The quartet, whose main link to the audience is bassist/singer Ana, wasn’t scared off by the challenge set by the acts before them and poured out a solid 40 minutes of rock energy, packed with great tightness, relentlessness, a great mix of kicking rebellious energy and melancholy melodic flirtation that felt good in the mood shifts it created. Given a style that gravitates closer to the taste of today’s teenage generation than the previous act, though fresher in expression (read: more covertly recycled) Bernays Propaganda, Analena gathered a bigger crowd of music fans in front of the stage, who already knew the songs and so kicked up more noise down there. Despite the more layered sound, the energy, mixed with anger and pathos, remarkably reminded me of the energy In-Sane unleashed, even though they’re miles apart in musical expression. No two ways about it. As the third act, Analena easily convinced everyone in 40 minutes that they’re a strong band at the peak of their powers, one that will keep inspiring with its uncompromising, exploratory indie rock stance. A stance that’s also incredibly trendy and accessible to the masses.

DAMIR AVDIĆ:

Fourth up on stage was the one and only Damir Avdić. “Bosanski psiho,” a juicy nickname that has rightly stuck to him, wore his official T-shirt this time, with the cover of his debut “Mrtvi su mrtvi” on it, depicting a replica of the late Che Guevara (a skull with Che’s hairdo and beret, complete with the five-pointed star). I remember November 2007, when Damir played at the same place in a practically empty Menza pri koritu. Back then he wore a shirt with a print of Che Guevara’s real portrait, which he’d taped over with electrical tape as if crossing it out. So the yearly budget of our sturdy Bosnian has grown after all. How steeply this musician’s popularity has climbed was proven by the audience too, who followed Avdić’s set with total dedication and, in the two years since the guy started showing up on Slovenian stages, have learned to shout the lyrics out loud. As always, Damir gave it everything, and by the end of the show the stage was dripping with his bitter sweat. The guy once again thrilled with total immersion and a spontaneous, honest, unfaked stage performance. He spat fire through sincere critical lyrics that today’s working class of Cuba could most easily connect and identify with (“Fidele, dođi nam za praznike!”). You won’t believe it. Damir is a band all by himself. He plows through a Gibson Les Paul guitar and shakes out lines of lyrics that hit the listener with no less effect than if bursts of lead bullets were flying out of Damir’s mouth. Who else would dare something like that? He’s the rhythm, the melody and the vocalist all at once. Naked in the saddle, nowhere to hide, plugged in to nothing but the power outlet. Screw Leonard Cohen and the rest of the singer-songwriter princesses on the pea. Hats off. Komunist vs. NBK Revolution!!! Many times you got the feeling that people couldn’t wait for the guy to utter the much-sought-after authentic Bosnian combination of phrases “u tri pićke materine”, “jebo svoju majku”, “jebo ovce”, “guzim pićkice”,… no mercy! At the end, the guy earned thunderous applause of delight in the nicely packed Menza, thanked everyone deeply, and asked the crowd to greet the arrival of Hesus Attor in the same way they’d just greeted him!

HESUS ATTOR:

Hesus Attor, the new attraction from a city that never stops thrilling us by tossing out bones to gnaw on, successfully unveiling new and newer musical dimensions, especially in a world where everything seems long since discovered and said. Rijeka is a city that always says “No!” to conformity and genericness.

Hesus Attor wrestled for a good chunk of time with problems setting up the “logistics for creating the live sound.” After a longer wait, they finally kicked off with Alice Road, the opener of their debut “Sonic Gatronomy Volume 1.” (2008). The band tackled the bulk of the album. It’s a very demanding mix that can come across as shocking to unsuspecting laypeople who sneak into the vicinity of a gig like this, and Hesus Attor can totally confuse them, since the whole thing can, at its extreme, become downright “chaotically” dangerous. But think about it! Math rock isn’t easy to play. The layering basically dictates one single 40-minute track, built out of countless motifs that sow unpredictability and a constant element of surprise. Hesus Attor are grotesque, self-ironic, stuffed with tuned-up tomfoolery, yet at the same time provocatively exploratory, interesting in everything they do on stage. Especially for anyone looking for something special, different and boldly expressive. Juan Pablo Pe De Rigad jumped around like an irritated monkey, driving the crowd out of their minds by warping every sound imaginable. From animal noises you’d chalk up to the jungle, to hardcore screaming, to deliberately off-the-rails operatic falsetto recordings. Hesus Attor won everyone over too with their presence and daring expression of high experimentalism, which was a pleasure to follow and surrender to. “Welcome home, Mr. Bungle!” The quartet is outstanding in its rhythms and avant-garde in its overall view of musical art.

Hesus Attor, as the fifth act in the lineup, only confirmed the greatness of Moonlee Records. They were fantastic, like the four acts before them, and fifth proof that the label was truly created with the purpose that should guide every label. From the biggest to the smallest. Let the artist express themselves, encourage, nurture and reward creativity and musical talent. Don’t manufacture artificial stars who guarantee profit up front and get tossed aside after use like a cheap hooker! So thank the stars that there’s still a kind of power out there that guarantees its own independence and so lets a few brain cells keep functioning healthily in a world of modest smallness, of robotry full of joy in material self-fulfillment.

To wrap up this “song,” I can only agree that this year’s Moonlee Records festival, or “Moonleejada 2009,” was an event that fulfilled everyone present in every way. From the laughably low admission price, which served up 3 hours and twenty minutes of pure music directed by five independent alt-rock bands, to bringing the unique, bold courage of the artistry of the five performers closer to the musical masses. They could enjoy to the fullest the creation of musical quality and sermon right in front of their eyes. Alternative in the true sense of the word. The free still live! Freedom in music is a moment of authenticity in the spotless glow of the original meaning of the word, one that can enrich the listener. Thanks Moonlee, thanks bands! See you again next year!

photos: Aleš Podbrežnik